Extra Rich Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• Butter for greasing
• 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2 tablespoons strong coffee
• ½ pound unsalted butter
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs, separated
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

10 to 12 servings

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a nine-and-a-half-inch springform pan or nonstick cake pan.
2. Melt the chocolate with the coffee, butter and granulated sugar in the top of a double boiler over gently simmering water. Stir until blended. Set the mixture aside, uncovered, to cool.
3. When the mixture has cooled, whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate one at a time. Add the flour and whisk until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they stand up in stiff peaks. Add one-third of the egg white to the chocolate mixture. Fold them in carefully until blended. Fold in the remaining whites gently until there are no streaks left.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the cake is firm. A toothpick or skewer inserted into the cake about three inches from the center of the pan should come out clean (the cake should not be too dry). Cool on a rack before unmolding. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

1 hour