“Here is a recipe that I love, which will impress guests. I do not make it often for the markets because it is sensitive to heat, but it has been my signature chocolate cake for many years. I developed the recipe while I was a pastry chef at Ventana Resort and reworked and reworked it many times. It is now perfection, I think: intense in chocolate, not too sweet.” – Elena Salsedo-Steele, owner of Sweet Elena’s Bakery
INGREDIENTS:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate* (good quality chocolate makes a difference), broken into pieces
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
1/2 cup brandy
5 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
Ganache (recipe below)
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Position the oven rack in the lower third of the oven.
Prepare a 9-inch springform pan. (Lightly butter the sides and bottom of the pan. Cut out parchment paper circle to line the bottom of the pan.)
Place chocolate pieces in top of a double boiler. Place top of the double boiler over a pot of barely simmering hot water and melt chocolate, stirring gently, until chocolate is smooth and melted.
Add brandy, stirring slowly, and continue stirring to keep the chocolate soft. Turn off the heat, but leave the double boiler in place.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter with 1/4 cup of sugar. Add yolks and beat until well blended.
In a mixing blow, beat egg whites with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar until soft peaks form.
With a rubber spatula, quickly combine the chocolate-brandy mixture with the butter-yolks mixture. Then, fold in the whipped egg whites gently. Scrape the batter into the prepared springform pan.
Bake at 325°F for 30 to 35 minutes. The center should be slightly soft. Set the pan on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
Remove the springform pan sides, invert the cake on a sheet of waxed paper, peel off the parchment pan liner, and turn the cake right side up on a serving platter.
Dust lightly with cocoa or confectioners’ sugar and serve with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries if desired. Or you may glaze the cake with ganache. Serve cake at room temperature.
YIELD: Makes 16 servings
*NOTE: Do not use chocolate chips, which contain waxy stabilizers that help them keep their shape. Use a quality, fine bar of chocolate, such as Callebaut, Valrhona, or Scharffen Berger, and cut it into chunks and pieces before melting.
Ganache
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup cream
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
Place chocolate, cream, and butter in a small pan. Over low heat, heat the mixture until the chocolate is melted and glossy. Spread over the cooled cake.
