A few weeks ago, I posted the recipe for the vanilla magic cake. This cake can be varied endlessly (or almost); in fact, on the blog Chic, chic, chocolat… you’ll find several recipes that are a little out of the ordinary. But after vanilla, I wanted to try chocolate. Having been a little disappointed by the vanilla magic cake (even though I love vanilla), I must say I was a bit more convinced by the chocolate version.
A quick reminder of the whys and wherefores of the cake’s magic? Its ingredients are nothing sensational: eggs, sugar, flour, butter and milk. So far, nothing special, because it’s the baking that acts as the magic wand. Indeed, once in the oven, the cake divides into three layers with different tastes and textures: a flan base, a light cream in the centre and a very airy génoise sponge on top.
And here are a few explanations for the more sceptical. The egg yolks whisked with the sugar, butter, flour and milk create the flan base and the light cream. This is thanks to slow baking (150°) with natural convection that cooks the bottom of the cake like a flan without cooking the central cream. Finally, the génoise layer is formed by the egg whites beaten to stiff peaks. These don’t blend in with the milk, which allows them to float on top of the cake.
Ingredients & preparation
1 component · Complete recipe
Cake
Ingredients
- 4 eggs (at room temperature)
- 500 ml (16.9 fl oz) whole milk
- 150 g (5.3 oz) sugar
- 125 g (4.4 oz) butter
- 70 g (2.5 oz) plain flour
- 45 g (1.6 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
1
Preheat the oven to 150°C / 300°F (conventional heat).
2
Melt the butter in the microwave and leave to cool slightly.
3
Heat the milk, then leave to cool slightly.
4
Separate the egg yolks from the whites.
5
Using an electric whisk, beat the egg yolks, sugar and water for a few minutes.
6
Add the melted and slightly cooled butter and continue beating.
7
Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt over the mixture and mix quickly, still with the electric whisk.
8
Gradually add the warm milk and beat to combine everything thoroughly.
9
Wash and dry the whisk attachments.
10
Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks.
11
Gently fold the whites into the batter in several additions using a spatula.
12
Pour the mixture into a 22 cm (8.7 in) diameter tin. The batter will be liquid — this is normal. Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon or spatula.
13
Bake for approximately 50 minutes. Check whether it’s cooked and add a few more minutes if necessary. It should be very slightly wobbly in the centre when it comes out of the oven.
14
Leave the cake to cool before unmoulding, then refrigerate for a few hours (making it the day before is even better).
15
Dust with cocoa powder just before serving. Find all my tips and tricks in my previous article: Vanilla Magic Cake.
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