Countess Toulouse-Lautrec's French Chocolate Cake

 

Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 45.

I've wanted to make this recipe for a long time. I don't know why it has taken me this long to get to it. The recipe is very unusual. Just a few ingredients and it only bakes for 15 minutes.  It is not difficult to make at all but not a fast recipe and it needs to chill before serving.

Anyway, who was this Countess Toulouse-Lautrec? Of course, I immediately thought that it must be the artist Toulouse Lautrec's wife but no. She was Marie Pierre "Mapie" de Toulouse-Lautrec (1901-1972), a French journalist and food writer. She was related to Toulouse-Lautrec by marriage. According to Wikipedia, she invented the detachable recipe card that you find in magazines when she was a writer for Elle magazine. She introduced this recipe to American audiences in McCall's magazine in 1959.

The cake is dense, somewhat like a cheesecake, but not really. It is very chocolaty and rich. A small portion goes a long way. It can be served without the whipped cream or you can substitute a fruit topping. The cake needs a topping because it sinks in the middle and isn't that great looking when bare.

1 lb. semisweet chocolate (bar chocolate or chips are both fine)
5 oz. butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes
4 large eggs, separated
1 TBS. all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 TBS. granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line an 8-inch spring-form pan with wax paper to cover the bottom. Butter the top of the wax paper as well as the sides of the pan.

 

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot water. This is a lot of chocolate. Here is how I do it - I bring about an inch of water to a boil and then turn off the heat. Place the double boiler with the chocolate in position and cover it with a plate. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. Remove the plate and stir. If the chocolate still has not fully melted, it might be necessary to heat the water again.

Add the butter a little at a time to the chocolate, stirring and making sure it completely melts before adding more. Set aside to cool.

Beat the egg yolks at high speed for 5 minutes. Add the tablespoon of flour and mix it in.

Add the chocolate into the batter.

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold a soft shape. Add the sugar and continue to beat until they hold a definite shape. Fold one half of the mixture into the chocolate (just enough to mix). Then fold the chocolate into the remaining whites. Fold until blended.

Transfer the batter to the pan. Level the batter by briskly turning the pan back and forth.

Bake for 15 minutes. When you remove the pan from the oven, the cake will look deflated. Do not worry.

 Let the cake sit in the pan until it comes to room temperature. Slide a sharp knife around the perimeter to loosen the cake but do not open the pan. After coming to room temperature, refrigerate the cake for several hours or overnight.

After the cake has chilled, remove it from the pan. Carefully use a long sharp knife to remove the cake from the pan bottom. Peel off the wax paper.

If you so desire, prepare the whipped topping to garnish.

Whipped Cream

(Note: I divided this by half and still had plenty).

2 cups heavy cream
3 TBS. confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract or 2 tsp. kirsch or framboise

In a chilled bowl with chilled beater, whip all the ingredients until it reaches the stiffness level you like.