Chocolate Temptation

It has been a long time (for me at least) since I last shared a recipe with all you gourmands out there, but I assure you that this recipe will be more than worth the wait. This recipe comes from one of my favourite French cookbooks, Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan. I have shared a recipe with you from this book before, “My Grandmother’s Creamy Chocolate Cake.” Every one of the recipes in this book is absolutely superb as the book itself is a collection of desserts from Paris’ best patisseries. I am extremely envious and in marvel of Dorie Greenspan and through reading Paris Sweets, I genuinely feel like I know her as we share a love for both sweets and Paris. Paris Sweets is a record of thirty years of discoveries.

This particular cake is adapted from Ladurée (personally my favourite patisserie in Paris, but needless to say, they’re all superb). When I make anything from this cookbook for the first time, there is always a sense of suspense in how it is going to turn out, because the cookbook itself does not reveal any images of the ornate sweets. The air of suspense is quite compelling; you look upon the jaundice colour of paper where the recipe is written, and from the simplicity of the book arises the most “ooh-là-là dessert”.  How can you not want to enter into that journey? Plus, it alleviates the pressure of creating something as beautiful as the picture. If yours turns out a little bit more rustic than what it is presumably supposed to be like, well that is fine, because there is no evidence, no picture, to tell you that you have done it wrong. But, I have never had a mauvaise experience with any sweet I’ve made from this book, and all have to sometimes my surprise turned out seductively beautiful.

So without further ado, here is the recipe for a gateaux that makes you salivate, lick your lips in front of whomever (despite the poor manners) and incessantly complement it with a devilish smile upon your face, The romance between all the ingredients has the effect of rendering you incapable of controlling your reaction.

The Cake

1/3 cup (30 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

¼ cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour

2½ tablespoons (25 grams) potato starch (available in the baking or kosher food section of most supermarkets)

5 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

¾ cup (150 grams) sugar

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1.     Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Butter a 9-nch (24-cm) spring form pan, dust with flour, shake out the excess, and put the pan on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sift together the cocoa, flour, and potato starch and set aside.

2.     Working in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they holds soft peaks. Still beating, add ¼ cup (50 grams) of the sugar in a steady stream, and continue to beat until the whites are firm bust still glossy.

3.     In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and the remaining ½ cup (100 grams) sugar together with a whisk until well blended and smooth. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in one0third of the beaten whites to lighten the batter. Next, gently fold in the melted butter, followed by the sifted dry ingredients. Finally, working with a light tough, fold in the remaining egg whites.

4.     Scrape the batter into the pan, slide the baking sheet into the oven, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is puffed, springy to the touch, and just starting to come away from the sides of the pan. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and, after 10 minutes, remove the sides of the pan. Invert the cake onto another rack, lift off the pan bottom, then turn the cake over onto the first rack. Cool the cake right side up on the rack. (The cake can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature for a day or frozen for up to 1 month).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

The Cocoa Syrup

¾ cup (180 grams) water

½ cup (100 grams) sugar

¼ cup (25 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1. Put the water, sugar and cocoa in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. (The syrup can be made up to 1 week ahead and kept tightly covered in the refrigerator).

The Filling

270 grams bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I use nestle plaistowe 70% cocoa)

1½ cups loosely packed fresh red raspberried (or frozen raspberries if not in season) or ¾ cup raspberry puree

¾ cup (180 grams) heavy cream

7 tablespoons (100 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

About 1/3 cup (about 115 grams) best-quality red raspberry jam with seeds

1.     Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. If you have fresh raspberries, purée them in a blender (traditional or hand-held); you should have about ¾ cup (about 165 grams) purée. Put the purée in one small saucepan and put the heavy cream in another , bring both to a boil. When the cream is at a boil, pour it over the chocolate. Wait for 30 seconds, then, using a whisk, stir gently until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Gently, whisk in the hot raspberry purée, followed by the butter. The ganache is now ready, and it should be used within about 15 minutes. (Alternatively you can press a piece of plastic film against the ganache to create an airtight seal and chill the ganache for up to 4 days. When you are ready to use the ganache, warm it gently over simmering water or in a microwave oven on low power.

2.     To assemble the cake: Wash, dry and reassemble the spring-form pan. Bring the raspberry jam to a boil; remove from the heat.

3.     Using a serrated knife, carefully cut the cake into three even layers. Place the bottom layer cut side up in the spring-form pan and moisten it with cocoa syrup (the cake should be very moist, but not wet). Spread a very thin coating of hot jam over the cake. Finish the layer by pouring over one-third of the ganache. Continue building the cake this way- cake, syrup (don’t worry if you don’t use all the syrup), jam, and ganache-placing the last layer of the cake cut side up and pouring the last third of the ganache over it. Chill the cake for at least 12 hours, preferably overnight, covering it with plastic wrap once the ganache is firm.

The Glaze and Finish

115 grams bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

½ cup (125 grams) heavy cream

2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar

2 tablespoons (25 grams) water

Fresh red raspberries for decoration (optional)

Roasted flaked almonds for decoration (optional)

1.     

To glaze the cake: Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream, sugar and water to a full boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and wait for 30 seconds, then stir very gently with a whisk to melt the chocolate and smooth the glaze.

2.     Take the cake from the refrigerator and remove the sides of the spring-form pan. (The easiest way to unmold this cake is to warm the sides of the spring-form pan with a hairdryer before undoing the latch). It’s up to you whether you leave the cake on the pan’s base or remove it. Place the cake on a cooling rack over a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and pour over the glaze. Using a metal spatula, smooth the glaze across the top of the cake and around the sides. If you are using raspberries, place them on top of the cake. Slide the cake into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to set the glaze. If the cake is very cold (as it would be if you’ve chilled it overnight before glazing it or kept it in the refrigerator after glazing it), allow it to remain at room temperature for about 40 minutes before serving- the flavours are more intense when the cake is less cold.