Jacques Easy Chocolate Cake

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   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch cake pan with vegetable cooking spray.

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   Line the bottom of the pan with a 10-inch parchment paper circle.

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   Spray the top of the parchment paper circle with vegetable cooking spray.

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   Place both chopped chocolates in a bowl and melt over a double boiler.

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   Combine the sugar and water in a 1-quart saucepan and place over medium-high heat.

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   Bring to a boil until all of the sugar is dissolved.

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   Pour the hot syrup into the bowl of melted chocolate.

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   Whisk until the mixture is homogenous.

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   Add the butter and whisk until well mixed.

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    Use an electric mixer to beat the eggs and sugar until well blended.

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    Use a rubber spatula to fold this mixture into the chocolate mixture.

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    Be careful to mix gently.

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    Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

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    Place a baking sheet with one-inch sides in the oven.

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    Place the filled cake pan on the baking sheet.

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    Fill the baking sheet with water so the water covers the bottom inch of the cake pan.

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    Bake until the cake surface appears dull and taut when pressed in the middle, about 40 minutes.

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    Remove the cake pan from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

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    Turn off the oven and let the baking sheet and water cool before you attempt to remove them.

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    TEMPERING CHOCOLATE: Tempering is important because it determines the final gloss, hardness, and contraction of the chocolate.

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    Those factors are evidence that the cocoa butter in the chocolate has been correctly crystallized.

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    Chocolate is purchased in its tempered form.

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    It snaps when you break it, usually has a nice shine to it and it is hard.

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    In order to use it, you need to melt it.

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    When you melt chocolate, the molecules of fat separate and you lose the temper (crystallization).

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    If you want to use the chocolate for molding or coating, it needs to be tempered.

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    Tempering chocolate means putting the molecules of fat back together.

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    There are a variety of ways to do it.

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    One of the easiest ways to temper it is to place the chocolate in a glass bowl and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until the chocolate is melted.

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    Be very careful not to overheat it.

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    Keep an eye on it; the chocolate will not look like it has melted because it retains its shape.

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    The chocolate should be only slightly warmer than your bottom lip.

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    You may still see lumps in it but, don't worry; the residual heat of the chocolate will melt them.

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    You can also use an immersion blender to break up the lumps and start the recrystallization process.

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    Usually, the chocolate begins to set (recrystallize) along the side of the bowl.

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    As it begins to crystallize, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate and they will begin the recrystallization process.

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    I like to use a glass bowl because it retains the heat and keeps the chocolate tempered a long time.

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    Here is another easy way to temper chocolate.

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    In this method, tempering is achieved by adding small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate.

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    The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate but is usually one fourth of the total amount.

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    I use an immersion blender to mix the 2 together.

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    The classic way to temper chocolate is call tabliering.

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    Chocolate is melted over a hot water bath to a temperature between 88 and 90 F (31 to 34 C).

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    White and milk chocolate are melted to a temperature approximately 2 F less, depending on the amount of milk fat they contain.

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    2/3 of the melted chocolate is poured on a cold table or marble surface.

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    The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until the temperature of the chocolate is approximately 81 F (27 C).

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    At this stage, it is thick and begins to set.

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    This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining one third of non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass in the bowl has a completely uniform temperature.

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    If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is further worked on the cold table until the correct temperature is reached.

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    This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room and makes a big mess.

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    Here is a tip: Temper more chocolate than you need.

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    A larger quantity will hold its temper longer than a smaller quantity (just like a large cup of coffee will stay hot longer than a small cup of espresso).

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    You can always reuse the extra chocolate.

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    Most people have trouble tempering because they use too small of an amount.

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    Don't forget to use a glass bowl.

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    A simple method of checking tempering is by applying a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife.

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    If the chocolate has been correctly tempered it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within 5 minutes.

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    Remember, just like everything else in life, practice makes perfect.

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    If your chocolate does not temper the first time, you can still eat it!

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    Now that is an incentive!

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.