serveitforth.com recipes
David Lebovitz's Chocolate Cake with Crème Fraîche
adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris (Broadway)
12 oz (340 g) high-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 c (160 ml) strong coffee, black tea, or water
1/4 c (60 g) crème fraîche
1/4 t vanilla extract
5 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 c (100 g) ßsugar
pinch of salt
1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Lightly butter a 9 or 10" springform pan and wrap the outside of it with foil to make it watertight. Place the pan into a roasting pan big enough to hold the springform pan and deep enough to create a water bath.
2. Put the chocolate and coffee/tea/water in a large heatproof bowl and put the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir the chocolate mix until it has melted, then remove the bowl from the heat and set aside to cool. Stir in the crème fraîche and vanilla.
3. Put the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the sugar and salt and whip on high speed until the mixture is thick and pale and holds its shape when dropped from the whisk, about 5 minutes. (You can use a handheld mixer but it will take significantly longer for the eggs to reach optimal volume.)
4. With a large rubber spatula, fold about half of the egg mixture into the chocolate, then gently fold in the rest.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Pour enough warm water into the roasting pan to come half way up the side of the springform pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the cake is firm on the surface but still feels soft when gently tapped.
6. Carefully remove the springform pan from the water bath, take off the foil, and cool the cake, still in its pan, on a rack. When it has cooled to room temperature, run a knife along the edge of the cake to separate it from the pan and remove the outside of the springform.
serves 12-16
To serve the cake, use a thin knife dipped in hot water to make thin slices (it's very rich!), and wipe the blade between every cut. You can also use dental floss to cut it. This cake is very delicate, so don't be sad if you cannot achieve perfect slices. Refrigerating the cake will make it easier to slice, but it does change the texture a bit, though not at all in a bad way! The cake will keep, well covered, at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days, or frozen (well wrapped) for one month.