Gateau Moelleux au Chocolat (Soft Chocolate Cake)

Another recipe from the Laduree Cookbook... I can't help it!
Why does everything in French (especially related to food) sound so fancy and exciting?
Gateau Moelleux au Chocolat.
Soft chocolate cake.
One definitely sounds better than the other...


I've had my eye on this recipe since I bought the book. For some reason, I assumed it was flour-less for the longest time until I started to make it and realized it asks for 35 grams of flour (which is really small). It also asks for 7 egg whites, 1 egg and 4 egg yolks though. Yes, buy a carton and be prepared to speed through them!


The texture of this cake is beyond lovely. It's so soft and dark. When they say soft, they really do mean soft. It cut like a dream. However, it did come out of the oven a little cracked. I have a feeling it might have in the original recipe since in the photo cocoa powder is sifted over the top. I did the same and no one could tell.


I made this for a dinner with friends and we finished it pretty quickly. The cake in the book looks as if it's meant to be eaten plain, but I wanted to add a little something to it. I whipped some cream and infused some Kahlua into it, which turned out to be a great accompaniment. Next time, I might try a peppermint whipped cream as well!


One tip would be that the cake tastes best at room temperature, so don't spread the whipped cream on top of the cake, because then you will have to refrigerate it if not consumed the same day. 

Recipe
From Laduree
Serves 8


10 1/2 tbs butter
1/4 cup cake flour
5 oz dark chocolate
1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg
4 egg yolks + 7 egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar


Butter or spray a 9 inch cake pan well. Dust the interior with flour and keep in the fridge. 
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler with the butter, stirring over low heat together. Once melted, remove from heat.
Sift together the flour and cocoa powder and set aside.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, placed over a pan of gently simmering water, whisk together the egg, yolks, and 1/3 cup of sugar, until the mixture thickens. 
Remove from heat and set aside.
Immediately whisk the egg whites to a foam in another large clean, dry bowl. 
Once white and frothy, incorporate the remaining half of sugar while continuing to whisk another minute, until glossy and stiff.
Delicately fold a third of the egg and sugar mixture into the melted chocolate and butter. 
Pour the entire mixture back over the remaining 2/3 of the eggs and sugar, mixing gently.
Delicately fold a third of the whipped egg whites, along with the sifted flour and cocoa powder, into the above mixture. 
Pour this new mixture then back over the remaining 2/3 whipped egg whites.
Combine all together until smooth, and be careful not to overmix.
Pour batter into the cake pan. 
Place in oven and lower temperature to 340 degrees F. 
Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before removing from the mold.


*Keep cake at room temperature and serve within a day or two


Whipped cream


1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp peppermint extract


Whip all three together in a bowl until stiff peaks. Keep and serve chilled.