Gâteau au Chocolat Grand-Mère

This preciously gorgeous chocolate cake recipe has been taken out of my favourite French sweets cookbook “Paris Sweets” by Dorie Greenspan. She has a collection of the most stunning French sweets recipes from all of the patisseries around Paris. This one is from  La Maison du Chocolat. The pastry chef there is Robert Linxe and this recipe was passed down to him from his grandmother and it definitely has that grandmotherly simplicity to it that somehow produces the most exquisite crowd-pleasing cake or as Dorie Greenspan describes it “a humble look and a haunting flavour.”

It is an intensely chocolate rich cake but still does not overwhelm you but rather allows you to still contemplate seconds or in my case thirds. It is extremely easy to make with everything being stirred-in-a-saucepan and it only having five ingredients that produce an interior that is in between a fudge cake and a brownie. All I have left to say is…. delectable!

2 sticks (8 ounces; 230 grams) unsalted butter

8 ounces (230 grams) bittersweet, 70% coco chocolate, finely chopped

¾ cup (150 grams) sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

¼ cup (35 grams) all-purpose flour

Whipped cream, crème fraîche, or vanilla ice-cream for serving

Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Butter an 8-inch (20-cm) square pan and line it with aluminium foil. Have ready a large pan that can hold the cake pan and water (to make a bain-marie).

Put the butter in a heavy medium saucepan, then add the chocolate and the sugar, Place the pan over medium-low heat and, stirring almost constantly, heat until the butter, chocolate, and sugar are melted and well blended. Remove the pan from the heat and set it on the counter for 3 minutes.

One by one, stir the eggs into the chocolate mixture, using a whisk. Sift the flour over the mixture and stir it in as well. Rap the saucepan on the counter to deflate any air bubbles and pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Put the cake pan into the larger pan, fill the larger pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan, and slip the setup into the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is set on top and a knife inserted in the centre comes out streaky but not wet. Lift the cake pan out of the water bath and place it on the rack to cool to room temperature. Chill the cake for at least 1 hour before unmolding.

When the cake is cold, gently turn it over onto a serving platter, lift off the pan and carefully remove the foil. The cake is meant to be served upside down, with its sleeker side facing the world. If you like, it can be served cold or at room temperature with a scoop of whipped cream, crème fraîche, or ice-cream.

The cake can be kept, tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or wrapped airtight and frozen for a month. 

Sources:

Dorie Greenspan "Paris Sweets," 2002