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GATEAU CHOCOLAT FRAMBOISE

<&
a ke

most die-hard chocolate fans, I swoon over rich, dense, and fudgy

chocolate cakes, when the dark intensity of each bite washes over you with an audi
ble swoosh.

While I would gladly sell my soul for a straight shot (no ice) of melt-in-yourmouth chocolate cake, I equally enjoy this variation, in which mashed raspberries are
folded into the batter. The outcome is just as ferociously chocolaty, but the raspber
ries add a flowery tingle that reveals itself in the aftermath of the chocolate wave.
Make it a day ahead, to give the flavors time to ripen, and serve it with fresh rasp
berries; a dollop of creme fraiche or creamy yogurt is also welcome. It is sumptuously
rich and a sliver is usually enough to satisfy serious chocolate cravings, but I've cer
tainly been known to consume more than my fair share.

^/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus a

pat to grease the pan

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 10-inch

springform pan with the pat of butter.

8 ounces good-quality bittersweet

chocolate

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

1^/2cups raspberries (thawed if frozen),

plus a dozen for garnish, about 1 pint
total

^/3cup all-purposeflour
1 teaspoon fleur de sel or kosher salt (or

2. Melt the chocolate and the rest of the butter in a

double boiler, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of

simmering water, stirring from time to time to com
bine. Transfer the chocolate mixture into a medium

mixing bowl, add the sugar, and stir with a wooden

spoon. Let cool for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one by one,
stirring well between each addition.

V2 teaspoon fine sea salt)

3. Mash the raspberries roughly with a fork. If the
raspberries have large seeds, you can strain the rasp
berry mixture through a medium-mesh sieve into a

/YO

CHOCOLATE S. ZUCCHINI

bowl and use only the pulp and juices, but this is optional. Add the raspberries to the
batter. Sift in the flour, add the salt, and stir until combined.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven off
and leave the cake in the closed oven for another 5 minutes. Transfer the pan to a

cooling rack, run a knife around the pan to loosen the cake, and unclasp the sides of
the pan. Let cool completely, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for
8 hours or overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving and gar
nish with fresh raspberries.

VARIATIONS Replace the raspberries with diced mango, black currants (crushed and
strained to remove the seeds), or black cherries (pitted and chopped), or omit the

fruit altogether. If you like liquor in your chocolate, add a tablespoon to the batter
port with raspberries, light rum with mango, creme de cassis with black currants, and

Armagnac with cherries. Or, instead offruit, fold ^/4 cup nuts into the batter, toasted
and finely chopped.

^NE 2004 ROSA REGALE BRACHETTO D'ACQUl D.O.C.G. (Italy, Piedmont, sparkling
red) This lightly sweet sparkler is low in alcohol, and its complex flavors are a rare
match to dark chocolate. The fruity notes of raspberry, strawberry, and rose petals re
spond to the mashed raspberries, and the bubbles curb the richness of the cake.

-thGATEAU RICOTTA, ABRICOT Q, PISTACHE

; gouter (goo-tay) is French for an afternoon snack, the one that tides you over
from lunch until dinner. Children are the most observant of this custom and can of

ten be seen walking home from school nibbling on a croissant or a brioche, with an

GATEAUX CAKES

/W

Gateau Chocolat Framboise

Chocolate Raspberry Cake, page 17i

1; vi

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