Monday, August 1, 2011

(Morning) Gâteau Therese-Chocolate Cake

I've currently been reading a book by David LeBovitz, "The Sweet Life in Paris." (Thanks to the Buy 2 Get 1 Free table at Barnes and Nobles.) David takes his love for cooking and heads to Europe, after a traumatic experience in the U.S. Throughout the book he tells of his travels and the food he encounters along the way.  He makes sure to include detail and recipes for the reader to ponder.

I was feeling brave this morning and decided it was time to attempt my first "real" dessert--I won't include the boxed brownies that I often created during high school boyfriend drama.  Anyway, this recipe called for a lot of work.  There was mention of a double boiler, which almost scared me away.  But like i said, I felt brave this morning.  The first step included parchment paper. I didn't have any idea what this paper of parchment was or why it was necessary.  But my mom said if it calls for it, you must answer.  So off to Shop Rite I went with my ceramic mug of hazelnut coffee.  I found the paper relatively easily- I still don't know what the difference between parchment and wax is, but whatever.  I greased up my 9 inch loaf pan and placed the paper neatly on the bottom.  Then the real work began...

I was supposed to combine 9 oz of chocolate and eight tablespoons of butter over a double boiler.  Seeing as though me and fire don't get along very often, I chose the microwave (I'm hoping this doesn't alter the consistency of the cake too much.)  After the buttery-chocolate mixture seemed smooth I added  sugar (half of 1/3 c), four egg yolks, and two tablespoons of flour.  Then I took a nice little stretch.  I couldn't find the electric mixer that my mother owns, so it was just me, the bowl, and an outdated whisk. Things got serious, and chocolate was spilled, but we all made it out alive.

Surprisingly, the harder step was whisking the four puny egg whites that were left over from earlier.  With salt and sugar (and my whisk) the whites were supposed to become foamy and froth-like. This took quite a bit of time and whisking.  After sweating through one t-shirt, my egg friends finally decided to cooperate and froth.  They then joined their egg yolk brothers in the giant chocolate mixing bowl.  After the mixture was complete, I dumped it into the buttered loaf pan.  The cake has just finished baking after 35 minutes.  It smells good, but I'm skeptical of the texture.

2 comments:

  1. I have microwaved the chocolate before. It is a timing thing, if you go to far the texture is ruined!! I hate beating egg whites by hand. I invested in a hand beater :) I am a much better cook than baker!! Hope the cake tastes great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm gonna have to invest in one! Hand beating is too much work for me. I definitely have enjoyed cooking more so than the baking--so far. But the cake did come out great! I was worried about the time, so I let it cook for an extra five minutes. It didn't burn and the inside was moist. Yay :)

    ReplyDelete