Preparation

• For a 20 cm diameter mold: Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  

• Grease and flour the mold well (I used non-stick spray because when the molds are so grooved, I prefer it).

• Sift the flour with the baking powder. Then in a bowl, beat with the whisks for at least 15 minutes the sugar and the 3 egg yolks (keep the whites!!), they should turn white and frothy.

• Add the yogurt to the beaten yolks, alternating with the flour (previously sifted with the baking powder), beating for another 5 minutes, add the aromas and a pinch of salt.

• Whip the 3 egg whites to stiff peaks. Bau recommends whipping them at moderate speed (NOT too high) to incorporate more air and be more voluminous and stable, moreover – contrary to popular belief – they should have a soft “peak” consistency (similar to shaving foam); if they are too whipped and hard, they do not incorporate well into the other mixtures.

• Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the previous yolk and flour mixture, being careful not to deflate them (I usually use the Kenwood pastry spatula for this purpose).

• Finally, pour the entire mixture into the greased mold and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, remove from the oven, let the cake rest for about 10 minutes, then unmold onto a serving plate.

• Break the dark chocolate into pieces and melt it slowly over low heat in a bain-marie (the water must already be hot), stirring occasionally (the water must NOT boil and must NOT come into contact with the chocolate).

• In another saucepan, bring the liquid cream and honey to a boil.

• To incorporate the boiling cream into the melted chocolate, apply Bau’s “rule of thirds” (a secret for achieving a perfect emulsion between the two mixtures): slowly pour one third of the boiling cream and honey mixture onto the melted chocolate and, with a spatula (preferably silicone), vigorously mix the mixture describing small circles to obtain an elastic and glossy “core”.

• At this point, incorporate another third of the mixture, mixing as described above, and finally incorporate the last third following the same method.

• Finally, blend the whole mixture with an immersion blender and immediately pour it over the baked and cooled cake to achieve a perfectly smooth finish.

  

• Place the bowl and whisk in the freezer for 10 minutes, then pour in the liquid cream (also well chilled from the fridge) and whip with the mixer at medium speed, it should have a frothy consistency; be careful not to over-whip, otherwise, it becomes butter!!

  

• Bau, for a perfect light and voluminous whip, recommends always whipping at moderate speed, NEVER at maximum speed, as this makes the whipped mixtures less stable and resistant, and less voluminous.

• Finally, decorate this wonderful chocolate charlotte with whipped cream (if you want, you can use a piping bag) and berries.

  

• If you don’t have the specific Nordic Ware charlotte mold (available on Amazon, see the link in the Shopping Tips below!!!), you can still prepare, with the same quantities of this recipe, a soft tart for a clever mold, like this one in the photo (also on Amazon, see Shopping Tips below)).