Description:

Probably the best dessert in the whole world. Julia Child's recipe that is worth the time and effort. Actually, not that hard to make!

Source:

Peek

Serves/Makes:6

Ingredients

• Cake Ingredients:
• 4 oz (112 grm). semisweet chocolate
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) dark rum
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) butter, unsalted, softened
• 2/3 cup (150 ml) granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) cream of tartar
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) almonds, blanched, pulverized
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) almond extract
• 3/4 cup (175 ml) flour, plain, bleached, sifted, less 1 1/2 tbsp
• 3 eggs, separated
• Frosting Ingredients:
• 3 1 oz (28 grm).squares semisweet chocolate
• 1-1/2 tbsp (20 ml) dark rum or strong coffee
• 6 tbsp (90 ml) butter, unsalted, softened

Preparation

• Grease with butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan.
• Melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave and mix it with the rum. Set aside.
• Measure the remaining ingredients before continuing.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy, then beat in the egg yolks.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 C.) and make sure the oven rack is in the center of the oven.
• Clean the beaters of all fat and in a separate bowl whip the egg whites on low speed until they begin to foam.
• Add the cream of tartar and salt, and gradually increase beating speed to fast.
• When the egg whites hold their shape in a soft mass, beat in the 1/4 cup (60 ml) of sugar and continue beating until you can lift a bit of the mixture in a rubber spatula and they hold their shape, dropping off into a little point with a curling tip. The texture should be smooth and shiny, not dry.
• Set the egg whites aside.
• Stir up the chocolate to make a perfectly smooth soft cream.
• Stir the chocolate into the butter, sugar and yolk mixture.
• Add the almonds, almond extract and flour.
• With a rubber spatula, stir in one fourth of the beaten egg whites to soften the batter, then scoop the rest on top of the batter.
• Rapidly and delicately fold in the egg whites, revolving the bowl as you go, until egg whites and batter are blended. This should take not more than one minute.
• Turn the batter into the prepared pan, tilting pan in all directions so cake will bake evenly and not be larger in the center.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Cake is done when it has puffed to top of pan.
• Put foil over the top of the cake if it starts to get too brown.
• When cake is done, the center will still move slightly when pan is shaken.
• A toothpick plunged into the 2 1/2 to 3 inch outermost circumference of the cake (i.e. not in the center) should come out clean.
• If the cake is not quite done, bake a few minutes more.
• Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan, invert a cake rack over the top of the pan and turn the pan upside down to unmold the cake onto the rack.
• Allow cake to cool for 2 hours before icing.
• Frosting:
• Melt the chocolate in the microwave and mix in the rum.
• Beat in the butter one tbsp at a time, beating until perfectly smooth.
• Then beat over cold water, if necessary, until icing is of spreading consistency.
• Ice the cake and decorate with slivered almonds, if desired.

Comments

Found at: http://members2.boardhost.com/LFL2001/msg/89.html Posted by Meryl on February 12, 2002, 7:24 pm who got it from a Recipe By: Julia Child, The French Chef Cookbook