Chocolate Quatre Quarts Recipes

QUATRE-QUARTS AU CHOCOLAT DE JULIETTE (CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE) RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Butter and flour cake pan. In a small metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate with the water, stirring, until the mixture is smooth and remove the bowl from the heat. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, beat in the egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in the chocolate mixture. Onto a sheet of wax paper, sift the cake flour and in a bowl, combine it with the almond flour. Beat the flour mixture into the yolk mixture in batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition, and transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
• In the mixer bowl, cleaned, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they just hold stiff peaks, stir 1/4 of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Spoon the batter into the bundt pan, smoothing the top, put the bundt pan in a deep roasting pan, and add enough hot water to the roasting pan to reach halfway up the side of the bundt pan. Bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 1 1/4 hours, or until a tester comes out clean. Remove the bundt pan from the water bath and let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out onto the rack and let it cool completely. Serve the cake with the cream.

CHOCOLATE QUATRE-QUARTS

Steps:

• Position rack in lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch loaf plan.
• Melt chocolate and set aside.
• Sift together flours, soda and salt. Set aside.
• Place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff but not dry. Scrape whites into another bowl and set aside.
• Place butter in the mixer bowl and beat on medium-high speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar. Beat until very light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of bowl.
• Add egg yolks and beat until fluffy, stopping once to scrape down sides of bowl. Add dry ingredients and beat just until mixed. Beat in chocolate.
• Remove bowl from mixer. Stir about one third of the egg whites into the batter. Fold in remaining whites. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes, rotating pan after 40 minutes.
• Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack, turn upright and cool completely.
• Wrap cake tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Refrigerate overnight or up to a week. Can be frozen for up to two months. Defrost in refrigerator overnight.