French Chocolate Layer Cake

Photo: flickr user avlxyz

Ingredients

2 teaspoons Espresso coffee, instant

1/4 cup Water, hot

7 ounces Chocolate, semisweet

2 ounces Chocolate, bitter

4 Eggs, separated

4 ounces Butter

2/3 cup Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Cream of tartar

3/4 cup Cornstarch, sifted

2 teaspoons Espresso coffee, instant

7 ounces Chocolate, semisweet

2 ounces Chocolate, bitter

2 tablespoons Butter

Preparation

Combine espresso, hot water, semisweet chocolate and bitter chocolate in double boiler filled with hot water and cover. Without applying additional heat, melt the chocolate.

Butter two layer-cake pans, lay a sheet of waxed paper in each, and dust the pans with flour. (The pans should be able to hold about 4 cups each.)

Beat the egg yolks and then gradually add about 2/3 cup of sugar until the yolks are thick and lemon colored.

Beat butter into the chocolate mixture. Add the chocolate mixture to the egg yolks and stir.

Beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, and then gradually add up to 2 T sugar.

Add the sifted corn starch gradually to the chocolate mixture, alternating with the egg whites. The corn starch and egg whites should be folded in to the chocolate mixture.

Pour half the batter into each cake pan. Bake on the lower middle level of a preheated 350 degree F. oven until set on the sides. Cool the cake in the pan, and then turn out onto a serving dish.

Combine the icing ingredients and ice the cake as you would a normal layer cake.

NOTES:* A decadently rich chocolate cake - My mother got this recipe from a radio show about ten years ago. She was intrigued because the cake contains no flour. It is definitely for chocoholics. Although it is a two-layer cake, it is only about 3-4 inches thick when it's done, and has the consistency and density of a chocolate candy bar. It can be frozen if you find it too much to eat at one time.

Difficulty: difficult.

Time: 2 hours.

Precision: precise measurement important.