Chocolate Gateau Chocolate Cake Recipes

CHOCOLATE GATEAU (CHOCOLATE CAKE)

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients.
• Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Butter an 8-inch (20 cm) baking pan. Dust the inside of the pan with flour and tap out the excess. I recommend using a 6-7 inch (15-18 cm) cake pan for a taller cake than mine.
• Line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper, dust the paper with flour and tap out the excess.
• Combine the flour and cocoa powder and sift, set aside.
• Cut the chocolate bar into small pieces and set aside.
• Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (140ºF/60ºC) and add the chocolate. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted. Make sure not to introduce any oil or moisture to the bowl; otherwise, the chocolate will seize.
• Add the coarsely chopped butter and let it melted completely. Transfer the bowl to the counter and let the mixture cool.
• Separate the cold eggs, putting the whites in a mixer bowl or other large bowl and the yolks in a small bowl.
• While the chocolate is cooling, place the egg whites in a clean bowl with salt. Working with the whisk attachment of the mixer, beat the egg whites until they are foamy and start adding half of the sugar (90 g) in 2-3 separate additions.
• Continue to beat on high speed until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved (about 5 min total). To test for stiff peaks, the peaks should stand straight up when you lift up the beaters. The whites should not slide around. Transfer the meringue into a bowl and wash the mixing bowl for next step.
• In the clean mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar (90g) until creamy and stir in the heavy whipping cream.
• With a rubber spatula stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
• Then add the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture.
• Using the spatula, stir about ⅓ of the meringue into the batter, then gently fold in the rest until the color is uniform.
• Pour the batter into the pan and give the pan several sharp taps on the counter to bring up any air bubbles that may be trapped in the batter.
• Bake the cake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 340ºF (170ºC) and bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick pulls out moist crumbs when inserted near the center of the cake. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the cake cool completely. As the cake cools, it may deflate a bit.
• Run a knife along the edges of the cake and carefully turn the cake over onto a plate or cake stand. Decorate the cake with raspberry and dust the powdered sugar before serving.

RICH FRENCH CHOCOLATE GâTEAU RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter over the lowest heat, do not rush this process, melting the chocolate too quickly will cause it to "shock" into a hard lump.
• Mix in the cocoa powder and espresso powders until smooth and set aside for a few minutes to cool.
• While the chocolate is cooling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and flour until they are completely combined and foamy.
• Fold the egg mixture into the chocolate until the color is uniform and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Place into the center of the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick pulls out moist crumbs when inserted near the center of the torte. If the pick is sticky, then cook for a little longer.
• Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife or inverted spatula along the edges of the gâteau and loosen the sides of the pan. Cool for 5 minutes and remove the sides of the pan. Invert the cake onto a cake platter and cool completely before serving decorated as you wish.

GâTEAU CHOCOLAT-MENTHE (CHOCOLATE-MINT CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment.
• Melt the butter and pour it into a heatproof bowl, leaving the milky solids behind. Set aside somewhere warm.
• In a stand mixer or using handheld electric beaters, whisk the egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Add the sugar and the salt and continue to whisk until they form firm, but not dry, peaks.
• In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks until homogenous. Add the chocolate extract, if using. Pour this mixture over the egg whites and, using a rubber spatula, fold to incorporate. Set a sieve over the mixing bowl and sift the cornstarch, cake flour and cocoa powder onto the eggs. Fold these in until no streaks remain. Fold about half a cup of batter into the melted butter, then fold this butter mixture back into the batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until the surface springs back when touched and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Set on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before unmolding.
• Bring the water and sugar to a simmer over low heat and stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and add the mint leaves. Allow to steep for around 20 minutes before removing the mint.
• Place the egg whites in one bowl and the confectioners' sugar in another. Dip each mint leaf into the egg whites, then hold the leaf above the bowl for a few seconds to let any excess egg drip off. Next, dip the leaf into the sugar. Give it a little shake to let any excess fall away. Place the leaf on a parchment-lined baking sheet and set aside to dry. If your kitchen is hot or humid, place in an oven on the lowest setting and turn off the oven. Let the leaves dry out as the oven cools.
• In a stand mixer or using handheld electric beaters, whip the cream until it is billowy. Sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar and whisk to incorporate. Drizzle with whatever source of mint you are using and whisk to incorporate.
• Bring ¾ cup of the cream to a boil and immediately pour over the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to melt for a minute, then whisk to create a smooth ganache. Set aside to come to room temperature. This shouldn't take more than about 10 minutes. If it gets too cold, it will start to solidify, which you don't want. If that happens, warm it up a tiny bit-just enough that it stirs easily.
• In a stand mixer or using handheld electric beaters, whip the remaining cream until you see soft, but structured, peaks. Stir a third of this whipped cream into the ganache to lighten it, then fold the remaining ganache into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula. Use immediately.
• Slice génoise into two horizontally. Brush both halves of the génoise with the mint syrup. Allow to absorb. Repeat. And repeat a third time. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• Slather the bottom layer with the whipped chocolate ganache. Cover with the top layer. Ice this with ganache. Decorate by creating a border of candied mint leaves.
• Serve with a generous dollop of the mint Chantilly.