Chocolate Cloud Cake

by Richard Sax
from Classic Home Desserts
(Houghton Mifflin, 1994)
Makes one 8-inch single-layer cake
serves 8 to 12

This flourless cake is crammed with chocolate (use only the best) and rich with butter and will fall slightly as it cools. The center is filled with softly whipped cream and sprinkled with cocoa powder — intensity, then relief, in each bite.—Richard Sax

convert Ingredients
For the cake
8 ounces best-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces, softened
6 large eggs: 2 whole, 4 separated
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cognac or Grand Marnier (optional)
Grated zest of 1 orange (optional)

For the whipped cream topping
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for sprinkling

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Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with a round of wax paper; do not butter the pan. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over hot water. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted; set aside.

2. In a bowl, whisk the 2 whole eggs and the 4 egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar just until blended. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture. Whisk in the optional cognac or Grand Marnier and the optional orange zest.

3. In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the 4 egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until the whites form soft mounds that hold their shape but are not quite stiff. Stir about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it; gently fold in the remaining whites. Pour the batter into the pan; smooth the top.

4. Bake until the top of the cake is puffed and cracked and the center is no longer wobbly, usually 35 to 40 minutes. Do not over bake.

5. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack; the cake will sink as it cools, forming a crater with high sides.

6. At serving time, whip the cream with the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until not quite stiff. With a spatula, carefully fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, pushing it gently to the edges. Dust the top lightly with cocoa powder. Run the tip of a knife around the edges of the cake; carefully remove the sides of the pan and serve.

Recipe © 1994 Richard Sax. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.