BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE, EVER!

Okay, best chocolate cake, ever is a bold statement. But, I have to say, I've made this cake three different times, screwed up at different points while making it and yet, it's always been a big hit. Even after left in the refrigerator for a week, getting egg yolks into the egg whites, over-cooking and forgetting to line the spring-form pan with wax paper for easy removal. The best thing about this cake is that it looks like it's going to be heavy and dense but it's actually light and airy. It's fun to see the expressions on your guests' faces when they take a bite and realize this.

The only prerequisite I will suggest to you before making this cake, is to have some experience making a souffle. A souffle, to me is the essential dish that separates cooks from chefs. If you can't make a souffle, then this dish may be a little foreign to you. If you have, then all you have to think about is that this is a chocolate souffle that's fallen. The most important thing I have found when making souffles is that you have to have everything laid out and ready to go. There is no time to be fumbling around the kitchen looking for an ingredient. Timing is everything! Scared yet? Good.

There is an orange sauce that you are supposed to make with this. But It really doesn't add anything to the flavor. Matter of fact, I found it kind of distracting. Instead, I suggest whipped cream, preferably some that you whip up yourself with some heavy cream and a little sugar.

Chocolate Cloud Cake

Ingredients:

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter. That's right, two freaking sticks!

9 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 eggs

2/3 cup of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Cream of tartar (optional). Some say this stuff keeps your eggs fluffy.

Supplies:

Two large bowls

Electric beater

Oven proof pan to hold water

Springform pan. This will not work without one of these pans.

1) Put a roasting pan, 1/2 full of water in the bottom third of the oven. This keeps moisture in the cake. Preheat oven 325ºF.

2) Butter the sprngform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the paper. The best way I have found to line the bottom is: Take off the bottom, lay it onto the paper and draw around the edge like a stencil. Cut out this shape and it gives a perfect fit to the bottom of the pan. Put pan back together before using (duh).

3) Slowly and lowly melt the butter and chocolate together in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring. Remove from heat.

4) Separate the eggs and whites into two large bowls. I found the best way to separate eggs is in your (clean) hands. passing the liquid, back and forth between hands and letting the whites slip between your fingers.

5) Beat together the yolks, 1/3 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

6) Clean the beaters

7) In other bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar (optional) until the eggs hold soft peaks. Gradually ad rest of sugar, beating until the whites hold stiff peaks.

8) Stir the warm chocolate into the bowl of egg yolk mix. Stir until well combined.

9) Stir 1/4 of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate egg mix until it's lightens.

10) Gradually FOLD, not stir the rest of the egg whites into the mix. Gently but thoroughly. Folding is a major part of keeping air in a souffle. It's done just like it's read.

11) Pour the batter into the springform pan and bake in the middle of the oven (do not put the sringform pan into the pan of water. I don't know why they had these in the original directions I read but it must have happened at least once.

12) Bake for at about 1 hour. Cake is done when a wooden tester skewer comes out with cumbs instead of liquid. Cracks will form on the top of cake. Do not panic. it's doing it's thing.

13) When done. Take out of oven and cool for 10 minutes. The cake will fall. Again, do not panic.

14) Run a thin knife around the cake's edge. Remove the sides of the pan (couldn't do that in a regular cake pan, eh?)

15) Let it cool for 30 minutes.

16) Turn cake over onto a plate. Remove the pan bottom and the parchment paper.Place another plate onto the (now, top) and flip it back over. The second plate will be your serving plate so you may want to make it fancy.

The cake can now be served with whipped cream, or wrapped in Saran Wrap™ and eaten later in the day, or place in the fridge, in Tupper Ware™ and served the next day (bring to room temperature.

Enjoy, A