A Divine (Un-Fallen) Beauty

Life’s funny like that, isn’t it? So often, we expect or hope that something will or will not happen, but the very exact opposite of what we want happens instead. And so it is with baking cakes. Usually, it is our fervent hope that the cake will come out beautifully even and smooth… no cracks or fissures… and no sinking or collapsing after it gets out of the oven. But sometimes, hope against hope, it does just that… it rises up and reveals a broad, wide jagged grin as it emerges from the oven. And at other times, as it cools from the heat of the oven, it sinks into a sullen, unhappy well of a depression.

Then, there are the times when we pray and wish that the cake would sink and fall. At yet, despite us willing it with all our might, it stays stubbornly smooth and taut… a shiny, glossy plane of rebellion against our wishes.

And so it was with the cake I baked for my mum in celebration of Mother’s Day.

From a list of options, she had chosen this one… “Fallen Chocolate Souffle Torte” from Alice Medrich’s Chocolate and the Art of the Low-Fat Desserts. It looks absolutely wonderful in the book. A fallen beauty, with the center of the cake “collapsed” into a light, flaky well of chocolate richness. I have to admit, I am something of a sucker for sunken cakes (those that are meant to be sunken, at least). There is just something about them that looks rather appealing to me. I think my mum feels the same. And thus her choice of cake for Mother’s Day.

This cake is described in the book as “a light but real chocolate torte – something rich, moist and chocolate… deep chocolate flavor, moist and dense, yet somehow light”. And that is precisely what the cake is. I can’t describe it better myself.

The torte is an almost flourless cake. There are just almonds and chocolate, topped with a dash of brandy. But unlike other flourless cakes which usually have tons of butter in them, this has no butter at all. Yep! No butter. And only two egg yolks. And the final result is an incredibly rich, dense, moist, very very chocolatey cake that is, at the same time, very light on the palate. A cake that doesn’t sit in the pit of your stomach like a lump of stone after the indulgence.

I really like this recipe. It’s a definite keeper.

I also like how easy and simple the procedure is. No double-boilers. No hassle. It takes all of 25 minutes or so to prep the batter before it is ready to go into the oven. And 30 minutes after that, a wonderful warm chocolate cake awaits.

Everything went really well in the making of the cake. The only hiccup was the oven. Of late, it has been blowing hot and cold on me. At times, it has been hotter than what it should have been. Other times, it has been cooler than what I had wanted it to be. But then again, it is eighteen years old after all, and probably close to retirement age I think.

Anyway, on this particular occasion, it seemed the oven was a tad too hot, and I think the surface of the cake was just a touch over-done, and thus rather crusty. Which meant that, contrary to what I had hoped and prayed for, the torte did not sink. I waited and I waited. I hoped and I hoped. But the surface of the cake remained stubbornly flat and smooth. No amount of will-power on my end was going to get the torte to fall and sink.

But no matter. For on every other score, the cake delivered.

It was rich, dense, moist and oh so chocolatey (have I said all this already?). And yet, there was also a certain fluffiness and softness to it. Divinely delicious. My mum loved it. She declared that this was how a “real” chocolate cake should be. It most certainly didn’t taste “low fat” that was for sure. We served it warm with a dollop of hazelnut gelato, and it was out of this world.

Chocolate Souffle Torte

¼ cup (1 oz.) blanched almonds
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate * - chopped fine
½ cup unsweetened Dutch Process cocoa
1 cup sugar
½ cup boiling water
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon brandy **
4 egg whites – at room temperature
scant ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

* I used a 70% Extra Fine Dark Chocolate. But I think I would prefer to use perhaps a 40% Dark the next time around. I felt the chocolate balance fell just a tiny bit on the bitter side, although the family loved it just as it was, and felt I shouldn’t change it at all.
I’m even thinking that, on occasions, it may even be interesting to experiment with maybe a 1oz Milk/2oz 40% Dark Chocolate ratio.

** I think Amaretto would make a lovely alternative.

• Preheat oven to 190C or 375F.

• Line the bottom of a round 8” springform pan with parchment paper. Coat sides of pan with cooking spray.

• Grind almonds with the flour in a food processor until very fine.

• Combine finely chopped chocolate, cocoa powder and ¾ cup sugar in a large bowl. Pour in the boiling water, and whisk until smooth and the chocolate is completely melted.

• Whisk in the egg yolks and brandy. Set aside.

• Combine the egg whites and the tartar, and beat, with an electric mixer, on medium speed, until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining ¼ cup sugar, and beat on high speed until the meringue is stiff but not dry.

• Whisk the flour and almonds mixture into the chocolate mixture.

• Fold ¼ of the whisked egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then, fold in the remainder of the egg whites.

• Pour batter into prepared pan and level the surface if necessary.

• In the lower third of the oven, bake for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

• Cool pan on a wire rack. The torte will (should) sink like a soufflé. Once relatively cooled, carefully unmold cake.

Serving suggestions:
• With a light dusting of powdered sugar.
• With some light whipped cream.
• With vanilla or hazelnut gelato or ice cream.
• With frozen yogurt.
• Or, simply, just as it is.

Or… if you are looking for an ultimate “death by chocolate” sort of experience, if you haven’t had a chocolate and sugar fix for say, oh, maybe a year, and if your Doctor will not suffer a heart attack when you tell him… try this… have a slice of the cake with a (very generous) slather of Nutella as frosting. We tried it… and just one word to describe it: shiokadelicious!

And on that very sweet note, here’s wishing all Mums, Mums-in-Law, Grand-Mums, Great-Grand-Mums, and God-Mums too… a very Happy Mother’s Day!

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
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