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Winning Hearts & Minds Cake
Adapted from Orangette

[updated 2/15/21 – tightened recipe language and added salt after making it for my people on Valentine’s Day.]

Serves 8

7 ounces (200 grams) best-quality dark chocolate, chopped
7 ounces (200 grams) unsalted butter, preferably European-style, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Fresh unsweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional but highly recommended)

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F (190°C). Generously butter an 8-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with circle of parchment paper cut to fit, and butter the parchment, too.

In a large bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water), combine the chocolate with the butter and stir regularly until melted and uniform. Add the sugar and salt and stir well to dissolve, a few minutes. Remove from the heat and aside to cool for about 7 minutes. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the flour just to combine. The batter should look silky and luxurious.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the center of the cake looks set and the top is shiny and a bit crackly-looking.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes; then carefully turn the cake out of the pan and invert it, so that the crackly side is facing upward. Let cool completely. The cake will deflate slightly as it cools and may even sink a bit. When you cut into the cake, you should have a slightly gooey, fudgey center.

To serve, cut the cake into wedges and top with a loose dollop of unsweetened whipped cream and some fresh berries.

Note: this cake tastes even better served the following day.

© 2024 Olga Massov
https://www.olgamassov.com/2021/02/winning-hearts-and-minds-cake-1/