Racines Chocolate Cake

Having spent a lot of time making and enjoying David Lebovitz’s ice cream recipes in The Perfect Scoop, his Ready for Dessert quickly hit my wish list on my Amazon account. After acquiring it, the wonderful photo and ingredient list of the Racines Cake made it the obvious choice for a first recipe.

My youngest daughter, Hannah, and I both prefer icings that are not too sweet. One of the things that drew me to this recipe was the lack of any frosting; the emphasis was purely on chocolate. This flour-less (and gluten-free, I believe) cake is a cross between a typical cake and a brownie, and that texture is part of its charm. Past experience also taught me that coffee in anything chocolate earns bonus points on my scorecard.

cocoa powder
10 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
½ cup salted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon espresso
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large eggs, separated (room temperature)
¼ cup + two tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa nibs (I used chocolate chips)
powdered sugar (optional: I omitted)

Butter and dust the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with cocoa powder. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine the chocolate, butter and espresso in a large pyrex or other heatproof bowl, placing it over a pot of simmering water. Stir until combined and melted. Add the vanilla after removing from the heat.

Using a mixer, beat the egg yolks and ¼ cup of the sugar until creamy.

Separately mix the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the other 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat at high speed until combined and soft peaks form again.

Gently fold the yolks into the chocolate mix, then doing the same with half of the whites. Add the remaining whites, mixing only until blended. Pour into the springform pan, spreading evenly and topping with the nibs or chocolate chips, if using.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until the center is only slightly set.

Cool, then loosen the edges with a knife before removing from the pan. If desired, dust with the powdered sugar. I liked the straight look of chocolate without any need for additional sweetening.

I continue to have good results from Lebovitz’s recipes, and look forward to additional desserts.

---

Artist Copyright - All works of art within this web site are protected under U.S. copyright laws and international conventions. No portion of the artist's works or statements may be used, downloaded, reproduced using any means, copied, or transferred electronically, without prior written permission from the artist.