Chocolate Decadence

Here's a recipe by Anna Williams, inspired by & replicating the Chocolate Decadence (flourless!) cake served at Narsai's, the celebrated Kensington restaurant that chef Narsai M. David operated from 1972 to 1986:

Yields:

10 to 12 servings

Time Required:

• 30 mins. active time
• 5 hrs. total time

Ingredients:

For batter:

• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter
• 4 large eggs
• ½ cup sugar

For sauce:

• 10 oz. package frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
• ¼ cup sugar

Accompaniment:

• unsweetened whipped cream

Preparation:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9" by 2" round cake pan, and line bottom with a round of wax paper. Butter paper and dust pan with flour, knocking out excess.

Make batter:

Step 2: Melt chocolate and butter in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, whisking until smooth.

Step 3: Cool slightly.

Step 4: Beat together eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until pale yellow, thick, and a ribbon forms when beaters are lifted, about 4 mins. with a standing mixer or 8 mins. with a handheld. Fold ¼ of egg mixture into chocolate mixture to lighten, then gently fold in remaining egg mixture.

Step 5: Pour batter into cake pan, and rap pan sharply on counter, to eliminate air bubbles. Put cake pan in a hot water bath, and place in middle of oven. Bake 45 minutes. (Top will be set, but a tester will not come out clean.)

Step 6: Remove cake from water bath and cool completely in pan on a rack. Run a thin knife around edge of cake, and chill, covered, at least 4 hours and up to 12.

Make sauce:

Step 7: Purée raspberries with sugar in a food processor or blender, then force through a fine sieve into a bowl. Chill until ready to serve.

Remove cake from pan:

Step 8: Put cake pan directly on a burner, at very low heat. Move pan around on burner, to warm bottom, about 30 seconds, then shake pan to loosen cake. Invert cake onto a rack. Remove wax paper and invert cake onto a serving plate.

Step 9: Bring cake to room temperature. Serve with sauce and whipped cream.

Cook's Notes:

• Don't despair if the cake stubbornly refuses to come out of the pan. You may need to help it along, by prying it out gently with the tip of a paring knife.
• This cake is better if made a day ahead. Both cake and sauce keep 2 days, covered and chilled.

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Collected and re-published at http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/recipes/chocolate-decadence.html by Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> on Mar. 19, 2024. Individual recipes are free from copyright. Share and enjoy!

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