It's never easy to get started on your first article. Finding the words, setting the tone and sharing your universe while trying to captivate your readers, is really not easy. To launch this blog, I wanted to start with the recipe that marked my childhood (long before the CAP, culinary challenges and recipes that require 3 hours in the kitchen ...). I can quote this recipe with my eyes closed, even if I haven't made it in 4 years. It's foolproof, affordable and ready in 1 hour (including cooking time). I call it: Maman's chocolate cake!
High in chocolate, but much lighter than those buttery cobblestones you sometimes find in pastry shops. It's moist, melting and generally a hit with everyone. I've since found a delicious gluten-free chocolate fondant recipe. But for me, Maman's chocolate cake remains the benchmark. It tastes like those rainy Sundays when we'd rummage in the cupboard to see if we had enough chocolate to make a cake (and in Normandy we've had quite a few of those...). Fortunately, as a forward-thinking family, we always had the ingredients we needed!
A chocolate cake of varying sizes...
A little anecdote, my Mum tells anyone who will listen that when I was making the recipe, the cake was much smaller than hers. It took her a while to realize that I left a LOT more batter in the bottom of the pan than she did, so that she could lick the bowl clean. I'd like to say that's no longer the case, but I think I still eat more raw pastry than baked cake! Anyway, enough about me, welcome to my blog and let's get on with the unfolding of Mum's chocolate cake!Chocolate cake
Maman's chocolate gateau, meltingly soft and perfectly measured out in chocolate!
- 300 g chocolate
- 180 g butter
- 6 eggs
- 300 g sugar
- 80 g flour
- Melt the butter and chocolate in a bain-marie (or in the microwave if you're in a hurry).
- Meanwhile, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Allow the butter/chocolate mixture to cool slightly, then add the egg yolks, stirring vigorously (the trick is to prevent the yolks from cooking on contact with the hot chocolate). Add the sugar and flour.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff and add to the chocolate mixture. The best way to avoid overworking the egg whites is to do this in two stages: first add a third of the egg whites to loosen the mixture, then the rest. Mix gently and pour into a buttered mould.
- For baking, depending on the size of the cake and how you like it, between 25 and 35 minutes for a soft center (a slightly undercooked cake is always better than an overcooked cake that becomes dry and stuffy).
- Wait until it has cooled a little before serving (when hot, the soft center tends to disintegrate when cut).
- Enjoy on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (but it's more than enough on its own).
