Secret Chocolate Cake
Food52
Photo by Sam A Harris
- Serves
- 8 - 10
- Prep Time
- 11 Hours
- Cook Time
- 40 Minutes
This recipe is excerpted from "Sift" the 2025 Book of the Year in the Food52 Baking Club. Follow us @f52cookbookclub. "This ultra-rich, two-textured cake has a secret. What is it? Well, let me tell you: the fudgy cake and mousse layer is made out of the same mix. One half of the mixture is baked, while the other is simply poured on top and left to set into a mousse. This recipe is based on a Gateau Marcel and is a bit of 2-for-1 magic. Nestled in between the layers are Sauternes-soaked raisins, though you could swap these for brandied cherries or whatever might take your fancy. Finish it off with a thick dusting of bitter cocoa powder and you have, in my opinion, the ultimate chocolate dessert."—Nicola Lamb Note: "If you only have a hand mixer, I recommend splitting the mixture in two and making it twice—as it’s a large amount of meringue."—Nicola LambDAY 1 Total: 11 hrs 2hrs – soak raisins 20 mins – make mixture 20mins halve & bake 20 mins – Remove from oven & cool 8hrs – Scatter raisins on top & pour mixture on top. Chill overnight DAY 2 Total: 40 mins 40 mins - Demold & decorate
Ingredients
- 8-inch/20cm loose-bottomed cake pan
- 75 gram /1/2 cup raisins (golden or black)
- 100 gram /7 Tbsp Sauternes sweet wine
- 300 gram /6 whole eggs, separated
- 225 gram /1 cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 225 gram /8 oz dark chocolate, chopped
- 225 gram /1 cup butter
- 1-2 gram /1/4–½ tsp flaky sea salt
- Cocoa powder, to dust
Featured Video
“Sift” Copyright © 2024 by Nicola Lamb. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Sam A Harris. Illustrations copyright © 2024 by Nueker. Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/ Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York."Making Meringue EGG WHITES + SUGAR + AIR = MERINGUE Once an egg white has begun to foam, sugar can be slowly added. It’s essential to add the sugar slowly because undissolved grains will wreak havoc later on, coming back to haunt you as weeping droplets. As well as this, sugar added too quickly will overwhelm your egg whites and prevent proper unfurling of the proteins, limiting the volume of the foam. As the sugar dissolves, it forms a thick syrup with water in the egg whites. The syrup is trapped within the strongly bonded protein network and, as a result, coats the air bubbles. This makes it hard for the bubbles to merge or the air to escape, so the foam stabilizes. The foam begins as a floppy mixture but will slowly make its way through soft, medium, and then stiff peaks—this is the point where the meringue will stay aloft on its own, pointing its peak proudly into the air. Once sugar is involved, it becomes virtually impossible to over-whip an egg white. You do, however, need to be aware of the woes of a set meringue. Once a meringue has reached its stiff, glossy status, it’s good practice to either use it immediately or to leave it mixing on a very low speed. As long as the mixture is moving, the protein network remains flexible. However, if left, the foam begins to set, turning from fluid and shiny to chunky. This is because egg proteins —Nicola Lamb
Directions
- Step 1
To soak the raisins, place them in a bowl, pour in the Sauternes, and cover. Soak for at least 2 hours or overnight, but they will keep (covered) for up to 1 month in the fridge.
- Step 2
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the pan with parchment paper.
- Step 3
Whisk your egg yolks with a quarter of the sugar until pale, thick, and custardy- looking—this takes 5–6 minutes on high speed. Set aside.
- Step 4
Melt your chocolate and butter over a bain-marie. Once melted, take off the heat and stir in the salt. Fold it into your whisked egg yolks in three additions.
- Step 5
Meanwhile, whisk your egg whites and the rest of the sugar to a French meringue. (see “Making Meringue” below)
- Step 6
Mix a little of the meringue in with your whisk to loosen the egg yolk/chocolate batter and then change to a spatula, folding the meringue into the chocolate mix in thirds, trying to keep as much air in as possible.
- Step 7
Pour half of the mix into the lined cake pan and smooth the top. Bake for 20– 22 minutes. The cake will rise up and be dry on top. Set aside the other half of the batter and cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. If possible, keep it near the oven so it stays warmish.
- Step 8
Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to fall and cool in the pan for about 20 minutes. It can still be warm, but you want to be able to handle the pan.
- Step 9
Sprinkle on the Sauternes-soaked raisins. Pour the second half of the batter on top and smooth with a warmed offset spatula. Let cool to room temperature, then move into the fridge and chill overnight or up to 3 days.
- Step 10
To remove cleanly from the pan, freeze the cake for 30 minutes before demolding. To finish, carefully remove from the pan and dust thickly with cocoa powder. If you froze the cake, let it defrost for 20–30 minutes before enjoying it. This keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also store it in the freezer, wrapped, for 30 days.