Bitter Chocolate Cake Recipes

BITTER CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 320F.
• Butter a 9 inch springform pan.
• Sprinkle bottom and sides with sugar.
• Tap out excess.
• Wrap foil around bottom and 2 inches up around outside of pan.
• Combine butter and chocolate and melt, stirring until smooth.
• Whisk eggs and sugar in a large bowl to blend.
• Mix in flour.
• Stir in warm chocolate and pour into pan.
• Set springform pan into a larger baking pan and pour enough boiling water in baking pan to come ½ inch up sides of cake.
• Bake until top is firm and toothpick inserted in center come out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 1 hour.
• Remove from water and cool completely.
• Transfer to platter; release pan sides.
• Serve with whipped cream.
• (a few choice raspberries wouldn’t be totally out of place here either.).

DENSE BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter the sides and bottom of a 10-inch springform pan and set aside.
• In the top of a double boiler, combine the butter, chocolate and coffee and melt slowly, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until frothy. Whisk the eggs into the melted chocolate until combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and cool on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature.
• Remove the sides of the pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, before serving.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven and prepare the pan: Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare a rack in the center of the oven. Place a baking sheet in a rack below it (to catch any drippings or spill-overs). Generously butter the sides and bottom of a 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan. Add a few tablespoons of the sugar and gently shake so that all the sides and bottom of the pan are coated with sugar. Tap out the excess sugar.
• Serve: When ready to serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CLOUD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and position rack in the center.
• Pour 1/2 -inch water into a large roasting pan and place in oven. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper, cut to fit. Butter the paper. Wrap the outside of the pan tightly with a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Put 1 cup of sugar and the coffee in a medium saucepan over a high heat. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Remove from the heat add the chocolate and return to low heat. Keep stirring over heat until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and salt until smooth. Add brandy. Whisk in the egg yolks until no trace of yolk is left. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Whisk the flour into the chocolate mixture.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the 6 egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat on high until peaks are almost stiff.
• Stir about 1/4 of the egg whites into chocolate mixture (no need to fold at this point). Then gently fold in the remaining whites, 1/3 at a time, until no streaks of white remain. Pour into pan and smooth top. Bake in water bath for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Place cake on wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Remove sides of pan and carefully invert cake onto cardboard cake round or flat plate. Chill for at least 2 hours before glazing.
• Remove the cake from the refrigerator and place it on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Pour the chocolate glaze over the cake, covering it completely; spread evenly with a metal spatula. Serve the cake immediately or refrigerate. Bring the cake to room temperature before serving.
• Put chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a gentle boil. Whisk in the honey. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and let the mixture stand for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate. Whisk the mixture until smooth. Cover the surface of the glaze with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE WITH DECADENT GLAZE

Steps:

• CAKE: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Grease and flour a bundt or tube pan.
• In a small bowl, combine flour, soda and powder.
• In a 2 cup measuring cup, dissolve coffee in hot water and add enough cold water to measure 1 1/2 cups.
• In a large mixer bowl, beat granulated sugar, butter and vanilla until creamy.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time.
• Stir in melted chocolate.
• Add flour mixture alternately with coffee mixture.
• Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake 1 hour or until center tests done.
• Cool 30 minutes and remove from pan onto a wire rack.
• Cool completely and transfer to serving dish.
• Drizzle with glaze and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, if desired.
• GLAZE: Melt chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth.
• Remove from heat and stir in confectioner's sugar, alternately with water, until desired consistency is reached.
• Stir in vanilla extract.

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter and line a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep).
• Put 200g chopped dark chocolate in a medium pan with 200g butter.
• Mix 1 tbsp instant coffee granules into 125ml cold water and pour into the pan.
• Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted - don't overheat. Or melt in the microwave for about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• Mix 85g self-raising flour, 85g plain flour, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 200g light muscovado sugar, 200g golden caster sugar and 25g cocoa powder, and squash out any lumps.
• Beat 3 medium eggs with 75ml buttermilk.
• Pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir everything to a smooth, quite runny consistency.
• Pour this into the tin and bake for 1hr 25 - 1hr 30 mins. If you push a skewer into the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don't worry if it cracks a bit).
• Leave to cool in the tin (don't worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut the cold cake horizontally into three.
• To make the ganache, put 200g chopped dark chocolate in a bowl. Pour 300ml double cream into a pan, add 2 tbsp golden caster sugar and heat until it is about to boil.
• Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool until it is a little thicker but still pourable.
• Sandwich the layers together with just a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smooth over any gaps with a palette knife.
• Decorate with 50g grated chocolate or 100g chocolate curls. The cake keeps moist and gooey for 3-4 days.

DENSE BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter the sides and bottom of a 10-inch springform pan and set aside.
• In the top of a double boiler, combine the butter, chocolate and coffee and melt slowly, stirring occasionally, until smooth.
• Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until frothy.
• Whisk the eggs into the melted chocolate until combined.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 1 hour and cool on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature.
• Remove the sides of the pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, before serving.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line bottom of 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with waxed paper. Butter sides of pan and paper. Dust pan with flour. Melt chocolate and butter in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly.
• Whisk yolks and sugar in large bowl until pale yellow. Mix in flour, then chocolate mixture. Using electric mixer, beat whites in another bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Run small sharp knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto platter and cool. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover with cake dome and let stand at room temperature.) Sift powered sugar over cake and serve.