Bittersweet Chocolate Cake
Description
This is a very dense and intense bittersweet chocolate cake that we have enjoyed for more that 20 years. When Blair and Simone met, in February 2000, this was the first cake that Simone made for Blair. It was near Valentine’s Day, so she made it in the shape of a heart. To this day whenever we make this cake, we still use the same heart shaped pan to remind us of our very first homemade meal together. We hope you enjoy this delicious cake. We enjoy it with a bit of homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit (blueberries or raspberries) in a little bit of Grand Marnier liqueur. These are optional but we highly encourage you to top the cake with a bit of Pomegranate and Balsamic Reduction sauce (and you can easily access that recipe by clicking on that recipe title).
At a Glance
Equipment
It is important to have a double boiler and a hand mixer for this recipe.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Cake:
1-pound of Bittersweet Chocolate
4 large Eggs
5 ounces (1 stick plus two tablespoons) of Butter
1 tablespoon of All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon of Baker’s Sugar (an ultrafine sugar)
Baking Cooking Spray
Optional Garnishes for the Cake:
Powdered Sugar (sprinkled across the top of the cake)
Fresh Fruit (blueberries or raspberries), “soaked” in a tablespoon of Grand Marnier over the fruit
Fresh Whipped Cream (see the notes in the Directions for the Recipe)
Pomegranate and Balsamic Reduction sauce (and you can easily access that recipe by clicking on that recipe title), which pairs famously with this bittersweet chocolate cake.
Ingredients for the Whipped Cream:
1 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream
1-½ tablespoons of Powdered Sugar
Directions
To Prepare the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit into the bottom of an eight-inch round (or heart shaped) cake pan. Spray the cake pan with the baking spray and add the parchment paper to the bottom of the pan.
Melt the chocolate and butter on the stovetop over a medium-low heat; be careful not to burn the chocolate. Once the chocolate and butter are melted and fully integrated, set it aside. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and then pour the eggs and the sugar into the top of a double boiler and continue whisking. Continue whisking it until the sugar is dissolved and the eggs are luke-warm, but again be careful to avoid “cooking” the eggs. Remove the eggs when they are luke-warm and continue beating the eggs until they quadruple in volume and are very thick. Fold (but don't stir) the flour into the eggs; you want to keep the light and airiness of the eggs. Then add about 1/3 of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, then fold (and again don't stir) half of the chocolate back into the egg mixture, and then fold the rest of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place in the oven for 15 minutes. The center of the cake will still be liquid, which is the desired consistency of the center of the cake. Remove the cake from the oven and freeze the cake in your freezer overnight. The next morning remove the cake from the freezer and dip the bottom of the cake pan in warm water to loosen the cake. Take a knife around the edge of the pan and then invert the cake onto your serving dish. Garnish as you wish with the listed, optional garnishes.
To Prepare the Whipped Cream:
Place your mixing bowl into the fridge for a half of an hour prior to using it. Using a hand mixer, whip the cream in the cold mixing bowl, until stiff peaks are just about to form. Add in the sugar and continue to beat it until the peaks form but be careful to avoid over beating the cream because it will become butter.
Serve the whipped cream in “dollops” on top of the Bittersweet Chocolate Cake.
