Alice Medrich’s newest cookbook, Seriously Bittersweet: The Ultimate Dessert Maker’s Guide to Chocolate is a follow up to her hugely popular Bittersweet from 2003. The book covers everything from ganache to torte to savory mains with chocolate. I am admittedly not much of a baker, but as a lifelong chocolate enthusiast, I was keen to try, and Seriously Bittersweet is a great primer.
In her introduction, Medrich breaks down the whys and hows of measuring, mixing (Hint: If you’re not using your whisk, you’re doing it wrong.), and more. But her depth of knowledge really shines when she discusses chocolate. She starts with a detailed explanation on how chocolate is made (Thankfully, I had a little knowledge about this already.), and what really goes on during the baking process when you substitute chocolate that has a higher milk-fat or water content for another type. If my high school chemistry teacher had explained chemical reactions using 60-percent cocoa, I probably would have done better in class.
Normally I’m a frozen dessert girl, more apt to buy a pint of chocolate ice cream than whip up a chocolate cake. But it was Valentine’s Day, and when you’re already going for broke with dinner, you might as well end with an out-of-the-ordinary treat. And when one of the reigning queens of chocolate confections declares The Queen of Sheba chocolate torte as her go-to recipe for any occasion, you take note. But after a meal of braised short ribs and creamy polenta, I couldn’t justify serving a cake that required a stick of butter, four eggs and chocolate ganache.
Luckily, Medrich’s Queen of Sheba recipe is as verstaile as she claims. A lighter version, Fallen Chocolate Soufflé Cake, falls like a sad soufflé but is as rich as a brownie and soft as a pillow. The cookbook’s lower-fat recipes were designed to have fewer than 300 calories, less than 10 grams of fat and less than 30 percent calories from fat. Not exactly Weight Watchers, but my conscience was clearer.
Six egg whites whipped into a fluffy cloud give the cake the lift it needs to bake up beautifully. The end result was crumbly (No butter or oil makes for a “nubbly” cake, as Medrich would say.), but packed with intense chocolate flavor thanks to the 70-percent chocolate and a half-cup of cocoa powder. Medrich suggested serving the cake with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream, but my valentine and I found it went perfectly with a scoop of coffee ice cream. Old habits die hard.
Fallen Chocolate Soufflé Cake
10 Servings
¼ cup blanched almonds
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 oz. 66- to 72-percent chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup premium unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
½ cup boiling water
2 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. brandy
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
Scant ¼ tsp. cream of tartar
2 to 3 tsp. powdered sugar for dusting
Lightly sweetened whipped cream (optional)
• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Unless you are planning to serve the cake on the pan bottom, line the cake pan with a circle of parchment paper. Spray the sides with vegetable oil spray.
• In a food processor or blender, grind the almonds with the flour until very fine. Set aside.
• Combine the chocolate, cocoa and ¾ cup of the sugar in a large bowl. Pour in the boiling water and whisk until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the egg yolks and brandy; set aside.
• Combine the egg whites and cream of tartar in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat on high speed until stiff but not dry.
• Whisk the flour and almond mixture into the chocolate. Fold about a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Scrape the batter into the pan and level the top if necessary.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick or a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. The torte will sink like a soufflé.
• To serve, slide a slim knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake, remove the pan sides and transfer the cake, on the pan bottom, to a platter, or invert the cake onto a rack or tray, remove the bottom and the paper liner, and invert onto a platter. Using a fine-mesh strainer, sift a little powdered sugar over the top of the cake before serving, if desired. Serve each slice with a little whipped cream, if you like.
Reprinted with permission from Artisan Books What is your go-to dessert to make for special occasions? Tell us about it in the comments section below for a chance to win a copy of Seriously Bittersweet. We’ll announce the winner in next week’s By the Book column.
This article appears in February 2014.