high-volume chocolate
A raging amount of bittersweet chocolate flavors this (wonderfully creamy) one-layer marvel, upended only by butter, whole eggs, egg yolks, and a jot each of cake flour, cocoa powder, superfine sugar, and vanilla extract.
If I am in an expansive mood, I’ll add the seed scrapings from a small vanilla bean and forsake the extract in place of the same amount of cognac (this, in an elusively rounded way, builds the chocolate taste), my current favorites being Jules Lormin Cognac X.O. (Grande Champagne Premier Cru de Cognac; Thénac, France) or Navan, a cognac with Madagascar vanilla (Vanille Noire Naturelle de Madagascar Cognacs de France) that hails from the House of Grand Marnier.
The batter, a slightly viscous and ropy mess, bakes into a sublime thickness of chocolate goodness. Don’t let this trait deter you, as it is consistent with the type of batter it is. If you try to disguise the cake’s original nature, that of a slightly irregular top, you will only confound the dessert—so enjoy it as is, simply with sifted confectioners’ sugar rained over the surface or a mixture of confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder, with an undercoating of chocolate darkness, with whipped cream, or sincerely and totally plain stark-naked.
The cake is, in one exact word, “sybaritic.” Joseph Campbell, the renowned mythologist and author of The Power of Myth, coined one of the most persuasive statements ever: “Follow your bliss.” For me, this directive would logically and directly lead to this recipe.
a what-you-can-do-with-a-pound-of-good-chocolate cake, chocolate darkness
serving: one 81/2-inch cake, creating 8 slices
ahead: 3 days
buzzing-with-bittersweet chocolate batter
3 tablespoons superfine sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder
2 tablespoons unsifted bleached cake flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled to warm (see notes)
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size chunks, softened
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
pinch of cream of tartar
cocoa and confectioners’ sugar topping, for sifting over the baked cake
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Film the inside of an 81/2-inch springform pan (21/2 inches deep) with nonstick flour-and-oil spray.
For the batter, sift the superfine sugar, cocoa powder, flour, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.
Scrape the warm melted chocolate into a large mixing bowl. Blend in the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, using a heatproof rubber spatula. At this point, the mixture should look like a creamy chocolate “mayonnaise.” Blend in the beaten whole eggs, beaten egg yolks, and vanilla extract. Move quickly when adding the eggs and egg yolks or the mixture may set up too soon. Resift the flour-cocoa powder mixture over the melted chocolate-butter mixture and blend well. In a small mixing bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks are formed, add the cream of tartar, and continue whipping until moderately firm peaks are formed. Scrape the whipped whites into the chocolate mixture and stir them in, using light strokes and a flexible spatula. The mixture should be evenly chocolate-colored, without any veins of whipped egg whites swirling through it. The batter will be moderately dense.
Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Gently smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Place the cake in the preheated oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Bake the cake for 30 minutes, or until just set around the edges—the center will be softly set. The edges of the baked cake will be firm and stable, with a fudgier center portion—a terrific contrast of textures.
Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 45 minutes. Open and close the hinge on the side of the pan; at this time, you may notice that the sides are wrinkled here and there, and this is to be expected. On cooling, the cake will pull together and descend about 1/8 inch. Refrigerate the cake for 3 hours. Open the hinge on the side of the pan and remove the outer ring, allowing the cake to stand on its circular metal base. For the topping, and just before serving, whisk the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder in a small mixing bowl to combine well, then sift the topping over the cake. Serve the cake, cut into thick slices, using a long, thin knife. Spoon a little of the warm chocolate sauce to the side of each helping, if you wish. Refrigerate any remaining cake in an airtight cake keeper.
notes
• delicious results can be had with these bittersweet chocolates: Scharffen Berger Bittersweet 70% cacao; Michel Cluizel Ilha Toma 65% cacao; Weiss Ebene Bittersweet Chocolate 72% cocoa; Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Extra Fine Dark Chocolate; Domori Caranero Superior Cocoa Estate Couverture 75% cocoa; Valrhona Guanaja Dark Bitter Chocolate 70% cacao; Michel Cluizel Chocolat Amer Brut Bitter Chocolate 72% cacao; or Valrhona Caraïbe Dark Chocolate 66% cacao
a what-you-can-do-with-a-pound-of-good-chocolate cake, chocolate darkness
chocolate darkness
serving: about 2 cups
ahead: 1 week; or freeze for 1 month
dark chocolate sauce
4 ounces best-quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size chunks
3/4 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt
2 cups granulated sugar, sieved
11/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
Place the unsweetened chocolate and bittersweet chocolate in a medium-size heavy saucepan or casserole (preferably enameled cast iron and about 2 quarts). Set over very low heat to initiate melting the chocolate. When the chocolate is three-fourths melted, add the chunks of butter, the heavy cream, and salt. Add the sugar, pouring it widely in the middle of the pan so as to avoid sloshing it around the sides. Cover the pan and place it over low heat to dissolve the sugar, stirring gently now and again. Uncover, raise the heat to moderate, and bring the contents to a simmer, stirring or whisking all the while. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until lightly thickened. Turn off the heat and, with the pan still on the burner, blend in the vanilla extract. Let the mixture stand in the pan on the heat for 45 seconds longer. The sauce should be smooth and shiny at this point. Remove the pan from the heat.
Strain the sauce through a fine- or medium-mesh sieve into a large heatproof bowl. Use immediately. Or, drape a sheet of food-safe plastic wrap over the bowl, but do not let it touch the sauce. Cool completely. Parcel out the sauce into two individual containers, cover, and refrigerate or freeze until needed.
• high-quality unsweetened chocolate, such as Valrhona, makes the best-tasting and smoothest sauce
• the sauce thickens after a sojourn in the refrigerator or freezer; rewarm slowly in a heavy saucepan and adjust the consistency—as desired—with a few tablespoons of milk or heavy cream
• it is possible to double the recipe with excellent results, as I often do (use a larger pan, about 31/2 quarts), for it is a sweet asset to have in the freezer