Chocolate Decadence
Perhaps no other dessert typifies the excess of the 1980s more than this
flourless chocolate cakewhich makes for an interesting parallel to the fancy
cakes of the 1880s. This version was inspired by the one Narsai M. David served
at his eponymous restaurant, in California's Bay Area, during the early '80s.
Yield: Serves 10 to 12
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 5 hr
For batter:
12 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
For sauce:
10-ounce package frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
1/4 cup sugar
Accompaniment:
unsweetened whipped cream
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9- by 2-inch round cake pan and line bottom
with a round of wax paper. Butter paper and dust pan with flour, knocking out
excess.
Make batter:
Melt chocolate and butter in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering
water, whisking until smooth.
Cool slightly.
Beat together eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until pale yellow, thick,
and a ribbon forms when beaters are lifted, about 4 minutes with a standing
mixer or 8 minutes with a handheld. Fold one fourth of egg mixture into
chocolate mixture to lighten, then gently fold in remaining egg mixture.
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).
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:
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:
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.
Bring cake to room temperature. Serve with sauce and whipped cream.
Cooks' 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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