ChezCindy: Chocolate Cake for Your Sweetie

If your sweetie is sweet on chocolate, this is the cake to make for Valentines day, a birthday, or just any day to say I love you.  Normally when baking, most recipes use unsalted butter.  However, using salt is relevant in baking as it elevates the sweetness of the baked good.  When I saw this recipe using salted butter, it caught my interest.  Once I tasted the cake, I discovered that the salted butter and the full teaspoon of salt used in this recipe, brightened the chocolate flavor, with a mysterious subtle undertone that lingered on the tongue.  Uniquely good.

The cake batter comes together quickly and bakes in about 30 minutes.  The center of the cake will be slightly loose, just a bit under-baked, but that is part of the charm.  You will be tempted to bake it longer than called for as the center will not look fully set.  If you do, that's okay.  But trust on the time specified.  The result is a gooey, rich goodness.  The cake does need to cool for at least 1 hour before removing it from the pan.  So, plan ahead.  It is worth the wait.    

The finished cake needs little adornment, just a dusting of powdered sugar or a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream if you are feeling decadent.  At Chez Cindy, this cake has become a favorite for my favorite chocolate sweetie.

 

Salted Butter Chocolate Cake*
7 tablespoons salted butter
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare a 9-inch round cake pan by greasing it thoroughly with butter and lining the bottom with parchment paper.

Working with a double boiler pan, combine the butter and chopped chocolate into the top pan, set over the pan with the simmering water.  Stir until the butter and chocolate are combined.  Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  In a small separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt.

Stir the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.  Add in the vanilla.  Fold in the flour/salt until just combined.  Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven.  Set the cake pan onto a baking rack to cool for a minimum of 1 hour.  Invert the cake onto a cake plate, peel off the parchment paper.  Dust the top with powdered sugar or serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

*Recipe adapted from French Country Cooking by Mimi Thorisson