In a quaint, warmly lit kitchen filled with the laughter and chatter of a close-knit family, preparations for Grandma Evelyn’s 80th birthday were underway. Among the family, Evelyn was not only cherished for her unwavering love and wisdom but also revered as the undisputed queen of desserts. Her grandson, Alex, a budding pastry chef with a penchant for perfection, took it upon himself to create a birthday cake that would honor his grandmother’s legacy and satisfy the sophisticated palates of a family that knew their way around exquisite desserts.
Determined to craft a cake that would be talked about for years to come, Alex embarked on a culinary quest to find a recipe that encapsulated elegance, indulgence, and his grandmother’s love for chocolate. After days of research and experimentation, he stumbled upon an old family cookbook buried in a dusty corner of Evelyn’s library. Inside, he found a recipe marked as “The World’s Most Perfect Chocolate Cake Ever,” noted by Evelyn herself during her travels through Europe in her youth. It was a recipe that combined simple, yet luxurious ingredients, promising a cake of unparalleled richness and texture.
Embracing the challenge, Alex meticulously selected the finest ingredients: blanched almonds ground into a fine flour for a moist, tender crumb; Lilly’s Chocolate Chips for their superior quality and sugar-free sweetness; and unsalted Kerrygold butter for its creamy, rich flavor. The cake would be a testament to the art of baking, with each egg separated and beaten to perfection, ensuring a light, yet decadently rich texture.
For the icing, Alex decided to adhere to the original recipe, adding a hint of instant coffee to the heavy cream and chocolate chips, a secret that Evelyn had whispered was the key to transforming a good chocolate cake into an unforgettable one.
On the evening of Evelyn’s birthday, as the family gathered around the dining table adorned with candles and flowers, Alex presented the cake with a flourish. The first slice revealed a moist, tender crumb, enrobed in a glossy, sumptuous chocolate icing that glimmered under the soft lights.
With each bite, the room filled with murmurs of delight and astonishment. Evelyn, with tears of joy in her eyes, declared it the most perfect chocolate cake she had ever tasted, a fitting tribute to her life’s passion for baking. Alex’s cake not only celebrated his grandmother’s milestone birthday but also bridged generations, encapsulating the love, history, and culinary prowess of their family. It was more than just a birthday cake; it was a symbol of heritage, love, and the enduring power of family traditions.
Harlan Kilstein The World’s Most Perfect Chocolate Cake Ever
Ingredients
Cake
- 6 ounces almonds 1 1/4 cups, blanched or unblanched
- 6 ounces Lilly’s Chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted Kerrygold butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup swerve or xylitol
- 6 large eggs separated
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Icing
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee I can’t believe I wrote those words but it’s not my recipe
- 8 ounces Lilly’s Chocolate Chips
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350
To make the cake:
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Butter a 9 or 10 inch springform pan and line the bottom with a round of wax paper or parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust with fine almond flour. Set aside.
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Grind the nuts very finely in a food processor or use the equivalent amount of store-bought almond meal. I’ve made it both ways and it works.
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In the top of a double boiler, over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate. Cover until partially melted and then uncover and stir until completely smooth. Remove from the heat to cool slightly.
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In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the swerve or xylitol and beat for 2 minutes at medium-high speed. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating until well mixed after each addition. On low speed, add the chocolate and beat only to mix. Then add the almonds and beat only to mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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If you have a second mixing bowl for your stand mixer or a hand held mixer as well, you can leave the batter in the bowl. Otherwise, transfer it to another large bowl and set aside. Wash your bowl and beaters and dry very well.
To make the icing:
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In a large bowl, (either the one you just washed or another one), add the salt to the egg whites and with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on high but only until they hold a definite shape, but are not stiff or dry. Stir a large spoonful of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it a bit and then fold in the rest of the whites in 3 additions.
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Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top, rotating the pan a bit to level the top. Bake for 20 minutes and then lower the oven 25º and bake for another 40-50 minutes. When cake is done, wet a kitchen towel, slightly wring it out, fold it and place it on the counter. Remove cake from the oven and place it directly on the towel. Let it stand for 20 minutes. Then remove the sides of the cake pan and place a wire rack over the top of the cake and invert it. Remove the bottom of the pan and the paper liner. Cover with another rack and invert the cake again and let it stand till completely cool on the wire rack.
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If the center is sunken in, use a long, thin, sharp knife to make the top level, but be careful because the cake is a bit fragile. Prepare a cake plate, by placing 4 strips of wax paper around the outer edges of the plate, making a big square, to catch the frosting droppings and keep the cake plate neat looking. Set the cake upside down, centered, on top of the 4 strips.
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In a medium heavy saucepan, scald the cream over medium heat until small bubbles form at the edges. Add the coffee and stir with a whisk to dissolve. Add the chocolate and stir occasionally for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl to stop it from cooking any further. Let the icing stand for about 15 minutes, stirring every now and then, until it’s room temperature and has slightly thickened.
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10. Stir the icing gently and pour it over the top of the cake. Use an offset spatula if you have one (a knife can work well too) to smooth the icing over the sides and around the cake. Smooth the top so that it looks evenly spread. Remove the 4 strips of paper carefully and after you’ve licked off the icing, discard. Serve cake as is or decorate with chocolate shavings Let cake stand for couple of hours so icing has time to solidify.
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11. Cake keeps stored airtight at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Recipe Notes
Maida Heatter is in my mind the world’s best dessert baker.
Her cookbooks are part of my collection.
Remember, ALL RECIPES are not Keto.
