Uncle Sam’s In the Black Cake

Sometimes when I am baking for birthdays at work I have time to make something a little more elaborate. For this cake, it looks like this cake takes forever, but it really isn’t too bad. It has a couple of different components, but nothing it too complex. It does have a lot of butter, which is maybe why it is so great. It doesn’t contain any flour at all; the structure for the cake is mainly from the eggs. This is very rich and decadent; perfect for a party.

This recipe is from the cookbook Death by Chocolate Cakes, which is a book I turn to whenever I am looking for something different. At first this cake seems a little strange, since the topping calls for oats, chocolate and raisins. I didn’t want to use raisins, so I substituted nuts (pecans) instead. I just wasn’t sure how raisins would be with this. The nuts worked out great, and I think I like the nuts to help balance the sweetness of the white chocolate topping.

The texture of this cake is so smooth, kind of like a fudge or softened butter. The topping gives it a different texture and then the glaze on top gives it some sweetness. I really liked this cake because it was so unusual. It’s a very interesting and different cake, and certainly worthy of a special occasion.

1 pound butter
1 pound semisweet chocolate
1 cup coffee
1 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
6 eggs

2 cups oats
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup nuts, chopped

8 ounces white chocolate
¼ cup heavy cream

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 10 inch springform pan.

Melt the butter and chocolate in the top half of a double boiler. Set aside. In a large mixer bowl, combine the coffee and sugar. Mix on low speed until the sugar is melted. Add the melted chocolate mixture and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the 6 egg yolks to the mixture and mix at medium for one minute, until incorporated. Add the whole eggs, one at a time, mixing until each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and finish mixing the batter until smooth and combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and place the pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour. The cake may seem moist, especially near the center. The internal temperature of the cake should be 170 degrees. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Refrigerate the cake in the pan for one hour.

Make the toasted oat topping: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Toast the oats for 18-20 minutes until lightly golden. Set aside. Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil and then pour it over the chocolate. Allow to set for 5 minutes and then whisk until smooth and shiny. Add the oats and the nuts and stir to combine. Spread the topping over the refrigerated cake.

Make the white chocolate glaze: heat the white chocolate and the whipping cream in the top of a double boiler, use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate and cream until completely melted and smooth. Set aside for a about 15 minutes. Pour the white chocolate glaze over the toasted oat topping and use a spatula to spread it evenly. Refrigerate the cake for several hours before serving.

To serve, allow the cake to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Remove the side of the springform pan. Cut the cake with a knife dipped on hot water.

Recipe from Death by Chocolate Cakes by Marcel Desaulniers