FOR THE LOVE OF CHOCOLATE
Chocolate Bundt Cake Serves 10to 12 INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup (regular not Dutch processed) cocoa powder, plus 1 tablespoon, divided use 12tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 1 tablespoon melted for pan prep 6ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional
3/4 cup boiling water
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups packed light brown sugar 1tablespoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs, room temperature Powdered sugar to garnish
3cups fresh raspberries plus 1to 2tablespoons sugar, optional Sweetened whipped cream or ice cream, optional
DIRECTIONS
In small bowl, mix 1tablespoon cocoa powder and melted butter. Using a pastry brush, thoroughly coat interior of 12-cup Bundt pan. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350degrees.
Combine remaining cocoa, chocolate and espresso (if using) in medium heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over mixture and let sit, covered, for 5minutes. Whisk mixture until smooth. Let cool to room temperature, and then whisk in sour cream. In separate bowl, whisk to combine remaining flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
Using stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat 12tablespoons butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium high speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3additions, alternating with chocolate-sour cream mixture in 2 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Give batter a final stir or two by hand using a rubber spatula.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula. Bake until skewer inserted in center comes out with only a few crumbs attached, 45to 55minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan for 10minutes, then invert cake onto cooling rack. Cool to room temperature, about 3hours. Meanwhile, gently toss raspberries with sugar and set aside. Dust cake with powdered sugar and serve with lightly sweetened raspberries and whipped cream.
Some food memories linger forever. At 4, I requested that the Easter Bunny bring a basket filled with treats that were green, my favorite color. The Easter Bunny brought me chocolate bunnies along with a note of apology, explaining that bunnies weren't available in a greenish hue.
I can still remember that joyous taste of that first bunny's ear. Chocolate erased my desire for anything else — not just at Easter but all year round.
Here are two of my favorites — no bunnies required.
Alice Medrich's name has been synonymous with chocolate since she founded Berkeley's iconic Cocolat chocolate shop in 1976. Her 2003 cookbook, “Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate,” focuses on desserts made with chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa bean solids and less sugar than milk chocolate. Her Warm Mocha Tart is a stunning example. If you like, sprinkle the tart with a smidgen of flakey sea salt just before serving.
America's Test Kitchen's Chocolate Bundt Cake is a classic that needs nothing more than a dusting of powdered sugar to be party ready, but sweetened whipped cream and fresh raspberries would be marvelous, too.