The Friday Baking Project

Gâteau au Chocolat

Yield: 1 9†cake

# of Servings: 10 to 12

Ingredients:

Cake:

12.35 oz (350 g) chocolate 56% to 64%, pastilles or broken up

10 ½ tbl (5.25 oz (149 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup + 2 tbl (4.5 oz / 127 g) sugar

5 large egg yolks

â…“ cup (1.55 oz / 44 g) all-purpose flour 5 large egg whites

5 large egg whites

Pinch of salt

2 tbl (1 oz / 27 g) sugar

Optional Ganache Glaze:

8 oz chocolate, 56% to 64%, pastilles or broken up

½ cup (4 fl oz) heavy cream

Cocoa powder, as needed

Tools and equipment needed:

• 9†by 2†cake pan or 9†by 3†springform
• Handheld or countertop mixer with whisk attachment
• Sauce pan for double boiler
• Scale
• Mixing bowl, plastic spatula, whisk

Pre-recipe preparations:

• Preheat oven to 350 °F
• Butter the cake or springform pan, line the bottom with a circle of parchment, and butter the parchment circle.

Directions

1. In large mixing bowl, place chocolate, butter and sugar. Place over double boiler and stir occasionally until chocolate and butter are almost completely melted.  Remove from double boiler, let sit for 2 minutes, then stir with whisk until well-blended.
2. Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture, along with the flour. Blend well with whisk. Set aside.
3. Beat egg whites with the salt until soft peaks, then slowly add the sugar and beat until just firm peaks. Do not overbeat.
4. Stir â…“ of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten, making sure to reach the bottom. Gently fold in remaining whites until batter is blended and there are no remaining streaks of egg whites. Pour batter into the pan.
5. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until the top feels just set and a cake tester comes out with moist crumbs.  Be careful not to overbake.
6. Remove pan from oven to a cooling rack.
7. If cake is in 9†by 2†cake pan, let cool for 10 minutes. Place a 9†cardboard cake circle or another cooling rack on top of the cake pan and invert. Peel the parchment circle off bottom of cake, then invert again onto a serving plate or 9†cardboard. The cake should now be right-side up. Let cool to room temperature.
8.  If cake is in a springform pan, let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the sides. Let cool to room temperature. Invert the cake onto a 9†cake circle or cooling rack, peel the parchment paper off the bottom then invert again onto serving plate.
9. At serving time, dust lightly with powdered sugar. Clean the knife with hot water and a paper towel between cuts.
10. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream, beaten just until soft mounds.
11. The cake may be wrapped in plastic film, and left at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, wrap it very well and place in freezer for up to 1 month.

Optional cocoa dusted ganache glaze:

1. After cake has cooled to room temperature, invert cake onto an 8†or 9†cake circle so the smooth bottom is now the top. Place on cooling rack or cake turntable
2. In small saucepan, bring heavy cream just to the boil. Remove from heat.
3. Add chocolate pieces, cover pan with lid. Let sit for 3 minutes.
4. With whisk, gently stir the glaze just until the chocolate pieces are totally melted.
5. Pour the glaze over the cake, guiding the glaze with a metal spatula to totally cover the top and sides. Let glaze settle for 1 minute.
6. Using offset spatula, remove the cake to a serving plate.
7. Let glazed cake sit for approximately 1 ½ hours at room temperature, or until glaze feels set and firm. If glaze is still soft, place in refrigerator for 20 minutes until firm.
8. Using fine-mesh strainer, dust cake with dark cocoa powder.
9. Using the back of a long slicing knife, mark the top of the cake in cross-hatch pattern.  
10. Slice thin slices with a knife run under hot water and wiped clean between each slice.
11. Cake may be left at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Baking Tips:

1. Chocolate notes: I tested this G¢teau with Guittard 64% and 66% pastilles (wafers), available in various size bags from lepicerie.com. I found the 64% delivered the best balance of chocolate flavor and sweetness. I will be testing this recipe in the near future with Ghirardelli 60% chocolate, available in most supermarkets. Check back for the results.
2. This G¢teau’s texture changes as it cools, becoming slightly firmer and less creamy. Best to bake it mid to late afternoon for the best dinner dessert results. In my tests, it is at its finest just after it reaches room temperature, between 1 ½ and 2 hours after coming out of the pan.
3. Be careful when you test the cake for doneness to make a small as indentation as possible. As the cake isn’t glazed or iced, imperfections in the surface may show through the dusting of powdered sugar.