Over this past summer I made 2 of these, 1 for a bbq and 1 for camping--yes camping (we eat well even out in the boonies)! I've made this at least 14 times over the past 8 years and it's always a crowd pleaser; decadent like a dark chocolate truffle morsel and if topped off with home made creme fraiche and accompanied by a cup of bold rich coffee, you'll mmm and ahhh with satisfaction. If you're looking for a fluffy moist cake--this isn't it.
I feel alittle guilty when people gush over this cake because its the easiest chocolate cake to make outside of a boxed one. The hardest part for me is being patient enough to let the ganache frosting cool down enough to work with.
Ingredients (16 slices):
1/2 cup of water
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 1/4 cup white sugar
18 oz of dark bittersweet chocolate (I use the large Trader Joe's bittersweet without almonds bar.)
1 (2 sticks) cup unsalted butter
6 large eggs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Grease and lightly flour (for gf use white rice flour) 1 10" round cake pan. Now time to prepare the water bath. Simply take a larger pan; it can be a deep baking tray or roasting pan; and place your cake pan smack in the center. Notice the depth of your cake pan? Take the cake pan out and fill the larger pan/tray with water until the water would reach 1/2 way up your cake pan. Place the water filled tray/pan into the oven and let it preheat to 300 degrees. Water baths in baking is a technique used when trying to prevent or reduce a delicate batter from cracking, commonly used when making a ricotta or cheesecake.
Over medium heat, heat water, salt and sugar until melted.
Melt chocolate in a double broiler stirring constantly or in a microwave. If using a microwave be sure to melt in 1 minute intervals stirring between each interval. If the chocolate burns. . .sadly start over. Pour melted chocolate into mixing bowl.
Cut the butter into 6 sections per stick and slowly add into melted chocolate bowl. Blend using an electric mixer set on the lowest setting, pour the hot water/sugar/salt mixture and mix. Add the eggs 1 at a time until all 6 are well blended into the batter.
Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan. Carefully slide your water bath out of the oven, place on stove or countertop and place your cake batter pan in the water bath making sure water doesn't splash onto the batter. Place tray/pan into oven.
Bake for 45 - 50 minutes. Caution, the center will still look a bit wet but not to worry it'll set up overnight. Take the cake out of oven place it on the counter to cool for at least an hour--do not remove from cake pan. Place pan in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight before frosting with the ganache.
To frost, remove cake from pan by setting the bottom of the pan in hot water for about 30 seconds. Run a butter knife along the sides of the cake and pan to loosen. Cover the top of the cake pan with your decorating plate or tray and flip over.
Frost using ganache (ganache recipe at the bottom of the link) and decorate with fresh raspberries. Chill in the fridge for 4 hours (or in the freezer for 2) before serving. Keep leftovers covered in fridge.
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