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at Sun, 07 Nov 2004 13:50:08 GMT in
>, (JMF) wrote :

>I would like to try Amedei Chuao chocolate in this recipe.
>
>(Although that's also true, I wrote that mainly to catch the attention
>of certain participants in this group ...)

If that's supposed to be me, don't worry - I'll always respond to questions
if I think I can provide valuable input.

>
>Now to the real question:
>
>I made a recipe for the first time...
>Now, one reason I think I can get some opinions is that it's basically a
>variation on your more or less classic flourless (or nearly so)
>chocolate tortes...

>Here's the recipe:
>
>1 20-cm. springform pan
>
>200 g. bittersweet chocolate. I used 70%, so one question might be
>whether I should have used a different one.
>200 g. butter
>250 g. sugar
>5 eggs
>1 tablespoon flour ("Essloeffel" in German)
>
>Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Melt butter and chocolate
>together your favorite way - I did it in the microwave. Add the sugar,
>mix well, and let the mixture cool somewhat. Add the eggs one by one,
>combining each thoroughly before adding the next. Finally, add the flour
>and stir the mixture until smooth.
>
>Put into the form and bake for 22 minutes. The cake must still give when
>gently touched in the middle with the forefinger. Take out of the oven,
>immediately take out of the form, and let cool.
>
>... here's
>what happened: at 22 minutes, the cake was still a great big mass of
>liquid. It continued like that until finally at around 40 minutes, after
>even raising the temperature a little bit in desperation, I finally felt
>I could take it out.
>
>And now the question: why did it take almost DOUBLE the time listed in
>the recipe?

That's a high ratio of butter and sugar in the recipe. IMHO, it's far too
much if going for the classic Chocolate Decadence cake. The sugars and the
butter will melt, and that fluid mass is going to keep the cake from
firming up until the eggs *really* cook. I think the end result would be
rather weak in chocolate flavour, fudgy, and very, very sweet, in addition
to the baking-time issues you've already mentioned.

Be aware furthermore that it's actually pretty safe to take out a Chocolate
Decadence long before it looks fully done. Even when the whole surface
seems to quiver, and bubbles in the oven, it is often ready to take out
(assuming enough time has passed that you're not dealing with something
you've just put in). It will firm up nicely as it cools. Remember that all
the ingredients other than eggs are solid at room temperature, and then
you'll realise that once the internal temperature is high enough to cook
the eggs, you can take out the cake safely, and, once cool, it will be
solid. If it starts to look solid in the oven, especially in the center,
you've probably overbaked because at that point the eggs have cooked to
rubbery consistency and your decadence, while it will still taste OK, will
have something of a gummy texture. The idea is to cook the eggs to the
point where they'd be appropriate for custard.

Also, virtually every recipe I've seen that calls for egg-stabilised cooked
fillings or centers or tortes seems to underestimate baking times
drastically, at least IMHO. You can account for some of this time by what
temperature your mix is at when it goes in the oven. If your mix is cool
(e.g. refrigerator temperature) then it may take longer than the recipe
suggests, if the recipe assumed the mix was at room temperature to begin
with. I also suspect that recipes may be off in timing because they've been
designed and tested in professional kitchens with commercial baking ovens
that are much larger and more solid than your typical home oven, thus
having far higher heat capacity and therefore much less tendency to sag in
temperature when the cake (or whatever else) goes in the oven or, for that
matter, later on in the baking process (there's always heat leaking out and
the oven cycles - a commercial oven doesn't cycle as much because it
doesn't lose heat as fast).

So to summarise, you were dealing with a combination of factors. First was
a recipe somewhat off in ratios. Second is the natural tendency of
Chocolate Decadence to look impossibly underbaked when it's ready. Third is
the possibility the timing was a little on the low side anyway.

I recommend that you cut down *drastically* on the butter and sugar, and
replace them with more chocolate. This will give a much better flavour and
probably a better texture as well. I'd try as a starting point 400g
chocolate, 125g butter, and 125 g sugar.

While I might tweak the baking time upwards a bit, it wouldn't be extreme.
25 minutes should be OK, and by 30 minutes you'll almost certainly be safe.
The real test for chocolate baking is the smell. When the chocolatey smell
hits its peak, and is really overwhelming, it's usually time to take it out
of the oven. Remember also that an underbaked chocolate decadence is better
than an overbaked one.

>P.S. And what about trying it with Amedei Chuao? ;-)

This would be the wrong choice because there is a chocolate that you MUST
use for Chocolate Decadence-like cakes: Amedei Trinidad. (at least insofar
as you're thinking of using an Amedei chocolate). Trinidad produces an
incomparable Chocolate Decadence with the perfect flavour. Another
excellent choice, if you're looking for options, is Michel Cluizel Hacienda
Concepcion.

Amedei Chuao, for a Decadence-like cake, is too powerful, dark, and
brooding. The result is a cake that has a heavy, overwhelming taste, like
being smothered in black velvet. Those familiar with my tastes will know
that I'm ultra-enthusiastic about Chuao but also that IMHO it isn't
completely general-purpose: it works well in some applications but for
others it overwhelms.

--
Alex Rast

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