Best Ever Bittersweet Chocolate Cake Recipe

There is one day a year where I will gladly delight in a piece of chocolate cake, and that is Valentine's Day, which likewise takes place to be my birthday. This is the cake I made for this year's birthday fete.

It comes from the timeless Silver Palate Cookbook and consists of the addition of a touch of grated orange peel. With virtually a pound of chocolate, almost a pound of butter, a dozen eggs, and only one cup of flour, you can simply imagine how delectably rich it is.

Bittersweet Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 14 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, grated or burglarized small pieces
• 3 Tbsp water (or more if needed).
• 12 eggs, separated.
• 2 cups granulated sugar.
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel.
• 3 1/2 sticks (3/4 lb plus 4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened.
• 1 cup all purpose flour, sifted.
• Powdered sugar.

Method

Preheat oven to 325 ° F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Add a few tablespoons of sugar and carefully shake so that all the sides and bottom of the pan are coated with sugar. Tap out excess sugar.

Beat egg yolks with the granulated sugar up until they are thick and pale yellow and form a ribbon when they fall from the beater.

Place chocolate and 3 Tbsp of water in the top of a double boiler. Melt over simmering water, blending till smooth. If the chocolate gets too thick, and looks like it will firm up, blend in a tablespoon or more of water. Let cool a little.

Fold the warm chocolate into the egg mixture. Stir in the softened butter. Stir in the grated orange peel. Fold in the sorted flour. Mix thoroughly but carefully.

Beat egg whites until stiff. (See this fantastic description of blending egg whites drawn from La Bonne Cuisine de Madame Sant-Ange.) Stir a large spoonful of the chocolate mix into the beaten egg whites. Mix well. Pour this mixture into the chocolate mixture, fold together carefully, integrating the whites totally. Take care at this phase not to overmix.

Turn batter into the springform pan. It will resemble the top of the pan. Set the pan on the middle rack of your oven and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or till a cake tester placed in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then remove the outer rim. Permit the cake to cool completely before getting rid of the bottom of the pan. Cool.

When ready to serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Makes 20 small, but rather abundant, portions.

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