|
 This recipe for
flourless chocolate cake comes from Australian chef Duncan
Robertson-White,
popular television celebrity and founder of Yarra Valley Cooking School near
Melbourne.
Chef Duncan has
a chocolate philosophy that chocophiles will understand:
Chocolate was once
traded for gold. We should hold it in the same esteem that it once
was, and not take it for granted. It is unique, deep, silky,
versatile, robust and flavorsome. You just have to see the look on
people’s faces when it is offered to realise the importance of
chocolate. A menu cannot exist without it, milk bars depend on it,
economies were built on it, every pantry has it; it truly is the essential
ingredient.
As far as this
chocolate cake is concerned, the title says it all—Perfect!
Perfect
Flourless Chocolate Cake
with Orange- scented Ganache
By Duncan
White-Robertson
Flourless
cake
500 gm Whole egg
350 gm Castor
sugar
250 gm Almond
meal
100 gm Hazelnut
meal
335 gm Butter
(unsalted)
450gm Dark
chocolate
-
Melt butter in a
saucepan and pour over chocolate. Mix with a whisk until smooth.
Set aside to cool
slightly.
-
Whisk egg and sugar
until double in size. Don’t give up; the eggs must become really
creamy and white. Use an electric mixer.
-
Fold together
chocolate and egg mixes, Scraping to the bottom of the bowl.
-
Slowly fold in
almond/hazelnut meal
-
Pour into 11”
spring form mould lined well with grease
-
proof paper.
-
Bake at 160 Deg C
for 1 ½ Hrs
Place a thin skewer or small knife into the centre of the cake to
check if it’s perfectly cooked. What you don’t want to see is sticky
chocolate mix on the skewer, If the skewer appears shiny only, then
it is cooked. This is just the butter in the cake. When the cake is
ready, it will have a crust on top and a rich moist centre. As the
cake cools, the centre will firm.
Ganache
400 gm pouring cream
400 gm Calibaut
chocolate
1 ½ tsp Orange zest
I suggest using
Calibaut semi-sweet chocolate. It melts evenly and smooth. It has a
deep flavor and is not too sweet. Any cooking chocolate will still
work nonetheless
1. For the Ganche
simply bring the cream to the boil slowly with the orange zest.
2. Strain the cream
over the chocolate, to take out the zest particles and whisk until
completely smooth.
3. When the cake is
completely cool, place it on a wire rack, over a tray to catch
drips.
4. Pour the Ganache
slowly over the cake, making sure it pours evenly over the cakes
edges.
5. Allow the Ganache to
set before cutting. Garnish with candied orange segments ½ dipped in
chocolate
Chef”s Hint
1.
Try cooking the cake in a slab and cut out individual portions with
a round pastry cutter. Pour runny ganache over the individual
portions for nicer presentation. Keep the left over cake cuttings in
the fridge. They will taste wonderful scattered over ice cream while
no one is looking.
2.
Once ganache goes cold, it can be moulded, piped, spiked and
swirled. You can fill truffles and biscuits, add liquor and nuts. Or
simply scoop out a teaspoon, and give to your kids for a treat.
3.
For a more rustic finish, you can dust the chocolate cake with icing
sugar or cocoa |
