Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with Bourbon Crème Fraîche
Author: Nicole
Ingredients
Cake
  • 15 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to grease the pan
  • 7 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate (60% to 70%), broken into pieces
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • ½ teaspoon espresso powder
  • 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour, plus more to flour the pan (see Notes)
Bourbon Crème Fraîche
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces crème fraîche
Instructions
Make Cake:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan.
  2. Place a large heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. Place butter and chocolate in the bowl, stirring occasionally, until chocolate melts. Take the bowl off the heat; set aside.
  3. Whisk sugar into chocolate mixture, then whisk in eggs, espresso powder and salt until combined and smooth.
  4. Sprinkle flour over mixture. Fold it in with a rubber spatula until flour is incorporated.
  5. Pour batter into the prepared pan and place it on a sheet pan. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until the top puffs and cracks and cake doesn't wobble when you jiggle the pan. (A toothpick inserted in the cake will not come out clean). Since not all pans are the same, start checking the cake at 25 minutes.
  6. Cool completely on a wire rack. The cake will deflate as it cools. Run a small knife around edge of cake and remove sides of springform pan. Transfer cake to a serving plate.
Make Bourbon Crème Fraîche:
  1. While cake is baking, place heavy cream, sugar, bourbon and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at medium speed until the cream is thick (it will not form peaks).
  2. Add the crème fraîche and continue to beat for a few seconds at slow speed until just incorporated.
  3. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to serve. Keeps for 3 days.
  4. Cut cake into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with Bourbon Crème Fraîche.
Notes
* I used all-purpose flour for this cake. Given that it’s a small amount of flour, you could substitute a gluten-free flour (such as Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour) and I believe you’d have good results (I haven’t tried it).
Recipe by Riegl Palate at https://www.rieglpalate.com/bittersweet-chocolate-cake-with-bourbon-creme-fraiche/