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Tchaika Chocolate Cake (Gateau au Chocolat la Tchaika)

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Ingredients
  

Ingredients for cake

  • 6 egg yolks retain whites
  • cup 100 g confectioner’s sugar
  • 295 to 395 g bittersweet chocolate
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 cup 140 g almonds, ground to a fine powder
  • 1 tablespoon cornflour
  • 3/4 cup 170 g unsalted butter at room temp
  • 6 egg whites from above
  • pinch of salt

Ingredients for icing

  • 1/2 cup 125 ml crème fraiche
  • 100 g bittersweet chocolate broken into small bits

Instructions
 

Instructions for Cake

    2. Preheat oven to 190° C
  • In a medium sized bowl, beat together egg yolk and sugar until pale lemon coloured.
  • Melt chocolate in 3 tablespoons of water over low heat
  • Add to egg yolk mixture; mix well
  • Add almonds to chocolate batter; mix well
  • Add cornflour to chocolate batter; mix well
  • Add butter to chocolate batter; mix well
  • In a second bowl, beat egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry.
  • Add 1/3 of the egg white mixture to the chocolate batter, and fold in gently but thoroughly.
  • Gently fold in the remaining whites. Don’t over mix, but be sure the mixture is well blended.
  • Butter a 22 cm springform pan and fill with the batter.
  • Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 190 C.
  • Cool before removing from pan.
  • When completely cooled, make the icing.

    • Instructions for icing

  • Reduce heat
  • Add chocolate to crème fraiche, bit by bit, stirring until it is all melted.
  • Remove from the heat and let cool.
  • Ice the cake.

    • Notes

    The icing should have the consistency of a thick but spreadable frosting. If the icing hardens before the cake is frosted, reheat gently, until it reaches the proper consistency.
    Adapted from “Food Lover’s Guide to Paris” Patricia Wells