Image is for illustrative purposes only.
This is a flourless chocolate sponge built the way a mud cake is built: dark couverture and butter melted together, enriched with egg yolks, then lightened with a meringue. The only dry ingredient is a small amount of rice flour, just enough to give the crumb some structure without making it bready.
Baked in rings, it comes out dense, moist and deeply chocolatey, with a soft fudge-like centre and a thin papery skin on top. It slices cleanly into layers and holds up well under mousse, ganache or cream, which makes it a good base for layered entremets and torte-style cakes. Because there is no wheat flour in it, it also suits gluten-free cake making.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 503
Number of Units: 4
Unit Size: 24 cm round layer, about 2.5 cm high
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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600 |
21.1 ounces
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Dark Chocolate (Couverture)
Couverture chocolate is a very high-quality chocolate that contains extra cocoa butter (32–39%). The higher percentage of cocoa butter, combined with proper tempering, gives the chocolate more sheen, firmer "snap" when broken, and a creamy mellow flavor.
bittersweet
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chopped |
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B
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150 |
5.3 ounces
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Butter
Butter is a solid dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk, to separate the butterfat from the buttermilk. It is generally used as a spread on plain or toasted bread products and a condiment on cooked vegetables, as well as in cooking, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying. Butter consists of butterfat, milk proteins and water.
unsalted
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diced |
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C
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400 |
20 Egg Yolks
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Egg Yolk
The egg yolk is the internal yellow part of an egg.
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room temperature |
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D
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600 |
20 Egg Whites
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Egg White
Egg white is the common name for the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms around fertilized or unfertilized egg yolks. The primary natural purpose of egg white is to protect the yolk and provide additional nutrition for the growth of the embryo (when fertilized). Egg white consists primarily of about 90% water into which is dissolved 10% proteins (including albumins, mucoproteins, and globulins). Unlike the yolk, which is high in lipids (fats), egg white contains almost no fat, and carbohydrate content is less than 1%. Egg whites contain just over 50% of the protein in the egg. Egg white has many uses in food (e.g. mousse) and also many other uses (e.g. in the preparation of vaccines such as those for influenza).
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room temperature |
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E
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150 |
5.3 ounces
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
caster
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F
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10 |
0.4 ounce
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Cream of Tartar
Cream of tartar, also known as potassium bitartrate or potassium hydrogen tartrate, is a byproduct of winemaking. It is known as cream of tartar in context with cooking. It is the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic acid).
In food, cream of tartar is used for:
- Stabilizing egg whites, increasing their heat tolerance and volume
- Stabilizing whipped cream, maintaining its texture and volume
- Anti-caking and thickening
- Preventing sugar syrups from crystallizing
- Reducing discoloration of boiled vegetables
Additionally it is used as a component of:
- Baking powder, as an acid ingredient to activate baking soda
- Sodium-free salt substitutes, in combination with potassium chloride
A similar acid salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate, can be confused with cream of tartar because of their common function as a component of baking powder.
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G
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100 |
3.5 ounces
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Rice Flour
Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a particularly good substitute for wheat flour, which causes irritation in the digestive systems of those who are gluten-intolerant. Rice flour is also used as a thickening agent in recipes that are refrigerated or frozen since it inhibits liquid separation.
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sifted |
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2010
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Pre-heat |
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Line the base of your 24 cm rings or tins with baking paper and set them on a flat tray. |
Rings sitting level so the layers bake to an even thickness |
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2 |
Melt |
Melt A and B (dark couverture chocolate and butter) together over a water bath or in short bursts in the microwave, stirring until smooth. |
Warm and glossy, no lumps, not hot enough to cook egg |
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3 |
Mix |
Stir C (egg yolk) into the warm chocolate mixture in two or three additions. |
Thick, smooth and shiny |
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4 |
Whip |
Whip D, E and F (egg white, caster sugar and cream of tartar) in a clean bowl. |
Soft to semi-stiff peaks that still fold easily, not dry |
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5 |
Fold |
Fold about a third of the meringue into the chocolate mixture to loosen it, then fold in the rest in two additions, sifting G (rice flour) over as you go. |
Evenly combined with no white streaks; keep the air in |
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6 |
Fill |
Weigh 500 g of mixture into each 24 cm ring and spread level with a palette knife. |
Even thickness right to the edges |
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7 |
Bake |
Bake at 180°C (355°F) for 15 to 20 minutes. |
Top set with a thin skin, centre just firm; a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs |
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8 |
Cool |
Leave the layers in the rings for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely. |
Fully cold before cutting or layering, or the sponge will tear |
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9 |
Prepare |
Before sandwiching the layers, scratch or scrape the papery skin off the top of each sponge so the filling grips. |
Surface matte and slightly rough, not shiny |
Important Notes
This half batch makes about 2,010 g of mixture — four 24 cm round layers at 500 g each, roughly 2.5 cm high, enough for two double-layered cakes. The same mixture can be baked as a slab: the chef's full commercial batch fills one large tray with 3 kg, so spread it about 2.5 cm deep and check it a little earlier.
Scratch the thin skin off the top of each layer before sandwiching, otherwise the filling slides on it. The sponge is moist and keeps well: wrap each cooled layer in plastic and keep it refrigerated for up to five days, or freeze for up to a month and thaw wrapped.
Tools & Arrangements
Electric mixer with whisk attachment, heatproof bowl and saucepan for a water bath (or a microwave), rubber spatula, sieve, digital scales, 24 cm cake rings or round tins, flat baking tray, baking paper, palette knife, cooling rack.
