I learned how to make this simple and somewhat rustic chocolate cake when I was living in Paris. It was a staple of Sunday dinners and delighted everyone, including the French and yes, even the Parisians. Incroyable! It will only take you about 45 minutes to put together, baking time included.
Ingredients
200 g dark chocolate - I prefer the Valrhona dark available at Trader Joe’s, you’ll need 2 bars
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C flour
100 g unsalted butter
4 eggs
1 pinch of salt
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 and line a circular tart pan with parchment paper
2. Separate the yolks from the egg whites. The whites should be put in a large bowl, the yolks can go in a small bowl. Beat the yolks. Add a pinch of salt to the whites and using a whisker or a hand mixer beat them until they look like snow. You should be able to turn the bowl upside down without making a mess.
3. Melt the butter and add it to the sugar in a large bowl. Stir well.
4. Break up the chocolate in pieces and melt it using a bain marie, stirring frequently.
5. Add the melted chocolate to the butter and sugar mixture by pouring it steadily (without stopping) and stirring constantly. Then, add the beaten egg yolks to this mixture, add about one egg at a time while stirring constantly.
6. Add the flour to the chocolate mixture (step 5)
7. Fold in the egg whites. I usually do this in three parts and make sure that I’m getting as much air as possible into the mixture.
8. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake. Check after 20 minutes, if you stick a toothpick in it should come out nearly clean.
9. Serve with whipped cream, ice cream or fresh fruit.
Voilà, c’est fait! Bon goûter.
