Recipe: Chocolate Tea Cake

Recipe

Chocolate Tea Cake

Ever since we learned about this cake from Los Angeles chef Michael Roberts, it has served as our standby, quick-fix chocolate dessert. You can dress it up with a top coating of ganache or simply dust with confectioners' sugar—either way it is perfect.

cake

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup cake flour
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave. Cool.
Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in sugar. Pour in chocolate and mix to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gently mix in the flour until it just disappears.
Pour into prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake about 25 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack. Invert onto serving platter, peel paper, and dust top with confectioners' sugar.

Serves 8.

More Than Chocolate Ganache

This updated ganache can be used as a filling and frosting for layer cakes, as a mousse dessert, as a cream puff filling, or as a pie filling in a baked and cooled pastry or crumb crust.

2 cups heavy cream
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In large bowl of electric mixer, combine 1 cup cream and the chocolate. Set over pan of simmering water until chocolate is melted, stirring to blend. Stir in remaining cream and vanilla. Chill at least 4 hours, stirring occasionally. with electric mixer, beat on high speed until stiff.
Makes about 4-1/2 cups, enough for two 10-inch layer cakes.

Note: For classic ganache, use equal parts heavy cream and chocolate. Place chopped chocolate in a bowl and bring cream to a boil. Pour hot cream over chocolate, whisking until melted and smooth. Let sit at room temperature to thicken, and pour over cake.

Recipe from:

Totally Chocolate Cookbook
by Helene Siegel and Karen Gillingham
Illustrations by Bob Greisen and Carolyn Vibbert
$4.95 (paperback)
Celestial Arts 1996
Recipe reprinted by permission.