Chocolate is one of the most popular sweets of all time. I really
love different types of chocolate cake recipes. Here is my favourite recipe of
chocolate cake:
Ingredients:
·
8 large eggs, cold
·
1 lb. semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate,
coarsely chopped
·
16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 16
pieces
·
optional toppings:
powdered sugar and/or berries
Method:
Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position
and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform
pan with parchment paper or waxed paper and grease the sides of the pan.
(Be sure to grease the sides really well!) Wrap the outside
of the pan with 2 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil and set it in a large
roasting pan. Bring a kettle or pot of water to boil.
In a
stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs at high speed until the
volume doubles (about 5 minutes).
Meanwhile,
melt the chocolate and butter together. You can either do this on the
stove (by placing the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl set over a
pan of almost-simmering water until smooth and very warm – about 115 degrees on
an instant-read thermometer – stirring occasionally. Or you can do this
in the microwave (by heating the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at 50%
power for 2 minutes, then stirring, the adding the butter, and continuing to
heat at 50% power and stir in 1-minute intervals until the mixture is
well-melted and smooth). Then fold about a third of the beaten eggs into
the chocolate mixture using a large rubber spatula until only a few streaks of
egg are visible. Fold in half of the remaining egg foam, and then the last
half of the foam, until the mixture is totally homogenous.
Scrape
the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the surface with a
rubber spatula. Place the roasting pan on the oven rack and pour in
enough boiling water to come about halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
Bake until the cake has risen slightly, the edges are just beginning to
set, a thin-glazed crust (like a rownie) has formed on the surgace, and an
instant-read thermometer inserted halfway into the center reads 140° F, 22-25
minutes. Remove the springform pan from the water bath and set on a wire
rack; cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight to mellow
and firm. (The cake can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.)
About 30
minutes prior to serving, carefully remove the sides of the springform pan,
invert the cake onto a sheet of waxed paper, peel off the parchment paper, and
reinvert the cake onto a serving platter. If desired, lightly dust the
cake with powdered sugar and top with berries. To slice, use a sharp, thin-bladed
knife, dipping the knife into a pitcher of hot water and wiping the blade
before each cut.
