chocolate gâteau

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Papa Haydn’s Chocolate Gâteau

From the book Deep Dark Chocolate by
Serves 10 to 12

Introduction

Evelyn Franz is a genius when it comes to creating chocolate desserts. For nearly 30 years, she has been the mastermind behind the elegant and delicious desserts at Papa Haydn, a restaurant she co-founded in Portland, Oregon. She first tasted this cake in London at the River Café. They called it “Chocolate Nemesis,” but for her, it was love at first bite. Luckily for us, when she returned home, Franz developed a recipe for her own rendition.

Ingredients

12 oz. premium dark chocolate, chopped
cup hot or warm espresso or strong coffee
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
~ Pinch of salt
½ cup heavy (whipping) cream
~ Lightly sweetened and whipped heavy cream for serving

Steps

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a round of parchment or waxed paper. (If using a springform pan, wrap the outside with aluminum foil to avoid leaking.)
  3. Prepare a water bath by placing a terry-cloth washcloth in the bottom of a roasting or similar-style pan. (This prevents the pan from sliding, insulates the bottom, and helps prevent overcooking.)
  4. Place the chocolate and espresso in a large heatproof bowl and set in a wide pan or skillet of hot water. Set aside for 5 minutes, stirring 4 or 5 times, and let the chocolate melt completely. Stir until smooth and keep warm.
  5. Using a hand mixer with clean beaters, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Set aside.
  6. Remove the bowl of a stand mixer and place it in a hot (150 to 155 degrees) water bath. Add the eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt. With a hand-held mixer, beat the mixture until it is warm and the sugar is dissolved. Reattach the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk the mixture on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
  7. Alternately fold one-third of the egg mixture and one-third of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until all is combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Place the pan on the washcloth in the roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
  8. Bake until the top of the cake is set, 80 to 90 minutes. Remove the cake from the water bath and let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Gently loosen the edges with a thin knife before inverting onto the rack.
  9. To serve, carefully remove the parchment and refrigerate until cool, at least 2 hours. Slice into thin wedges and serve with the whipped cream.

Related article: Shirley O. Corriher

This content is from the book Deep Dark Chocolate by Sara Perry.

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Comments
There are 4 comments on this item
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25% recommend this recipe
1. by Holly on Feb 3, 2009 at 8:22 AM PST

clarification--does the “premium dark chocolate” mean unsweetened?

2. by Carrie Floyd on Feb 3, 2009 at 9:36 AM PST

Holly, no, it doesn’t mean unsweetened (if it did the recipe would call for a whole lot more sugar!) Premium means “not cheap, high quality” and Scharffen Berger, Dagoba, and Callebaut all fall into this category. I have not made this recipe, but with others (cake, brownies) I have pinched pennies by using a combination of premium and supermarket (dark or bittersweet) baking chocolate to good effect.

3. by Holly on Feb 5, 2009 at 9:36 AM PST

Ok, good! I thought that seemed like very little sugar... but I like bitter chocolate, so I was willing to go with it!
Thanks!

4. by anonymous on Feb 8, 2010 at 1:31 AM PST

Just an FYI, Evelyn Franz doesn’t create anything except a stiff cocktail for herself. The pastry chefs she hires create the desserts at Papa Haydn.

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