Here is my favorite chocolate cake recipe. I make it at least once per year. I am uncertain of the original source of the recipe. I think the lineage is that a neighbor adapted it from the Gourmet Cookbook, she emailed it to my mom, my mom printed it out, and I took a photo of the paper. After years of hunting around my photos each time I wanted to make the recipe, I finally extracted the text and am posting it to my website for easier reference.
Ingredients:
4 oz chocolate, bittersweet
4 oz chocolate, semisweet
1/2 lb Butter
1 1/2 cups Sugar
6 eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Equipment:
9 inch glass pie pan, or a springform pan
parchment or wax paper
large glass mixing bowl
whisk
sifter
toothpicks
Directions:
Put a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch deep-dish glass pie pan, line the bottom with a round of parchment or wax paper, and butter the paper. (To make the round of paper: fold paper as many times as possible in the same direction, about 6 times. Trim the folded paper to one half the size of the bottom of the pan, and unfold.)
Melt chocolate with the butter in a large glass bowl in a microwave for about 1 minute at 50% power. When the chocolate has just melted (be careful chocolate can burn in the microwave), whisk in sugar. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Sift cocoa powder over the chocolate and whisk until just combined.
Pour batter into the pan. Bake until the top has formed a thin crust and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs stuck to it, about 35 minutes. (With this cake timing is very important, a few extra minutes at the end can make a big difference. You want the cake slightly underdone, so try not to over bake.) Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan. Invert cake onto a serving plate and let cool completely, about an hour. When cool, dust with powdered sugar.
Notes:
Use the best chocolate and cocoa powder you can find.
A double boiler can also be used to melt the chocolate.
Can be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
Yield: 10 servings
Preparation Time: 2:30