Recipe: Chocolate Orbit Cake with Crème Anglaise

One 9-inch cake; 12 - 14 servings

Someone told me once that this cake launches chocolate lovers into orbit.

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

6 eggs

1 cup sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 by 2-inch round cake pan, and line the inside with a round of parchment paper.

2. Set a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water to create a double boiler. Put the butter and chocolate into the bowl to melt, whisking occasionally.

3. Whisk together the eggs and sugar in another bowl. Thoroughly whisk in the melted chocolate.

4. Pour the chocolate batter into the cake pan. Place it in a larger baking pan, and pour in warm water to reach halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the cake appears to have set and when you touch the center, your finger comes away clean.

5. Remove the cake from the water bath and cool completely before serving, plain or with creme anglaise and shaved chocolate.

Crème Anglaise
2 1/2 cups

1/2 vanilla bean, split

6 tablespoons sugar

2 cups milk

6 egg yolks

Pinch of salt

 

1. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the milk in a heavy saucepan. Add the vanilla bean pod and the sugar and heat until the milk is warm but not simmering.

2. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath--a bowl partially filled with ice, with another bowl nested inside it. Lightly whisk together the egg yolks in a separate bowl, then gradually add some of the warmed milk, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

3. Cook over low to moderate heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, always scraping the bottom, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.

4. Immediately strain the cooked custard through a fine sieve into the bowl set in the ice. Stir the creme anglaise with a clean spatula to cool it down. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Crème anglaise will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days.

From:
Room For Dessert
HarperCollins, 1999