Chocolate lasagna is an innovative dessert that utilizes some of the form of the traditional Italian lasagna dish in a sweeter way. This type of dessert is relatively new, and not common in most parts of the world. Cooks who make this food consider it a specialty dessert that is the province of a few restaurants and dessert venues.
Recipes for this dish typically use two or three different elements that cooks layer on top of each other. These typically include a thin chocolate cake, whipped buttercream or similar frosting, and semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips. The cake element of the dish is usually baked at 350;° Fahrenheit (177;° C.) until it is done. This cake includes basic ingredients like flour, sugar, cocoa and baking soda, while butter and eggs may be added as well. It's important to note that in some regional cuisines, more obscure versions of this dish may consist of traditional lasagna with dark chocolate added to the sauce.
For the buttercream or frosting element, cooks will use a variety of the typical ingredients that make up these lighter textures. Egg whites and cream may be used. Some cooks also use meringue mixtures for a specific result. Generally, the cook whips these elements together until they have a stiff, yet airy, consistency.
The presentation for chocolate lasagna relies on proper placement of the finished elements. The baked cake layer and the buttercream layer are usually stacked on top of one another in thin, tight layers. Cooks will then position the layers of chocolate chips; in some recipes, chocolate chips may only go on top of the dish, where in other versions, they may be sprinkled through the various layers.
Besides being its own unique dessert choice, chocolate lasagna also falls into a more general category that is very commonly used in restaurant menus. This is the “double chocolate” class of desserts. The “double chocolate” designation for chocolate lasagna, or a similar dish, may be mentioned prominently on the menu, in order to appeal to customers who want a dessert with more chocolate flavor. Typically, certain kinds of restaurants carry one or more “double chocolate” desserts as part of a larger strategy to tempt the broader instincts of a diner's “sweet tooth”.
