July Craft Challenge: French Chocolate Cake

While Rosie is busy, she kinda gave me the key to her apartment. Actually it's more like the password to her blog ;-) but it does feel remarkably the same. So, without further lurking around her place, here's my July Craft challenge: baking!

You all know how much I love chocolate, right? Chocolate in any form is a good idea: ice-cream, chocolate meringues, brownies, chocolate cookies, chocolate biscotti, chocolate robots, chocolate on a spoon, chocolate souffé... anything chocolate! (Granted, the only kind of chocolate usage that I am not okay with is in pollo al chocolate, but that's a story for another day...) I have told you lots of time that this or that recipe is the ultimate chocolate delight, but to be honest: I am only sharing the real deal with you today. I knew that this had to be my post for the July craft challenge: baking.

This French chocolate cake is the real deal because...

• ...it is an original French recipe, brought to our family about two decades ago by a French exchange student (biscuit au chocolat is what it's actually called)
• ...it is moist and crunchy and scrumptious at the same time
• ...it isn't nearly as much work as one would think
• ...it stores really well - even after three days it tastes almost as perfect as on day one
• ...when I die I want to be buried with one of these cakes. That's how good they are.
• ...even Coca approves of it:

Anyhow, enough bragging for one day, right? Here's the recipe:

• 9 ounces of dark chocolate
• 5 TS water
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 egg whites
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (melted)
• 1 cup ground almonds (or ground hazelnuts if you prefer those)
• 2/3 cup flour

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. When it is liquid, fill it into a mixing bowl and add the water while stirring. Add the egg yolks and the melted butter and keep on stirring. Add the almonds and the flour and stir carefully.

In an extra bowl, mix the egg whites until they're stiff. Carefully fold in the egg whites.

Put the mass into a cake pan. In a 10 inch cake pan, it takes about 45 to 50 minutes at 280°F. The cake is done when it is a bit moist in the center, but crunchy at the top.

I know that this hot weather doesn't exactly call for baking and chocolate cakes, but if you try this recipe you will be happy you did!

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PS I know that promoting a healthy lifestyle instead of promoting chocolate indulgence should be my goal, but chocolate is just my guilty pleasure. I promise I don't eat it all the time ;-) What's your guilty pleasure?