Chocolate Cloud Cake – Nigella Lawson (adapted)

Chocolate Cloud Cake
Adapted from Nigella Lawson

Directions:
Special equipment: 9-inch springform pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of the cake pan with baking parchment.

In a large bowl add the 4 egg whites, and whisk (either with a hand mixer or stand mixer), until whites are just frothy. Add 1/2 of the sugar and whisk egg whites until the whites hold their shape, but are not too stiff.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler, or just put it in a heavy pan on low heat, on top of stove. When chocolate is melted remove pan from heat and add butter. Stir a few times, making sure it’s all mixed. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with the remaining sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture, the orange-flavored liqueur and the zest of one orange.

Lighten the chocolate mixture with a big dollop of egg whites, by stiring it in gently and then “fold” in the rest of the whites.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the center is no longer wobbly. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools.

When you are ready to eat, place the still pan-bound cake on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove the sides of the pan from the cake. 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 orange-flavored liqueur 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.