Chocolate Cake Recipes

Ingredients

Cake:
Unsalted butter, 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon
Bittersweet chocolate, chopped, 14 ounces.
Eggs, large, 7
Sugar, 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
Salt, 1/4 teaspoon

Ganache topping: (optional)
Bittersweet chocolate, chopped, 4 ounces
Heavy cream, 1/2 cup

Optional: (before ganache goes on cake)
Preserves, cherry, apricot, strawberry.

Optional: To serve
Homemade whipped cream
Fresh strawberries

Method

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Line the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with 3 inch sides with parchment paper cut to fit exactly (at this point you could place in a layer of chocolate cake, thin or sprinkle in 3/4 cups toasted finely chopped pecans or walnuts)
3. In small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and then add the chocolate. Stir as the chocolate melts, blending it with the butter. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Separate the eggs, placing the yolks and whites in separate mixing bowls. Add half of the sugar to the egg yolks. Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the yolk mixture on high speed until light and fluffy, and the mixture triples in volume and falls from the beater in a wide ribbon that folds back on itself and slowly dissolves on the surface, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks. Dont worry about the mixture being perfectly blended in at this point because you will be folding in the whites next.
5. Using the mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the rest of the sugar and the salt and beat until the whites hold medium-stiff, glossy peaks. Stir one-third of the whites into the chocolate-yolk mixture to lighten it, and then gently fold in the remaining whites just until no white streaks are visible.
6. Immediately turn the batter into the prepared pan.
7. Bake until the top of the cake is no longer shiny, being careful not to let it “souffle” (puff up and expand beyond it original volume), 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. As the cake cools, it will become firmer.
8. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours or for up to overnight.

Ganache:

1. Remove the cake from the refrigerator, uncover it, and let it sit on the countertop for about 15 minutes to warm up just a bit before you top it. You can also spread on preserves at this point.
2. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan and bring to just under a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit for about 2 minutes without stirring until the chocolate melts, and then stir gently with a rubber spatula (so as to incorporate as little air as possible) until smooth.
3. Pour the ganache over the cake, and tilt and turn the cake pan to cover the top evently. The cold temperature of the cake will help the ganache set up.
4. When the chocolate is set, after 20 minutes, run a thin knife blade around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cae sides (or, you can instead wrap a damp, warm towel around the pan sides, or use a kitchen torch to warm the metal; both will loosen the cake sides). Release and lift off the pan sides. Using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cake to a serving plate, if using or leave it in the pan base.

To serve:

1. Serve the cake at room temperature or cold. If served cold, slice the cake with a warm knife (have a tall container filled with very hot water for dipping the knife before each cut and a towel to wipe the knife clean after each cut).
2. If you prefer to serve the cake a little warmer, it will have a lighter, more mousse-like consistency, which is more difficult to cut.
3. It keeps for up to 1 week. Wrap well for storage; chocolate absorbs refrigerator odors.

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