Special note: This cake bakes in a water bath. If you don’t have a silicone cake pan, this recipe is reason enough to buy one.
Another note: I highly recommend making this cake the day before you need it, to give it time to set properly.
For the cake:
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
18 oz semisweet chocolate chips
6 eggs, very lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 350°F
Line the bottom of a 9” round silicone cake pan (see note about other pans at the bottom) like this: cut a circle of parchment paper the same size as the inside bottom of the pan and lay it in the pan. You will also need a roasting pan (one of the cheap disposable aluminum ones is fine if you’re very, very careful).
• Boil the water and sugar until fully dissolves, stirring constantly. Remove from heat once no sugar settles to the bottom.
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat.
• Add the cream and the chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate is totally melted and the mixture is completely smooth.
• Stir in the water-sugar mixture until blended.
• Add the eggs and stir until totally blended.
Set the prepared cake pan in the roasting pan, then pour the batter into the cake pan. Pour about an inch of water into the roasting pan. If you’re using a flimsy aluminum one, I’d transfer the pans to the oven first, then pour in the water from a separate pitcher. That way you don’t risk the pan buckling.
Bake at 350°F for about an hour, or until the cake seems solid when shaken gently.
Very, very carefully remove the pan from the oven. I take out the cake pan first, then come back for the roasting pan, personally.
Chill the cake in the pan in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours—I mean it! You’ll regret it otherwise. It has to be COLD. Do not remove the cake from the pan.
Now you are ready for the ganache:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8oz semisweet chocolate chips
optional: you may also add 1 Tbsp. of a liqueur such as Chambord or Frangelico to give an extra flavor, or add 1 Tbsp of a flavored syrup (such as you use in coffee drinks).
In a saucepan, heat the cream to a simmer over medium-low to medium heat (higher and you risk scorching the cream on the bottom of the pan). Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. Stir until the mixture is completely smooth. This is important as you will be able to tell a texture difference if you still have grains of unmelted chocolate.
Fetch your cold cake from the refrigerator. Pour the ganache over the cake, still in the pan, and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon. Jiggle the pan a little to help even it out.
Now put the whole thing back in the fridge. If you can wait overnight, you will get better results, but the cake will probably be chilled enough to set completely in 2-3 hours. You can now remove the cake from the pan (isn’t it easy with the silicone pan?)
This cake must be stored in the fridge, or it will get all melty. Serve narrow slices topped with whipped cream. This cake is rich and a large piece will probably be more than most mere humans can eat in one sitting.
- Note about pans: If you only have a springform pan, center it on two sheets of extra-wide aluminum foil that are laid in an X and pull the foil up the sides to create a seamless water barrier. If you only have a regular one-piece hard cake pan, I’m not entirely sure how the recipe will turn out for you. Possibly line the inside walls of the pan with a strip of foil or parchment?
- Note about safety: When removing the roasting pan from the oven, please don’t splash boiling-hot water all over yourself. It’s really easy for the water to slosh when it’s in that wide of a pan. Additionally, if you’re using the disposable aluminum kind (I have one that I reuse over and over just for this) the pan can distort, fold, buckle, tear… it could be bad. You might want to just leave it in the oven until the water cools off, in fact.
— 01:07:48 PM
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