Chocolate Soufflé Cake

Chocolate+Souffle+Cake.jpg

Makes 12 -14 servings . 

This flowerless, light, chocolaty dessert is truly delicious.  I love to serve it with Crème Chantilly.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon for buttering the pan

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour  

  • 8 ounces high quality imported semi-sweet chocolate 

  • 6 eggs at room temperature (See Note)

  • Scant ½ cup sugar

  • 6 tablespoons cornstarch 

CRÈME CHANTILLY :

  • 2 cups heavy cream, chilled

  • 2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

  • 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, or other liquor

PREPARATION:

  1. Grease a 9 by 2 ½-inch spring form pan with butter and dust with flour. Invert pan and tap to shake off excess.     

  2. Melt the butter and cool to lukewarm. 

  3. Break chocolate into small pieces and melt in a double boiler. Cool, add the butter and combine well. 

  4. Preheat oven to 350F.

  5. In an electric mixer, at high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Very gradually add the sugar and beat until stiff.  

  6. Lower the speed to medium, add 1 egg yolk at a time and continue beating for 3 minutes.  

  7. Spoon cornstarch into a sifter and sift half of it over the batter along with half of the chocolate.   Fold with a large rubber spatula making a motion like a figure 8 and scraping the batter from the sides and BOTTOM of bowl.

  8. Repeat with the remaining cornstarch and chocolate. Be sure the final batter is well combined.

  9. Pour batter into the prepared pan, distributing it evenly.  

  10. Bake in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes. The inside of the cake will be moist and the center will appear loose.

  11.  Cool on a wire rack.  

  12. Remove the rim. Loosen the bottom with a metal spatula and invert onto a platter. The bottom will now be the top.    

TO MAKE CRÈME CHANTILLY:

  1. I recommend beating the cream in a metal bowl which I chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. The colder the bowl, the less likely the cream will separate, especially if the bowl is prepared in advance. 

  2. When the cream begins to take shape, add the sugar and continue beating at high speed until almost firm. With a rubber spatula fold in the liquor. Transfer to a container and refrigerate.

NOTE:

I separate the eggs while they are cold. This prevents the yolks from breaking.