Gateau Chocolat (ガトーショコラ)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •15cm round cake pan
• •Parchment paper
• •Heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan
• •Electric hand mixer or balloon whisk
• •Rubber spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the pan

   Heat the oven to 160 C. Line the bottom and sides of a 15cm round cake pan with parchment, letting the paper rise a little above the rim. This cake climbs, cracks, and settles, so the paper gives it support and makes removal clean after it cools.

2. 2

   Melt gently

   Set the chopped chocolate and butter in a bowl over barely simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Stir until glossy and just melted, then take it off the heat. Gentle melting keeps the chocolate smooth; harsh heat scorches it and turns the flavor flat.

3. 3

   Mix the yolks

   Whisk the egg yolks with 40g of the sugar until thickened and pale, about two minutes. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture, salt, and rum if using. The yolks give body and help the chocolate hold its richness without needing much flour.

4. 4

   Sift the dry

   Sift the cake flour and cocoa powder over the chocolate mixture and fold them in. Sifting matters because a small amount of flour has a large voice here; lumps would show up as dry specks in an otherwise smooth cake.

5. 5

   Whip the whites

   Beat the egg whites until foamy, then add the remaining 30g sugar in two additions and beat to soft, glossy peaks. Stop before they look dry. Soft peaks fold in cleanly and lift the cake; stiff, dry whites break into little clouds and leave streaks in the batter.

   This is lift, not a souffle contest. Glossy whites make a dense cake tender without turning it airy.
6. 6

   Fold the batter

   Stir one third of the whites into the chocolate batter to loosen it, then fold in the rest with a broad spatula. Turn the bowl as you fold and stop when no white streaks remain. Overmix and you press out the air you just made; undermix and the cake bakes unevenly.

7. 7

   Bake cool

   Pour the batter into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The edges should be set, the top gently cracked, and the center should still have a slight tremble when nudged. That tremble is not failure. It is the cake protecting its tenderness.

8. 8

   Rest overnight

   Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, then lift it out and cool completely. Wrap and rest it overnight at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator. The crumb settles, the chocolate deepens, and the slices cut cleanly the next day. Dust lightly with powdered sugar just before serving.

Chef Tips

• •Use chocolate between 60 and 70 percent cacao. Too sweet and the cake tastes dull; too bitter and it becomes stern for no good reason.
• •A 15cm pan gives the proper height for the Japanese home version. An 18cm pan works, but the cake will be lower and should bake a few minutes less.
• •Slice with a warm, clean knife, wiping between cuts. This isn't knife seasoning as with fish, but the same principle holds: one clean motion gives the slice its face.
• •Serve small pieces. A narrow wedge on a quiet plate looks more generous than a heavy slab, and the bitterness reads better when the portion has restraint.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the cake one day ahead. It is better after an overnight rest, when the crumb settles and the chocolate flavor rounds out.
• •The cake keeps three days refrigerated, wrapped well. Bring slices to cool room temperature before serving so the texture softens.
• •Powdered sugar should be added just before serving. Add it early and the cake's surface will drink it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 67g)