Homemade whipped cream is the perfect topping for this bittersweet chocolate cake. Enjoy!
This recipe courtesy of Williams-Sonoma.
Adapted from Chuck Williams Collection, Simple French Cooking, by Chuck Williams (Time-Life Books, 1996).
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons cake flour
- 1 tablespoon Dutch process cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, at room temperature
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup superfine sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the whipped cream topping: 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Preparation
- 1 Preheat an oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan with 2-inch sides.
- 2 In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and espresso powder. Set aside.
- 3 Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over but not touching barely simmering water in a saucepan. Melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the butter, a little at a time, until blended. Let cool slightly.
- 4 In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and superfine sugar. Using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the chocolate mixture until blended. Fold in the flour mixture and then the vanilla.
- 5 In another large bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Stir one-fourth of the whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites just until incorporated.
- 6 Pour the batter into the prepared pan and level the top. Bake until the top is risen and crusty and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean, 30 to 35 minutes. The center should be soft and moist. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. The top will fall a bit. Remove the pan sides, loosen the cake's edges with a knife, and slide the warm cake onto a serving plate.
- 7 To make the whipped cream topping, in a bowl, whisk together the cream and sour cream until slightly thickened. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar, orange zest and vanilla until soft peaks form.
- 8 Dust the warm cake with confectioners' sugar. Cut into slices and top with whipped cream.
