Chocolate Cake

A few weeks ago, my husband met a chef who was trained in France. This chef brought a cake to a get together and my husband simply asked for the recipe to bring home to me. What I received was a recipe written most in French using grams (no cups or ounces) with minimal instructions. 

Even though I prefer to bake by weight anyway, most of the products sold in the US are according to the US system (ounces, pounds) and most recipes are written using standard measurements like cups. So, I not only had to translate the French into English, which I did without any problems, thanks to years of reading French recipes and knowing French cooking terms but I also had to adjust the "grams" to the more recognizable "ounces." 

This is a great cake to throw together. It's simple, straightforward and deliciously chocolatey. For the recipe, I did not covert the weighted ingredients into volume (cups). If you like to bake, this a good time for you to spend a few dollars on a scale and learn that baking by weight is much more accurate. I have both a digital scale and a standard scale with a dial. Either one will work. No measuring cups required, except to use as a scoop.

Chocolate Cake 
Yield: 1 9-inch cake

• 5 ounces (150g) dark chocolate (60% or higher)
• 1.7 ounces (50 ml) Amaretto  
• 4.2 ounces (120 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4.2 ounces (120 g) sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3.5 ounces (100 g) almond flour (meal)
• .70 ounces (20 g) all-purpose flour)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder

Ganache

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 ounces dark chocolate (60% or higher)

Lightly grease a 9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper (grease the paper). Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. 

In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate. Stir until smooth. Add the amaretto. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. In a small bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients the egg mixture. Mix well. Pour in the melted chocolate and mix well to combine. 

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and cool completely. Invert cake onto a plate. Set aside while you make the ganache. 

To make the ganache, warm the cream over medium heat until it begins to steam (right before it boils). Remove the cream from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until melted. Pour the ganache over the cake. Allow to set for 30 minutes before serving. 

Slice and serve. Great with either vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Or heck, just have it by itself. 

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