People love chocolate on Valentine’s Day (as if they needed an excuse), and what better way to celebrate the occasion than with a wonderful homemade chocolate cake? Long on the menu at San Francisco’s famous Zuni Cafe, I think this may be my all-time favorite: moist, tender and deeply chocolaty, but not overpoweringly rich or sweet. It’s also flourless, so it’s fair game for those who avoid gluten.
Like many flourless cakes, it’s a little fussy to make, to be honest. But it’s not difficult or unforgiving, and there’s no need of frosting or filling, so overall, it’s a pretty efficient indulgence. The stenciled sugar decoration is also a nice trick. With a little imagination and some primary school craft skills, you can get personalized, professional-looking results.
Recipe
(Adapted from “Zuni Gâteau Victoire” in Saveur magazine.)
Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoon butter
5 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar
10 oz (285g) bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
6 tablespoons strong brewed coffee
3/4 cup (177ml) heavy cream
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Equipment
9-inch (23cm) cake pan, kitchen parchment, electric or standing mixer, roasting pan (larger than the cake pan), toothpick, a sheet of paper at least 9 inches (23cm) wide, scissors, a fine mesh strainer.
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350F (177C). Grease a 9-inch (23cm) cake pan with butter and line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment. Butter the parchment.
2. Combine the whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a large heatproof bowl, set the bowl over gently simmering water, and stir until the mixture reaches room temperature. (You want to take the chill off the eggs, not cook them.) Remove from heat and beat with an electric mixer or standing mixer fitter with the whisk attachment on medium speed until it’s about quadrupled in volume (15-20 minutes).
3. Melt the chocolate and coffee together in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, stirring often. Remove from heat.
4. Whip cream in a medium bowl until soft peaks form.
5. Fold one quarter of the egg mixture into the melted chocolate, then fold the chocolate mixture and the whipped cream into the remaining egg mixture.
6. Pour the batter into prepared cake pan and set it in a roasting pan. Pour in hot tap water to a depth of 1 inch (2.5cm) and transfer to the oven.
7. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar, and let the cake rest for 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven in its water bath and let it rest for 30 minutes more. Remove the cake from the water bath, invert it onto a plate and peel off the parchment. (The cake is very fragile –particularly when warm– so handle it as little as possible.)
To decorate:
1. Trace around the top edge of the cake pan and cut out the circle. Fold it in half and cut out concentric heart shapes, saving the pieces.
2. Unfold the circle, flatten it, and center it over the cake, completely covering it. Secure it with a couple of push pins. Add the concentric heart cut-outs, securing each with push pins. (Of course, the negative space between them will get dusted with sugar and appear white on the finished cake.)
3. Spoon a tablespoon or two of confectioner’s sugar into a fine mesh strainer. Hold it over the cake and tap the edge of it with a spoon, which will cause a fine shower of sugar to fall onto the cake. Keep tapping until the exposed areas of the cake are a uniform white.
4. Very gently remove the paper stencils. If you get a smudge or two (which is almost inevitable), don’t worry –it’s easy to tidy up the design with a damp Q-tip. Serve warm or at room temperature, with or without a dollop of whipped cream. The cake will keep unrefrigerated for several days.
Julia thought that some colored sprinkles would be pretty. I think she was right.
