Author: adapted from Richard Sax, photo by Alan Richardson
From award winning cookbook author and James Beard Foundation lifetime achievement award winner, the late great Richard Sax teaches us how to make this knock-your-socks-off dessert, perfect for New Year's Eve. Both light and intense, it's filled with soft whipped cream and has a deep chocolaty texture. Don't be alarmed if it falls in the center as it cools... it really is supposed to do that!
Ingredients
Cake:
8 ounces best quality semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced
6 large eggs: 2 whole, 4 separated
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cognac or Grand Marnier (optional but recommended)
Grated zest of 1 orange (optional - we didn't use)
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with a circle of parchment paper (or wax paper) cut to fit; do not butter the pan.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a bowl set over hot water. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the 2 whole eggs and the 4 egg yolks with ½ cup of the sugar, just until blended. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture. Whisk in the cognac or Grand Marnier and the orange zest if using.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the 4 egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining ½ cup sugar and beat until the whites form soft mounds that hold their shape but are not quite stiff. Stir about ¼ of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
Bake for about 35 minutes, no more than 40 minutes, until the top of the cake is puffed and the center is no longer wobbly.
Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack; the cake will sink as it cools, forming a crater with high sides. This is good!
For the whipped cream topping:
Just before serving, 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 (this is the cloud part!). Using a small fine strainer or tea ball, dust the top lightly with cocoa powder. Run the tip of a knife around the edges of the cake and carefully remove the sides of the pan and serve.
Recipe by Food and Friendship at https://www.foodandfriendshipsantabarbara.com/2019/12/30/a-new-decade-begins/