Boca Negra Cake....

Usually if I've made something sweet I'll be eating a piece of it when I'm writing the post. Maybe it helps to get the creative juices flowing or it helps me concentrate. Pshttt, who am I kidding, probably all it does is add to the circumference of my body center, otherwise known as...the belly! This boca negra cake seems to be working as a writing distraction though, It's so damn rich I can't stop taking bites. I mean it's so rich if it was a person, this cake would be Carlos Slim Helu, the richest man in the world.

Boca Negra means black mouth in Spanish, and if your anything like both of my kids tonight when they tried it, then the name of this cake is perfect! Sparkling clean after bath time then boom! They were sporting some nice boca negra mustaches and beards...I mentioned it was rich, right? Can you imagine Carlos Slim Helu eating a slice of this, richest man eats richest cake! I would say it was 70% chocolate, 29% butter and 1% egg, that should give you an idea, don't even get me started on the sugar and spiced rum.

I found this recipe in my Baking With Julia Child book which I haven't used for a long time, not sure why because there's some solid recipes in it, great pictures and steps. The book suggests serving with some white chocolate cream but I opted for a home made raspberry Chambord sauce. Today, August 15th marks Julia's 100th birthday if she was still with us. She's responsible for introducing French cuisine into the kitchens of America and continually pushing the boundaries of cooking styles even in the steps of some harsh critics. The book was written by Dorie Greenspan and along with an Oscar winning line up of bakers they created recipes to make regular kitchens sing.

Happy Birthday J.C.

Boca Negra Cake, slightly adapted from Baking With Julia. Contributing baker Lora Brody.

Prep Time- 20 minutes    Bake time- 30 minutes    Yield- 16 slices

Fresh Raspberry Sauce:

8 ounces fresh raspberries

3 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons Chambord

2 Tablespoons of raspberry jelly

Place all of the ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Push the sauce through a sieve getting rid of all seeds. Let cool and set aside.

The Cake:

12 ounces good bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/2 cup Bourbon (I substituted with spiced rum)

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 10 pieces

5 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 Tablespoons flour

Butter a 9 inch baking pan and line the base with a circle of parchment, butter the parchment, set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil enough water to fill a small roasting pan 1 inch up the sides. 

Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl and set aside. Add 1 cup of the sugar and Bourbon to a pot and heat until starting to boil and sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture into the chocolate and stir with a spatula until smooth and chocolate is all melted. It will seem very thick.

Add the butter by each piece to the chocolate, making sure to stir it until it has completely melted before adding more. This will take a little while and be a workout for your arm but hang in there until all of the butter has been added.

In a separate bowl add the eggs and remaining 1/3 cup of sugar and whisk until the eggs are frothy and light. Add this mixture to the chocolate bowl and stir in very gently until all has been incorporated. Finally add the flour and mix through.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth over with a spatula. Place the pan into the roasting pan and fill with the already hot water until it reaches about half way up the sides of the cake pan. Carefully transfer to the oven.

Bake the cake for exactly 30 minutes and take out from the roasting tray. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes. The cake will be dry on top but still very jiggly in the center, don't worry it will firm up. It's not meant to be cakey. After it cools I like to let it rest in the fridge for another 30 minutes or so before turning out of the pan.

To serve the cake, run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan. Place the pan directly on a gas burner for about 8-10 seconds moving it around. This will free up the solidified butter making it easier to fall out of the pan. Place a plate on top of the cake and flip it over so the cake is now sitting on the plate. Lift of the pan gently and peel of the parchment paper. Cut into thin wedges with a sharp wet knife, cleaning it after cutting every two slices. Serve with a drizzle of the raspberry sauce or vanilla ice cream.

Can be stored at room temp for 1 day or in the fridge for up to 3 days.