Chocolate fudge cake

This cake is another creation of Yotam Ottolenghi. Yes, him again. Because he’s that good. And because he apparently thinks that there is no such thing as too much chocolate, in a brownie or in a cake. I agree.
Apart from being intensely chocolatey, under the thin crisp crust, the cake is actually pretty sophisticated. It is baked in two stages, which means the first layer is more cake, and the top one more fudge. But if you think dividing the batter is too much trouble, just bake it all at once. The cake will still be very good.
The cake is also, almost accidentally it seems, gluten-free, which can come in handy if you entertain someone gluten-intolerant.
Chocolate fudge cake
From Ottolenghi: The Cookbook

240g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
265 g dark chocolate (52 % cocoa solids), cut into small pieces
95 g dark chocolate (70 % cocoa solids), cut into small pieces
290 g light muscovado sugar
4 tbsp water
5 large free-range eggs (separated)
a pinch of salt
cocoa for dusting

Pre-heat the oven to 170˚C (gas mark 3) Grease a 20 cm springforrm cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.
Place the butter and both kinds of chocolate in a large bowl (large enough to accommodate the entire mix). Put the brown sugar and water in a small saucepan, stir to mix, then bring to the boil over a medium heat. Pour the boiling syrup over the butter and chocolate and stir well until they have melted and you are left with a runny chocolate sauce. Stir in the egg yolks, one at a time. Set aside until the mixture comes to room temperature.
Put the egg whites and salt in a large bowl and whisk to a firm, but not too dry meringue. Using a rubber spatula or a large metal spoon, gently fold the meringue into the cooled chocolate mixture, a third at a time.
Pour 800g (about a third)of the mixture into the prepared cake tin and level gently. Place the cake in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out almost clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Flatten the top of the cake with a palete knife. Don’t worry about breaking the crust. Pour the rest of the batter on top and level the surface again. Return to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. The cake should still have moist crumbs hen checked with a skewer. Leave to cool completely before removing from the tin. Dust with cocoa powder and serve.
The cake will keep, covered, at room temperature for 4 days.

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