Ultimate Chocolate Cake
Why “ultimate” chocolate cake? Because, as far as I’m concerned, at the moment, it’s the best chocolate cake ever eaten! The perfect texture of this luxurious cake is a mix between a soufflé and a chocolate mousse that melts in your mouth, leaving an intense chocolate flavor… I warn you, it’s addictive!
A gluten-free chocolate cake, very easy to prepare.
It’s an ideal cake to prepare for parties and occasions, such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, or Christmas (perhaps decorated with red berries).
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6-8 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 5 Eggs
- 1 1/2 cups Sugar
- 12 oz 70% Dark Chocolate (of good quality)
- 2 cups Butter (quality, softened)
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1 pinch Salt
- 2 tsps Vanilla Extract
- as needed Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (to garnish the surface, optional)
- as needed Sour Cream (or lightly whipped cream, to accompany the cake)
Tools
- Bowl
- Stand Mixer
- Saucepan
- Cake Pan
- Parchment Paper
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 320°F.
Butter (but do not flour) a round pan 9 inches in diameter (max 10 inches) about 2 1/2 inches high and place a circle of parchment paper cut to the same size as the bottom of the pan on the bottom.
In the bowl of the stand mixer (or with an electric beater), whip the eggs with a third of the sugar (3/4 cup of the 1 1/2 cups total) until the volume quadruples: it will take about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan in a double boiler (the water should not touch the base of the bowl and should NOT boil), remove from the heat before the chocolate is completely melted and continue to melt everything off the heat.
Heat the remaining sugar (1 cup) with 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved into a syrup (about 5 minutes from boiling), stirring occasionally; it should reach about 243°F. Gently pour the syrup into the melted chocolate, stirring.
Reduce the speed of the stand mixer and slowly add the warm (but not boiling) chocolate and syrup mixture to the eggs, along with the pinch of salt and the vanilla. Increase the speed to medium and continue beating until the mixture is well combined (no more than 20 seconds). Don’t worry if the mixture loses its initial volume.
Pour the batter into the buttered pan and place the pan in another tray filled two-thirds with BOILING water (as for a bain-marie) that can comfortably contain the pan (you can also place a towel around the tray to prevent the cake pan from moving).
Be careful not to let the bain-marie water enter the batter.
If you see during baking that the surface tends to form a crust, cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil.
Bake the chocolate cake in the preheated oven, lowering the temperature to 250-265°F (it should cook slowly) for about 1 hour – 1 hour and 15 minutes (but it depends on your oven) or until the cake is no longer wobbly on the surface, it pulls away from the sides, as shown in the picture, and a toothpick inserted comes out completely dry
Remove the pan from the water and let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan so that it sets better (DO NOT store in the refrigerator).
Turn the cake out by inverting it, and leave it inverted.
If desired, you can dust the surface with unsweetened cocoa powder.
Serve this wonderful and chocolatey cake, accompanied by crème fraîche (sour cream) or lightly whipped cream.
If you love chocolate desserts, don’t miss my delicious “Double Chocolate Banana Bread“.
Notes and Tips
Since you will surely often be asked to make this cake again, you can also prepare a larger cake, bake it, slice it, and freeze it in slices so you always have it ready. In this case, you will need a larger pan of 12 inches x 2 inches in height for about 18-20 people, and the quantities are: 10 eggs; 2 1/2 cups of granulated sugar; 24 oz of 70% chocolate; 2 cups of unsalted butter, softened.
The recipe is the original from the River Cafe, a legendary restaurant in London, and the cake is called Chocolate Nemesis (here is their video in English).
Shopping Tips!!!
Master Class Non-Stick Cake Pan, Round, with Removable Base, 9 inches, exceptional! You can buy it on Amazon by clicking HERE. #adv
For cooking in a double boiler – particularly for melting chocolate – I use this practical and convenient double boiler pan, available on Amazon at a special price. #adv
