Servings: 12
Source: From Julia Eisner, from her cookbook by Chocolat person
In the late seventies and the eighties, the ultimate chocolate dessert was called Chocolate Decadence. Made with only one tablespoon of flour and a full pound of dark chocolate, it was so rich it needed whipped cream and raspberry sauce to lighten it! If you loved it then and yearn for it now, salvation is at hand. With half the calories and a quarter of the fat per serving (even less if you count the whipped cream that went into the original), this may be the richest light dessert in the world. Be sure to use a superb brand of chocolate and the best cocoa you know.
Ingredients
Ingredients
5 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped fine
1 whole egg
1 egg, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup plus ½ tablespoon unsweetened dutch process cocoa
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup plus ¼ cup sugar
¾ cup low-fat (1%) milk
1-¼ cups or more raspberry sauce
Whipped cream (optional)
Equipment
8-inch round cake pan with a solid bottom, 1-½ to 2 inches deep
Ovenproof baking dish or skillet, at least 2 inches deep and 2 inches wider than the cake pan
Directions
Work time: 30 minutes
Bake time. 30 minutes
Chill time: 24 hours
Make 1 day before
1. Position the rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Spray the sides of the cake pan with vegetable oil spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Put a kettle of water on to boil for Step 4.
2. Place the chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Combine 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk in a small bowl with the vanilla. Place the 2 egg whites in a medium bowl with the cream of tartar. Set all 3 bowls aside.
3. Combine the cocoa, flour, and 2/3 cup sugar in a 1- to 1½ -quart heavy bottomed saucepan. Whisk in enough of the milk (about half) to form a smooth paste. Mix in the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof paddle to prevent burning (especially around the bottom edges), until mixture begins to simmer. Simmer very gently, stirring constantly, for 1½ minutes. Pour the hot mixture immediately over the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Whisk in egg and vanilla mixture. Set aside.
4. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining ¼ cup sugar, beating at high speed until stiff but not dry. Fold a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in remaining egg whites. Scrape mixture into the cake pan and smooth the top. Set cake pan in baking pan and place on oven rack. Pour enough boiling water into the baking pan to come about a third to halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for exactly 30 minutes. The surface of the torte will spring back when very gently passed but it will still be quite gooey inside. Remove cake pan and water pan from oven. Remove the cake pan from the water and cool completely on a rack. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight before serving. Dessert may refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
5. To serve: Unmold by shift a thin knife or metal spatula around the sides of the pan to release the torte. Place a piece of wax paper on top of torte. Invert a plate on top of the wax paper and invert torte onto plate. Remove pan and peel away paper liner. Turn torte right side up again and remove wax paper. Cut into wedges with a sharp thin knife. Dip the knife in hot water and wipe it dry between each slice. Or cut with dental floss like a moist cheesecake. Serve each slice with about 2 tablespoons of raspberry sauce and a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.
From Julia Eisner, from her cookbook by Chocolat person