10 oz Unsalted sweet butter -; (2
-1/4 sticks)
10 oz Bittersweet chocolate – (1
-1/4 cups); finely chopped
1 tb Instant espresso; optional
(or 2 tablespoons dark rum);
-optional
8 Egg yolks
1 1/4 c Sugar
6 Egg whites
1 pn Salt
2 ts Grated orange zest
=== GARNISH ===
Good unsweetened cocoa
Powdered sugar
Blackberry coulis
Over low heat, warm butter until just melted but not hot. Add
chocolate and espresso powder or rum and whisk until melted. Cool
slightly. In a separate bowl beat yolks and half the sugar until
light in color. Add warm chocolate mixture and mix together. With a
mixer, separately whip egg whites with a pinch of salt and orange
zest and add remaining sugar gradually just until firm peaks are
formed. Stir in one quarter of whipped whites into chocolate mixture
to lighten it. Carefully fold in remaining whites. Very lightly oil
or butter a 9-inch springform pan and place a circle of parchment or
waxed paper on bottom. Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 degrees
for one hour. Cool and refrigerate if not serving same day. Note that
cake will have a “cracked” top surface which is part of its charm! To
serve: Slice in small wedges and dust alternately with good
unsweetened cocoa and powdered sugar and a tablespoon or two of
blackberry coulis on plate if desired. This recipe yields one 9-inch
cake that serves 10 to 12.
Yields
10 servings