Classic French Chocolate Loaf Cake
Submitted by bobbiejohn
Classic French chocolate loaf cake bakes in a water bath for a dense, fudgy crumb with a thin crackly top. Semi-sweet chocolate, espresso, and whipped egg whites do the work. Flourless using cornstarch.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
40 minCOOK
50 minREADY
3 hrsClassic French chocolate loaf cake is the kind of dessert that looks understated and tastes like a small luxury. The crumb sits somewhere between a flourless chocolate torte and a true loaf cake. The texture comes from beating air into the yolks and sugar, lightening the batter with whipped whites, then baking the whole thing in a water bath so the edges never dry out while the center stays plush.
There’s no flour here. Sifted cornstarch handles the structure and keeps the crumb tender and silky instead of cakey. A teaspoon of instant coffee dissolved into the chocolate is a French pastry trick that doesn’t make the cake taste like coffee, it just sharpens the cocoa.
Fold the whites gently but completely. Streaks of unincorporated white turn into pale stripes once baked. The slow cool down inside the cooling oven is what gives this cake its signature dense, glossy interior, so don’t rush it.
Pro Tips
- Sift the cornstarch three times exactly as written, lumpy starch makes a gritty crumb
- Stop beating egg whites the moment they hold a soft peak, overbeaten whites collapse instead of folding in cleanly
- Use a real bain-marie with hot water an inch deep around the foil-lined pan
- Test for doneness with a tester that comes out only barely clean, a moist crumb is what you want
Variations
- Swap the instant coffee for a teaspoon of Grand Marnier for an orange-chocolate version
- Top inverted slices with lightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh raspberries
- Finish with a thin chocolate ganache glaze instead of powdered sugar for a glossy bakery look
Ingredients
Directions
Adjust rack ⅓ up from bottom of oven/preheat to 350℉ (180℃).
Line a 6 cup capacity loaf pan with foil, wrinkling as little as possible.
Brush foil with melted butter or, just before pouring batter in, spray with Pam.
Resift cornstarch 3 times and set aside.
Chop chocolate and place in heavy pan.
Dissolve coffee in boiling water and pour over chocolate, cover and place over low heat to melt.
Stir with whisk, transfer to small bowl and set aside to cool slightly.
In bowl of large mixer, beat butter until soft, gradually add sugar and beat for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping bowl.
Add egg yolks, one at at time, beating well.
Continue to beat until mixture is pale and creamy.
Add choc. at low speed, then add cornstarch and beat only until smooth, scraping bowl as needed.
In another bowl, beat whites with salt only until whites just stand up; do not overbeat.
Add rounded TBLS. of whites to chocolate mixture and stir to mix.
Repeat a few times to lighten mix, then stir in the remaining whites, half at a time, folding gently but completely.
If using Pam, spray now/pour batter into pan.
Lift pan in both hands and move it gently back and forth to even out batter.
Place in larger pan (which may not be deeper than cake pan) and pour boiling water in, about an inch deep.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until a tester gently inserted into the middle, all the way to the bottom, comes out just barely clean and dry.
Test several times to be sure.
There will be a thin crust on top; the middle will be soft.
Do NOT overbake.
Turn off heat; open oven door a few inches and let cake stay in for 20 minutes.
Open door all the way and let cake stand in oven for another hour until room temp.
Remove cake from water bath and dry cake pan.
Invert onto serving plate and remove foil.
Serve upside down or freeze.
Can be covered with chocolate curls sprinkled with powdered sugar or with whipped cream and berries if desired.
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