The foundation of this recipe is Dorie Greenspan’s “Grandmother’s Creamy Chocolate Cake,” found in Paris Sweets and originating with Robert Linxe, founder of La Maison du Chocolat. Because it’s baked in a water bath, it’s less cakey and more creamy; just a little flour is added, for slice-ability. Because of the simplicity of ingredients, it’s important that they are high-quality: good chocolate really shines here.
I had intended to serve the cake plain, possibly with creme fraiche on the side. Fate intervened when, as a separate project, I whipped up a cream-cheese frosting. I taste-tested the frosting, then took a bite of the cake sitting on a plate (sadly, this is often what dinner resembles); the deep, dark richness–and slight bitterness–of the cake was perfectly offset by the equally rich, but very sweet, frosting. The visual contrast of warm white and inky black-brown makes for a pretty presentation, as well. That said, you could certainly take the more ascetic route and serve the cake unfrosted.
Cake:
- 8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes
- 8 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
Frosting:
- 8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese
- 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8″x8″ pan with buttered parchment paper. Have a larger pan that will fit the 8″x8″ (like a roasting pan) waiting close at hand.
Over medium-low heat, melt together the butter, chocolate, and sugar, stirring constantly. Once they are well-combined, remove from heat and let cool 3 minutes. Whisk eggs into the mixture one by one. Sift the flour into the mixture, and whisk in. Pour batter into prepared 8″x8″ pan.
Place pan with batter into the larger pan. Create a water bath by pouring hot water into the larger pan, enough to come halfway up the side of the smaller pan. Put in oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until middle of cake is set, but do not over-bake. Remove cake pan from water bath, and let cool on a rack for at least 1 hour. Reverse onto a serving platter and frost, or leave plain.
To make frosting, simply beat the cream cheese on medium in the bowl of a standing mixer, gradually adding confectioners’ sugar until it reaches desired thickness and sweetness.
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