2 c  Half and half
1/3 c  Sugar
1    Vanilla bean, split
Lengthwise
4 lg Egg yolks
Cake:
10 oz Bittersweet or semisweet
Chocolate
1/2 c  Creme de cassis
3/4 c  Unsalted butter
5 lg Eggs
1/2 c  Cocoa powder
1 c  Sugar
Icing:
1/4 c  Whipping cream
6 tb Plus 3/4 cup creme de cassis
Liqueur
8 oz Bittersweet or semisweet
Chocolate, chopped

Creme Anglaise: Bring half and half to simmer in heavy medium
saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Whisk sugar
and yolks in bowl. Gradually whisk in half and half mixture. Return
to saucepan; stir over medium low heat until custard thickens and
leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 5
minutes. (Do not boil) Strain sauce. Cover, Chill until cold, at
least 4 hours.

Cake: Preheat oven to 350. Butter 9 inch springform pan with 2 3/4
inch high sides. Line bottom with parchment, Dust pan with flour, tap
out excess. Melt chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over
low heat, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly, whisk in cocoa and
cassis. Using electric mixer beat eggs and sugar in large bowl until
mixture whites and triples in volume, about 6 minutes. Add
chocolate-butter mixture and fold together. Pour batter into prepared
pan. Bake until top forms crust and tester comes out with very moist
crumbs attached, about 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack for 5
minutes. Press down on crusty portion of cake to even. Release pan
sides from cake. Turn out cake onto rack. Peel off parchment and cool
completely.

Icing: Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Add chocolate
and 6 Tbls. cassis; Whisk until smooth. Let icing stand until cool
but still spreadable, about 15 minutes. Place cake on plate. Ice top
and sides. Chill 1 hour. (can be made 1 day ahead. Cover, chill. Let
stand 2 hours at room temperature before serving.) Simmer 3/4 cup
cassis in heavy small saucepan until reduced to generous 1/2 c, about
5 minutes. Cool. Spoon creme anglaise onto plates forming pool. Spoon
reduced cassis decoratively atop sauce and swirl with knife. Place 1
slice in center of each plate.

Creme Anglaise: