Makes one 9-inch cake
My bedroom stays cold on long, dark nights. Nothing makes me peel off the quilts like eating chocolate cake for breakfast.
INGREDIENTS
DRY
2½ cups cake flour (here)
1½ cups unrefined sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
WET
5 egg yolks, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup brewed coffee, cooled
¼ cup olive oil
4 ounces 60% cacao baker’s chocolate, melted and cooled (see here for technique)
EGG WHITES
9 egg whites, room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
TOOLS YOU’LL NEED
Measuring cups and spoons
Parchment paper
9-inch springform pan
Room-temperature butter and flour for the pan
2 medium-size mixing bowls
Flour sifter
Small mixing bowl
Whisk
Large wooden spoon
Hand blender
Thin-blade knife or cake tester
Very sharp knife
Cake stand or serving board
Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 325 degrees.
Cut a 9-inch circle of parchment to cover the bottom of the springform pan.
Grease the pan with butter, dust it with flour, and inset the parchment. Set it aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
Crack the eggs, putting 5 yolks in a small bowl and 9 egg whites in a seperate, medium bowl.
Add the vanilla to the yolks and whisk.
Add the coffee and whisk.
Add the oil and whisk.
Pour the yolk mixture into the dry ingredients and fold together. This will be six or seven folds with the wooden spoon using a thoughtful and direct motion. Be sure to get the bottom and sides of the batter incorporated.
Pour in the cooled chocolate.
Fold again till the batter is creamy, glossy, and fully combined.
Beat the egg whites in a medium mixing bowl with the hand blender on medium/high speed until you see soft peaks.
Stop.
Add the cream of tartar and resume beating till stiff peaks form.
Do not overbeat; it will dry out the egg whites.
Fold the stiffened whites into the batter a third at a time. The mixture should be bubbly, shiny, and loose.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake in the center of the oven.
Do not open the door for the first 20 minutes of baking.
The total baking time will be between 45 and 50 minutes. When a knife or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, it’s done.
Within 10 minutes of taking the cake out of the oven, run a very sharp knife between the edge of the cake and the pan.
Allow it to cool in the pan for 1 hour or till cool to the touch.
Carefully remove the adjustable body of the springform pan and turn the cake over onto a cake stand or serving board.
Peel off the parchment.
Serve plain any time of day or top it with the ganache recipe here.