A popular podcast I listened to once described cake as a frosting-delivery mechanism. While this chocolate spongecake can stand on its own, it is incredible for layered cakes because it has a light consistency and a rich flavour without being overpowering. You are sure to find it in several other recipes in this site, but I've added the basic cake here for you to try it out.
The recipe comes from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Volume 1".
INGREDIENTS
- 3 and 1/2 ounces (squares) semi-sweet baking chocolate
- 2 tablespoons coffee
- 3 and 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3 eggs, separated
- A pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon sugar, keep separate
- 2/3 cups sifted cake flour
EQUIPMENT
- A round cake pan, 8 inches in diameter and at least 1 and 1/2 inches high
- A saucepan with barely simmering water
- A flour sifter
Lay them all out, remember that the butter and egg whites have to be at room temperature.
Butter and flour the pan. What I mean by this, in case you were wondering, is to smear the pan with butter, sift a bit of flour over it, move it around so that it covers the area evenly, and then bang it, floured side down, onto the kitchen sink so that it has a nice, even coat.
Making the Chocolate Mixture
- 3 and 1/2 ounces (squares) semi-sweet baking chocolate
- 2 tablespoons coffee
- 3 and 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
Place the chocolate and coffee in a small metal bowl and set it over the barely simmering water. Melt them until smooth, remove from heat and beat in the butter by spoonfuls until it is completely dissolved. Place aside.
Having the butter at room temperature makes this process easy.
Making the Ribbon with the Yolks and Sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks for a minute and add the sugar slowly. Beat until the mixture turns pale yellow and forms the ribbon, as shown in the picture below.
See how the mixture, when lifted and dropped on itself, creates a slowly dissolving ribbon.
Beating the Egg Whites
- 3 egg whites at room temperature
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
In a metal bowl, start beating the egg whites until foamy. Add the salt and continue beating at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and beat until still peaks form.
This is how you beat egg whites. Avoid getting it to the point where they get overly foamy.
Folding it all together
- 2/3 cups sifted cake flour
Start by folding the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.
The chocolate will tend to go to the bottom, so reach out for it while you fold.
Stir in a quarter of the egg whites. This is done to lighten the mixture before adding the rest of the whites and the flour.
Stir it in, you are not looking for a perfect mixture.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
Sift a quarter of the flour, continue folding and add more egg whites, alternating between them as you add more. When folding, make sure that you do not aim for a perfect mixture. The reason you fold the ingredients, and not use a wire whisk of a mixer is because you want to retain as much volume as possible. As you will have noticed at this point, the recipe does not call for baking powder, so the reason the cake will rise is because of the air that you incorporate into it by folding the whites. As you alternate between the flour and the whites, the mixture will eventually happen. And when you're done, pour it into the pan.
Make sure your batter goes all the way to the rim of the pan.
Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 3o minutes. The cake will puff an the surface will break. It is done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes.
Leaving it rest for 5 minutes is a good idea before trying to remove it from its pan.
After 5 minutes, the cake will shrink slightly. Loosen the edges by running a knife or icing spatula long the rim and reverse onto the cake rack.
Now it becomes a waiting game. Who will win, you or the cake? Only time will tell.
Let it cool for a good 2 hours. The cake can be cut, filled, iced, or sprinkled with powdered sugar for a quick snack. Anyhow, at this point, the sky's the limit when you decide how you want to eat this cake.
Enjoy!