Chocolate Cloud Cake

Chocolate Cloud Cake:

This is the recipe for the Chocolate Cloud cake as made on 15/08/08.

Ingredients:

Cake
| 250g chocolate
| 125g unsalted butter
| 6 eggs, 2 whole, 4 separated
| 175g caster sugar

Topping
| 500ml double cream
| vanilla extract

Utensils
| 23cm springform tin
| 2 mixing bowls
| Electric hand whisk and regular whisk
| saucepan

# Preheat the over to 180 degrees C
# Line the bottom of the dish with baking paper
# Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water, when melted, melt the butter into it, never let the chocolate boil
# Beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with 75g of the sugar then gently add the chocolate, the best way to add it is with a wooden spoon or non-electric hand whisk
# In another bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy then gradually add the 100g of sugar until the whites hold their shape but are not too stiff.
# Lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites then fold in the rest
# Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until the cake is risen, cracked and the centre is no longer wobbly
# Cool the cake in its tin on a wire rack, the middle will sink as it cools
# When you are ready to eat, place the still tin-bound cake on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove it from the tin, don't worry about cracks or rough edges
# Whip the cream until it's soft then add the vanilla extract and continue whisking until the cream is firm but not stiff
# Fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream and dust the top lightly with cocoa powder, push it through a small sieve to ensure there are no lumps

Tips and Tricks:

In Holland double cream doesn't exist so try to find a slagroom with 35% fat content.
It is important to use an electric whisk to beat the cream and egg whites because otherwise it takes a very long time and the cream may not even grow stiff.
Ensure that the cream _and the beaters_ are very cold before trying to whip the cream, this speeds up the process considerably. I would suggest placing the beaters in a glass of cold water in the fridge as soon as you are done making the cake.
It is a good idea to leave time between making the cake and putting the cream in because otherwise the cream will warm and soften, undoing all your good beating work.
If you like you can add Cointreau to both the cake and cream. Add two tablespoons to the cake mix after adding the chocolate and one tablespoon to the cream _after it's soft_ do *not* add it beforehand otherwise the cream will not whip.