Chocolate cloud cake

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/chocolate-cloud-cake-170

  This recipe comes from  Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax.  I founded from Nigella and the picture was amazing....dark gooier chocolate, light as a cloud....flaky and topped with wiped cream.    I am going to try a raspberry mouse wiped cream... I think is going perfect with this dessert!

INGREDIENTS:

for the cake

• 9 oz bittersweet chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids) I used LINDT dark chocolate   orange flavor, almost 3 bars

  
  
•           9 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened, at room temp is very important)
•          6 large eggs (2 whole, 4 separated /4 yolks and 4 whites/)
•         3/4 cup superfine sugar
•          2 tablespoons Cointreau (optional)
•           grated zest of 1 orange 
• for  topping

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon Cointreau (optional)
  I used  one cup  raspberries preserve  blended in wiped cream
• 1/2  teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (for sprinkling)t as a cloud)  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  

Method

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.





Line the bottom of a 9 inch spring form cake tin with baking 

parchment.









Whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the

  ½ cup of sugar and whisk until the whites are holding

their shape, but not too stiff.





 















































Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or a microwave,

 and then let the butter melt in the warm chocolate. 


The butter should be at room temp, so is not going to curl in 

warm melted chocolate.






















Beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with  1/4 cup of the 

superfine sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture, 

the Cointreau and orange zest.

The color of eggs mixture should change in light yellow and

 sugar should be dissolved in mixture.

Lighten the chocolate/egg mixture with a dollop of egg whites,

 and then fold in the rest of the whites.
















Pour into the prepared tin and bake 350F for 35-40 minutes

 or until the cake is risen and cracked and the center

 is no longer wobbly. 










Cool the cake in its tin on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools.














When you are ready to eat, place the still tin-bound cake

 on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove

 the cake from its tin. 

 Don't worry about cracks or rough edges: it's the crater 

look we're going for here.











Whip the cream until it's soft and then add the vanilla

 and Cointreau/fresh raspberries and continue whisking 

until the cream is firm but not stiff.









Fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream,

 easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake,

 and dust the top lightly with cocoa powder pushed 

through a tea-strainer.