French Chocolate Cake - A father's day special

When baby was still a week old.

Taken today on Father's Day. Leila is 3 months

French Chocolate Cake

I’ve been marking this recipe from my one of the cake recipe books I had, waiting for an occasion. I think father’s day is just perfect for it. French Father of my baby and a French Cake, and its his first time Dad, so it calls for a little celebration. Or a little indulgence.

A decadent heavily dense chocolate cake with the Father’s favorite whisky Jack Daniel. Especially made for my French Hubby, this French cake has the same consistency as the Cheese cake, in fact the procedure is quite similar to that of Cheese Cake. The bitterness of the whisky is just perfect accompaniment for coffee. I made it on the night before Father’s Day; left it in the oven to cool until morning and had it with the morning coffee served with whipped cream. Then, had it as afternoon coffee which was even better after it is chilled well and served with lots of whipped cream! Whew! I feel so guilty afterwards of all the calorie intake, but hey, Father’s day is not everyday huh! Nice alibi…(winks)

Note: Must be served chilled for at least 1 hour.

Ingredients:

250 g. Dark chocolate, chopped

225 g. butter, cut into pieces

½ cup sugar

30 ml whisky

3 eggs

2 Tablespoons all purpose plain flour

Icing sugar for dusting

Whipped cream

Procedure:

1.) Line a 23-cm round baking tin with a baking paper. Generously grease the baking paper and the sides of the pan to avoid the cake from sticking into it.

2.) Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. or gas 4.

3.) Place chocolate in a small sauce pan and put it over a bigger pan with simmering water or assemble a DOUBLE BOILER. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has completely melted. Add butter and sugar and stir until all the butter has melted. Let it cool down a little bit for 5 minutes. Add the whisky.

4.) In a mixing bowl, beat eggs lightly with an electric mixer. Beat in the flour and slowly beat in the chocolate mixture. Continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined.

5.) Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.

6.) Place the tin a big roasting tin (must be bigger than the cake tin) and pour boiling water into the roasting tin as a water bath for the cake. Water must come at least ½ of the thickness of the cake tin.

7.) Bake for 20 – 30 minutes until the cake has set but still soft in the middle.

8.) Switch the oven off and let the cake cool inside the oven to avoid the middle of the cake from collapsing. At least 3 hours. This is best made at night and leave the cake inside the oven until morning. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

9.) Run a knife on the sides of the tin so it would be easier to detach. Using a cake tray or plate, invert the pan and tap the center so the bottom of the cake becomes the top. Remove the baking paper.

10.) Cut 6 strips of baking paper about 2.5 cm wide and place randomly over the cake to resemble a lattice design. Dust with icing sugar and carefully remove the paper.

With paper strips randomly placed to make a lattice -style pattern

The strips of paper has been removed after dusting icing sugar

11.) Cut into slices and serve.