How I Made a French Chocolate Cake

Inspired by the latest wine event dedicated to food and wine pairing, and having received the recipe from Larisa, I made a chocolate cake. It is wonderfully simple with a heavenly dark chocolate flavour, yet at the same time slightly fiddly specifically during the baking process. I made it twice to achieve a smooth brown surface without cracks (I had to find the right oven temperature and choose the right lining for carefully removing the cake from the baking tin). What I like is that there's no need for flour.

At the wine event we enjoyed the chocolate cake with red wine Red Diamond Shiraz Washington (2006), but it also seems ideal with a white coffee, ice cream, or whipped cream.

You will need:
• 200 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), i.e. 2 bars;
• 200 g butter (1 pack);
• 200 g sugar (1 cup / 250 ml);
• 4 eggs.

Preparation:

Step 1.
Turn on the oven to preheat to ~180°C (this is very much an estimate - go by your own oven; each cook will know best what setting to use; I used setting 4). Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt together with the butter in a bain-marie.

Step 2.
Separate the yolks and whites of the four eggs. Beat the egg yolks with half a cup of sugar.

Step 3.
Add the beaten egg yolk mixture to the butter and chocolate mixture.

Step 4.
Beat the egg whites with the remaining half cup of sugar until fairly stiff peaks form. Fold into the main mixture.

Step 5.
Line the baking tin with baking paper and grease lightly. I used a couple of drops of olive oil. Pour the cake batter into the tin. Cover the tin with foil or baking paper. Bake at ~175–180°C for 40 minutes. To check whether the cake is done, use a wooden skewer.

Lessons learned: The first time the cake cracked because I hadn't covered it with foil. I also used semolina for the lining, but the cake is too sticky for that - baking paper works much better. The second time, using baking paper for the lining and foil for the cover, it came out very smooth and beautiful.

Also, there's no need to rush to remove the cake from the tin. Wait until it has cooled, then it can easily be lifted by the edges of the baking paper and placed on a plate.