The New Chocolate Decadence

by Alice Medrich

The New Chocolate Decadence

With less than 200 calories and about 6 grams of fat per serving, this is the arguably the richest and most intensely-chocolate, reduced-fat dessert in the universe. Any Valrhona Chocolate is a good choice here.

Ingredients:
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
1 whole egg
1 egg, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch Process Cocoa
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup low-fat (1%) milk
1 1/4 cup (or more) Raspberry Sauce (see below)
Crème Fraîche, optional

Equipment:
8 inch round cake pan, 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep (no springform)
Baking pan at least 2 inches deep and large enough to hold the cake pan

1. Position the rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper and grease pan sides with vegetable oil or butter. Put a kettle of water on for step 4.

2. Place the chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Combine 1 whole egg and 1 yolk in a small bowl with vanilla. Place the 2 egg whites in a medium bowl with cream of tartar. Set all 3 bowls aside.

3. Combine the cocoa, flour and 2/3 cup sugar in a 1- 1 1/2 quart heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk in enough of the milk to form a smooth paste. Mix in the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, to prevent burning (especially around the bottom edges of the pot), until mixture begins to simmer. Simmer very gently, stirring constantly, for 1 1/2 minutes. Pour the hot mixture immediately over the chopped chocolate. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Whisk in egg and vanilla mixture. Set aside.

4. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, beating at high speed until stiff but not dry. Fold a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in remaining egg whites.

Scrape mixture into the cake pan and smooth the top. Set cake pan in baking pan and place on oven rack. Pour enough boiling water into the baking pan to come a third to halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for exactly 30 minutes. The surface of the cake will spring back when gently pressed but cake will still be quite gooey inside. Remove cake pan and water pan from oven. Remove cake pan from water and cool completely on a rack. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight before serving. Refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 months.

5. To serve: Slide a thin knife around the sides of the pan to release cake. Place a piece of wax paper on top of cake. Invert a plate on top of the wax paper and invert cake onto plate. Remove pan and peel away paper liner. Turn cake right side up again and remove wax paper. Cut with a sharp knife dipped in in hot water and wiped dry before each slice. Serve with Raspberry Sauce (below), if desired.

Serves 10-12.

Raspberry Sauce

The key to raspberry sauce, and other berry or fresh fruit purées is that they only lightly sweetened, if at all, and they are not cooked. Do not heat raspberries to thaw them.

Ingredients:
1 package (10-12 ounces) frozen raspberries
Sugar, optional

Thaw the raspberries. Drain them and reserve the juice. purée berries briefly in food processor. Sieve the purée to remove seeds. Thin it with some of the reserved raspberry juice if desired. If purée seems too tart, sweetened it to taste. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Sauce may be completed up to 3 days ahead, or frozen 6 months or longer.

Makes about 1-1/4 cups.