Chocolate Cloud Cake

Nigella's picture-perfect cake (photo by Francesca Yorke)

Back in January, I vowed that this year I would get more use out of my many, many cookbooks. So far...I have not made good on this promise. The truth is, it's very difficult for me to get excited about cooking when I don't have my own kitchen. I'm trying to work on this, though, and the housewarming party that one of my friend's had last night was a perfect excuse to dust off the cookbooks and get in the kitchen. You can never go wrong with bringing something sweet to a party, so I headed straight for Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess, which is chock full of luscious dessert recipes. I considered the Chocolate Coffee Volcano (p. 181) and the Chocolate Mousse Cake (p. 176), both of which look insanely delicious, but in the end I could not resist a recipe from another one of Nigella's books, Nigella Bites. Unfortunately, I don't actually own Nigella Bites...I found the recipe online. Oh well, so I'm not cooking from one of my own cookbooks. At least I'm getting back in the cooking and baking saddle! And the results were pretty delicious.

CHOCOLATE CLOUD CAKE

Ingredients:

For the Cake:
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate - minimum 70 percent cocoa solids (I used 64%)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 eggs, 2 whole, 4 separated (room temperature)
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons Cointreau - optional (I left this out)
grated zest of 1 orange - optional (left this out, too)
9-inch springform cake pan (I used a 10-inch, because that is all I have)

For the Cream Topping:
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used about 2 teaspoons)
(I added about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of powdered sugar)
1 tablespoon Cointreau - optional (I left this out)
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, for sprinkling (I used dark chocolate shavings instead)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line the bottom of the cake pan with baking parchment. Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or a microwave, and then let the butter melt in the warm chocolate. (I microwaved it on a low setting, checking it every 20 seconds or so to make sure it didn't burn.)

Beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with 1/3 cup of the sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture, the Cointreau and the orange zest (if using).

In another bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the remaining sugar and whisk until the whites hold their shape but are not too stiff. Lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites, and then fold in the rest of the whites. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the center is no longer wobbly. (Mine was done at about 30 minutes. If I make it again, I might take it out even earlier, because I like a fudgier cake.)

Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools.

When you are ready to eat, place the still pan-bound cake on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove the cake from its pan. Don't worry about cracks or rough edges: it's the crater look we're going for here.

Whip the cream until it's soft and then add the vanilla, sugar, and Cointreau (if using) and continue whisking the cream is firm but not stiff. (It's best to add the vanilla and sugar a bit at a time and keep tasting it until it tastes right to you.) Fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, easing it out gently toward the edges of the cake, and dust the top lightly with cocoa powder pushed through a tea strainer (or shave some dark chocolate on top, as I did).

My cake--not as pretty as Nigella's, but still tasty