Little Black Dress Cake

By cacelias

Just like that little black dress on hand for special occasions, everyone needs a stylish, simple, and goes-with-everything chocolate cake recipe like this one. Exceptionally moist with a rich chocolate flavor, this cake can be served while still a bit warm, with a simple dusting of confectioners' sugar. Or it can be cooled and inverted and spread with a contrastingly tart Sour Cream Ganache. It keeps very well for a couple of days at room temperature under a glass dome.

Recipe from Susan Spungen, "Recipes"

Ingredients

• For the Cake:
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
• 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• Pinch of kosher salt or fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Confectioners' sugar, optional
• For the Sour Cream Ganache:
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

For the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by brushing the bottom and sides with melted butter and cutting a parchment circle to fit the bottom of the pan. Brush the paper lightly with butter.

Place the chocolate in a small metal bowl. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, turn off the heat, and place the bowl on top. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is smooth. Set aside and cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with 1 cup sugar using a wooden spoon. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, stirring thoroughly after each addition. Add the vanilla and nuts and stir to combine.

Gradually stir the chocolate into the egg mixture. Combine thoroughly and set aside.

Beat the egg whites and salt in an electric standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on low speed, increasing it to high as the eggs start to foam. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. You can also do this with a handheld mixer in a medium bowl.

Whisk about one quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Add the remaining egg whites and sift the flour over the top. Using a large, preferably curved rubber spatula, fold the ingredients until well combined. To fold, gently lift and scoop the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl over the top of the ingredients. At the same time rotate the bowl a quarter turn each time you fold. Continue until there are almost no white or chocolate streaks in the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the surface, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until it cracks slightly and rises into a slight dome. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely if icing. It will fall a bit as it cools.

To unmold the cake, run a butter knife around the edges and remove the outer part of the pan. To serve as is, slide onto a serving plate and dust the top with confectioners' sugar. If icing, invert onto a flat serving plate, and peel off the parchment. Pour all of the ganache onto the top of the cake. Using a small offset or rubber spatula, spread the ganache in soft swirls over the top and sides of the cake.

To make the Sour Cream Ganache:
Place the chocolate in a small metal bowl. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, turn off the heat, and place the bowl on top. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is smooth. Set aside and cool slightly. Warm the sour cream, still in its container with the lid removed, in the microwave or in a bowl of warm water until just warm. Stir occasionally, changing the water as it cools. If the sour cream is cold, it will not blend smoothly with the chocolate. If it is hot, it may curdle, so you want it to be just warm.

Stir the sour cream into the chocolate. Add the butter, then the corn syrup. Stir until well combined. The ganache should be silky smooth. Let cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable.

Ganache, although it's made with heavy cream, or in this case sour cream, does not need refrigeration. The high sugar and far content of the mixture prevents spoilage.