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Ingredients
- This mousse-like cake really does melt in your mouth. It can be baked up to a day before serving and stored tightly wrapped at room temperature. If you don’t have a 9×3-inch cake pan, use a standard 9
- 11 * 11 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 6 * 6 oz (12 T) unsalted butter
- 6 * 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
- 3/4 * 3/4 c. packed light brown sugar
- 1 * 1 oz (1/4 c) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 * 1/4 c. bourbon
- 1 * 1 t. pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 * 1/2 t. kosher salt
- FOR SERVING
- 1 * 1 c heavy cream
- 1 * 1 – 2 T granulated sugar
- * Confectioners’ sugar to dusting
Preparation
Step 1
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degres F. Butter a 9×3-inch cake pan (or line a shallower one). Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment and butter the parchment. Set the cake pan in a roasting pan large enough to accomodate it.
Melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
With an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the brown sugar on medium speed until very pale, thick, and fluffy, about three minutes. Reduce the speed, add the chocolate mixture, and mix just to combine. Add the flour, mixing just to combine and scraping the bowl as needed. Blend in the bourbon and vanilla. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
In a clean, dry mixing bowl with clean, dry beaters, beat the egg whites with the salt on high speed until they hold soft peaks, 1 to 2 minutes. With a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, and then gently fold in the remaining whites. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Set the roasting pan on the oven rack and add enough warm tap water (see photo) to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the top feels set, 40 – 45 minutes. Remove the cake pan from the water bath and run a paring knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake and then let the cake cool completely in the cake pan on a rack. When the cake is completely cool, loosen the sides once more with a paring knife. Cove the cake with a serving plate and invert the cake onto the plate. The bottom of the cake is now the top. Peel off the parchment (Don’t worry if the surface looks a little ragged; you’ll be dusing with confectioners’ sugar).
To serve: In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, beat the cream and sugar to medium-soft peaks. Dust the top of the cake generously with confectioners’ sugar, slice, and serve each slice with the whipped cream.