Gourmet

Voyage, voyage

Made with Cooking Range Equatoriale 55% dark chocolate

Recipes extracted from Simply chocolate by Frédéric Bau © - 2020 Albin Michel editions.

3 steps

Though the marble cake is a classic, it is often disappointing.
Allow me to advocate for this cake made from real chocolate instead of cocoa powder.

Recipe Step by Step

01

PLAIN CAKE

- 25g (1 ½ Tbsp) whole milk
- 100g (1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp) butter
- 125g (2 large) eggs
- 60g (1/2 cup) confectioner’s sugar
- 125g (1 cup + 2 ½ Tbsp) T45 pastry flour
- 5g (1 tsp) baking powder
- 3 Tbsp (65g) honey
- 2 pinches fleur de sel
- Butter for the pan

THE NIGHT BEFORE

Melt the butter over low heat. Sift the flour, confectioner’s sugar, fleur de sel, and baking powder together.
Using the paddle or whisk attachment for a stand mixer (or in a mixing bowl with a whisk), mix the eggs with honey. Add the sifted dry ingredients, the milk and the warm butter melted to 118‑119.4°F (45‑48°C) (this temperature is important). Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
Set aside 200g of the plain cake batter to use for the chocolate batter.
02

CHOCOLATE BATTER

75g Équatoriale 55% dark chocolate
200g plain cake batter
20g (4 tsp) cold whole milk
Butter for the mold

THE NIGHT BEFORE

Melt the chocolate to 118‑122°F (45‑50°C, method
described below). Whisk in the cold milk and then the 200g plain batter. Whisk until the batter is completely combined, but be careful not to overmix.
03

GINGER DULCEY ELIXIR

150g Dulcey 32% blond chocolate
15g (1 Tbsp) fresh ginger juice (about 6 inches 60-70g ginger root)

THE SAME DAY

Melt the chocolate to 118‑122°F (45‑50°C, method described below).
Wash and peel the ginger. Juice it in the juicer or finely grate it and press it through a cheese cloth to make the juice.
Pour the juice over the melted chocolate and mix with a spatula until it is smooth and shiny.
Fill a disposable piping bag and keep at room temperature.

Assembly and finishing

Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C).
Lightly coat the pan with softened or melted butter. Fill with alternating spoonfuls of plain and chocolate batters. Bake for 45‑50 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick or knife blade. Allow to cool.
Once the marble cake is cool, poke a few holes in the top using a knife or the handle of a wooden spoon. Using the piping bag, fill the holes with the ginger Dulcey elixir. Chill 2‑4 hours before eating.

Meet the Chef

valrhona.com-portraits-chefs-frederic-bau
Creative Director Valrhona at Tain l’Hermitage

Frédéric Bau

MELTING CHOCOLATE In theory, all chocolates melt on their own, thanks to the cocoa butter. It’s a huge error to add any water to help them melt. On the contrary, it might make things difficult later on! Always melt chocolate slowly. It burns easily, and excessive heat may damage it. It’s best to use a double boiler or a microwave on a defrost setting or at 500 watts maximum. When we specify temperatures to reach, it’s important to respect this information. Otherwise, the chocolate may crystallize. In other recipes, like the ones where we add a hot liquid, for example, the temperature of the melted chocolate isn’t as important and, therefore, is not specified.

Learn more