Marquesote Oaxaqueño

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •9-inch round cake pan
• •Stand mixer or hand mixer with two clean bowls
• •Fine-mesh sieve for sifting
• •Flexible silicone spatula for folding
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Molinillo and clay jarro for the chocolate

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oven and prepare the pan

   Heat the oven to 350F. Butter the inside of a 9-inch round cake pan, sides and bottom. Dust with the two tablespoons of flour, tap out the excess. The marquesote is a delicate sponge and it cannot be coaxed out of a sticky pan without breaking. Some senoras in Oaxaca line the bottom with parchment too. If you are not confident in your pan, do it.

   Eggs at room temperature whip to twice the volume of cold eggs. Pull them out of the refrigerator an hour before you start. No me vengas con atajos.
2. 2

   Whip the yolks with the sugar

   In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with three-quarters of the sugar, the lime zest, and the canela on high speed for five to seven minutes. The mixture should triple in volume and turn pale yellow, almost ivory. When you lift the beater, the ribbon of yolk should fall back on itself and hold its shape for a count of three before disappearing. That ribbon is the structure of the cake. Underwhip it and the marquesote falls flat in the oven.

3. 3

   Whip the whites to firm peaks

   In a clean, dry bowl with a clean beater, whip the egg whites with the salt on medium until they turn foamy. Raise the speed to high and rain in the remaining quarter cup of sugar a tablespoon at a time. Whip until the whites hold firm peaks that stand straight up when you lift the beater, but still look glossy, not dry. Dry, broken whites cannot be folded into a sponge. They will leave white streaks no matter how patient you are.

4. 4

   Sift the dry ingredients

   Sift the wheat flour and cornstarch together onto a sheet of parchment. Sift them again. Twice. The cornstarch is what makes a marquesote different from a regular sponge. It lightens the crumb and gives the cake the dry, almost crumbly bite that lets it drink up hot chocolate without falling apart in the cup. La cocina no es decoracion, es trabajo. The double sift earns its place.

5. 5

   Fold in stages

   Add a third of the whipped whites to the yolk mixture and fold them in with a spatula. This first addition lightens the heavy yolks. Now sift a third of the flour mixture over the top and fold it in with long, slow strokes from the bottom up. Add another third of the whites, fold. Another third of the flour, fold. The last whites, fold. The last flour, fold. The batter should look pale, airy, and uniform. No streaks. Pour it into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the back of the spatula.

   Fold, do not stir. The motion is from the bottom of the bowl up and over, turning the bowl a quarter turn between each fold. Stir the batter and you knock the air out. Then you have a pancake.
6. 6

   Bake until dry and golden

   Bake on the middle rack for 30 to 35 minutes. The top should be the color of toasted piloncillo, the cake should pull slightly away from the sides of the pan, and a wooden skewer pushed into the center should come out clean and dry. The marquesote is supposed to be dry. That is the point. A moist, fudgy cake will dissolve into the chocolate. A dry sponge holds its shape long enough to soak up the chocolate and deliver it to your mouth in one bite. Asi se hace y punto.

7. 7

   Cool and unmold

   Cool the marquesote in the pan on a wire rack for ten minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge to release it. Invert onto the rack, then flip right-side-up onto a serving plate. Let it cool completely before serving. A warm marquesote is fragile. A cool one is sturdy enough to handle and to dunk.

8. 8

   Serve with hot chocolate

   Cut the marquesote into thick wedges. Serve each piece on a small plate with a tall mug of Oaxacan chocolate beaten to a foam with a molinillo. The eater tears off a piece, dips it into the chocolate until the cake is heavy with it, and eats it before it falls apart in their fingers. That is the whole point of marquesote. The cake is a vehicle for the chocolate. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •The eggs must be at room temperature. Cold eggs whip to half the volume and the marquesote will be flat and dense. Pull them out an hour before you start, or set them in a bowl of warm tap water for ten minutes if you forgot.
• •Use real Mexican canela, the soft, flaky kind that crumbles between your fingers. The hard cassia bark sold in most American supermarkets is not the same spice. Cassia is sharp and one-note. Canela is floral and warm and built for chocolate.
• •Do not substitute baking powder for the cornstarch. People will tell you it makes the cake easier. It does, and it ruins it. The whole texture of marquesote depends on the cornstarch and the whipped eggs doing the lifting together. A chemical leavener gives you a different cake. Call it something else.
• •If you cannot find tablilla de chocolate oaxaqueño from Mayordomo, La Soledad, or Guelaguetza, do not serve this with American hot cocoa. Use a good Mexican drinking chocolate disc, beat it with milk and a molinillo until it foams. The chocolate is half the dish.

Advance Preparation

• •Marquesote is at its best the day after it is baked. The crumb dries down further overnight and the cake holds together better in the chocolate. Cool completely, wrap in a clean cotton cloth, and keep at room temperature.
• •Wrapped in cloth and stored in a tin, marquesote keeps for up to five days. It does not refrigerate well, the cold turns the crumb gummy. It does not freeze well either. Make it the day before, eat it the day of.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 72g)