This simple and delectable chocolate cake is by French cookbook author Suzy Palatin, a friend of world-renowned pastry chef Pierre Hermé, who, when he tasted it, called it “the best chocolate cake in the world.” I would choose this recipe over any other chocolate torte of this style that I have made because of its invitingly melt-in-your-mouth texture and its simplicity. In addition to a lot of chocolate, it has a high butter and sugar content, making it incredibly soft and moist, and it is baked only long enough to barely set the center (a type of cake the French often call moelleux, meaning very soft, moist, or nearly gooey).
I modified the original recipe by using an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan rather than a 9-inch (23 cm). This gives the cake a bit more height and helps prevent overbaking (which can occur with thinner cakes), making it easier to achieve the characteristically supple texture expected from a moelleux. I also added a little flaky sea salt. I find the intensity of the 70% cacao chocolate perfect for this cake. It’s a true chocolate indulgence that I’m sure you’ll love, too!
Makes One 8 by 2-inch (20 by 5 cm) round cake
9 ounces (250 g) dark chocolate, preferably Valrhona Guanaja 70% cacao
18 tablespoons (2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons/250 g) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp (3 g) flaky sea salt
1 1/4 cups (250 g) sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (70 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
4 large (200 g) eggs, room temperature
Lightly grease the bottom of an 8 by 2-inch (20 by 5 cm) cake pan with butter, a neutral-flavor oil, or cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with an 8-inch round piece of parchment paper (Use the bottom of the cake pan to trace a circle of parchment paper the same circumference as the pan. Cut out the circle and place it upside down at the bottom of the pan so that any pencil marks are against the pan.) Lightly grease the top of the parchment paper and the sides of the pan.
Position the oven rack so that the cake will sit as close to the center of the oven as possible.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). In a microwave-safe bowl, preferably a plastic bowl (see Chef Zach’s Notes below), heat the chocolate for 30 seconds. Stir to move the chocolate around in the bowl (it may not have started melting at this point). Heat for an additional 20 seconds, and stir again. Heat for an additional 15 seconds, and stir to melt as much of the chocolate as possible using the heat from the bowl. Once the chocolate appears to stop melting, heat for an additional 10 seconds, and stir until the chocolate is mostly melted. This approach will keep the chocolate near 94°F (34°C), ensuring it will not be overheated. It’s okay if a few unmelted small pieces remain at this point.
Add the butter to the chocolate and place the bowl in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds. Stir to melt as much of the butter as possible. Heat again for 15 seconds, and stir until the butter and chocolate are fully melted. If needed, heat again in 5- to 10-second increments, just until the chocolate and butter are fully melted. Do not let the mixture get hot. Stir in the salt.
Add the sugar and stir until fully incorporated. Sift the flour into the bowl and stir until fully incorporated. Using a fork, lightly beat the eggs together until well blended. Add the eggs to the chocolate mixture and stir until fully incorporated; the batter will remain somewhat separated and grainy looking, which is okay, but be sure to fully incorporate the eggs.
Pour the batter into the pan and place the pan in the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C). Bake for 35 minutes, or just until the cake looks set around the edges and the center jiggles slightly when the pan is moved (the center temperature will register close to 185°F/ 85°C on an instant-read thermometer). Set the cake on a cooling rack and let cool completely to room temperature before unmolding.
To unmold, run a small knife or offset spatula between the edges of the cake and the pan to help release it. Invert a serving plate on top of the pan and invert the cake onto the plate. Carefully lift the pan off the cake (you may have to jiggle the pan a little) and peel off the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake (the paper may remain attached to the bottom of the pan). If you want the cake to be crust up, invert it again onto a separate serving plate, but I sometimes keep the bottom facing up.
Just before serving, dust each slice with confectioners’ sugar and serve with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on the side, if desired. Store refrigerated, well wrapped, but serve at room temperature. If the cake is going to be consumed within 3 to 4 days, I do not refrigerate it so that it is always at its best texture at a moment’s notice when I feel the urge for a slice, but I keep it well wrapped. Refrigerate or freeze for long-term storage.
Chef Zach’s Notes:
Suzy bakes her cake in a silicone pan, which facilitates unmolding it if you prefer to do so before it has cooled completely in order to serve it slightly warm.
Microwaves have different power levels. I always use my default microwave power setting (which is level 10, the highest), when melting chocolate, so there is generally no need to set your power level down when melting chocolate if you do not wish to. A microwave works perfectly fine to melt chocolate, as long as you’re careful not to overheat it and to stir it frequently. Chocolate will not melt properly on its own in a microwave; it must be stirred frequently to assist it with melting and prevent burning it. In a professional chocolate kitchen, a microwave-safe plastic bowl is the bowl of choice for melting chocolate because glass retains heat too easily, risking overheating the chocolate (plus no one wants to manage a glass bowl or pans of hot water in a busy kitchen!) Always heat chocolate to just warm enough to melt it without letting it get hot. A double boiler or water bath will work just fine, too, if that’s what you prefer.
When the cake is completely cooled, it will set more, but it will retain a soft and buttery texture at room temperature.
Chocolate cakes of this style in France go by many names: “Mi-cuit,” “Moelleux,” or “Fondant,” and the French often use the names interchangeably. In general, however, French chefs tend to agree that the differences are: The “mi-cuit” has the most running center (similar to what we call “molten” cakes), the “moelleux” has a very soft and squishy center (but not runny), and the “fondant” has a moist overall texture, but is a little denser and not as melting as a moelleux.