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Chocolate Love

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Pic_to_use_5I love you.

Je t’aime.

Ti amo. 

我爱你

Ich liebe dich.

Aloha wau i’a oe.

Eu te amo.

Innibig kita.

Ya tebe kokhayu.

Jeg elsker dig.

Konoronhkwa.

Te quiero.

Ja tebe volim (This one is for Jenny of de Arte Coquinaria!)

However you say it. In whatever language you say it. Today is the day to say, "I Love You!"

So I’m putting on my little cupid outfit, I’m pulling out my little love arrow and I’m aiming it at all of you.

A shot of chocolate love.

Straight to the heart.

Blanc et Noir

Adapted from Pure Chocolate by Fran Bigelow.

Pic_2_6Note:  Because I love you, I will not lie to you. This is a difficult dessert to make. The sponge portion of the cake is extremely delicate and must be handled with care.

This dessert also requires time as there are many steps to follow. My advice is to begin making the cake 36 to 48 hours before you plan to serve it. This will give you plenty of time to chill the dessert.

This post is also my entry for the Valentine’s Day MEME that I was tagged for by Cannella of La Zuccheriera. Mille grazie, Cannella, e Buon San Valentino!

For the White Chocolate Ganache Filling:

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces (1/2 pound) white chocolate, finely chopped
  1. Place the white chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.
  2. In a saucepan, heat the cream until simmering.
  3. Pour the cream over the white chocolate; stir until melted and smooth.
  4. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ganache to prevent a skin from forming.
  5. Let sit at room temperature overnight; but not longer than 12 hours.

For the chocolate cake:

  • 8 ounces (1/2 pound) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
  • 5 large eggs, separated
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • Chocolate Ganache Glaze (recipe follows)
  1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  2. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking sheet or quarter-sheet pan; line with parchment paper and butter parchment paper; set aside.
  3. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over low heat. Stir until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool while you begin the batter. (If the chocolate and butter harden a bit, return briefly to the double boiler.)
  4. In a mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg yolks and half the sugar for 5 to 6 minutes, or until they have tripled in volume and become pale yellow.
  5. With a rubber spatula, fold the chocolate/butter mixture into the egg yolks.
  6. Clean the whisk and in another bowl, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until frothy. Once the egg whites are frothy, increase speed to high and slowly add the remaining sugar. Continue to whip until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
  7. Add 1/4 of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Working quickly, fold the remaining egg whites into the chocolate mixture in three parts. Do not overmix.
  8. BatterSpread the batter in the pan.
  9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The cake may rise above the edges of the pan and form a light crust on top. The cake is done when you insert a toothpick or cake tester into the centre of the cake and only a few moist crumbs cling to the tester.
  10. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes.
  11. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

For the Chocolate Ganache Glaze:

  • 8 ounces (1/2 pound) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  1. Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.
  2. Bring the cream to a simmer and then pour over the chocolate.
  3. With a rubber spatula, stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
  4. Place 1/4 of the mixture in a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  5. Allow the remainder of the ganache to sit at room temperature; stir the mixture occasionally.

For the decorating chocolate:

  • 2 ounces white chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  1. In a small heat-proof bowl over simmering water, melt the chocolate.
  2. Once the chocolate is melted, remove from heat and add the vegetable oil; stir until smooth.
  3. Place the chocolate in a small plastic bag and seal the bag.
  4. When you’re ready to decorate the Blanc et Noir, snip off one corner of the bag.

To assemble the cake:

  1. With a hand mixer or electric mixer, whip the white chocolate ganache filling for 2 minutes on high speed. The filling will fluff up and lighten in colour.
  2. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and run a sharp knife around all the edges. Using the back of a sheet pan, place the sheet pan over the cake. Flip the cake over, so that it releases onto the back of the sheet pan. Be careful with this step as you may experience some difficulty with releasing the cake. If you do, try to maneouvre a spatula under the parchment and slowly lift up the cake, being careful not to break it.
  3. Once the cake has been released, you can cut it into three equal strips or two equal strips. The original recipe calls for three strips, but I chose two.
  4. Place one strip on a plate.
  5. Spread the white ganache filling over the strip and top with another strip (if you’re using three strips for three layers, then spread half the ganache over the first strip, place the second strip on top and then top with the third strip).
  6. Refrigerate the cake for one hour.
  7. While the cake is setting in the refrigerator, make the Chocolate Ganache Glaze.
  8. Once the glaze is ready, remove the cake from the refrigerator and carefully transfer it to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.
  9. Using the 1/4 of the glaze that was refrigerated and an offset spatula, spread the glaze in a thin layer over the top of the cake.
  10. Return to the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
  11. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and using the remaining glaze and an offset spatula, carefully pour the glaze around the edges of the cake using the spatula to cover the sides. Leave a bit of the glaze to pour over the top. With the spatula, make sure the top and sides of the cake are as smooth as possible.
  12. Choc_writingTake the plastic bag with the decorating chocolate and snip off the corner. Pipe three lines of white chocolate from one side of the cake (lengthwise) to the other side of the cake. With a toothpick, quickly make figure eights with the white chocolate so that you create a design over the top of the cake.
  13. Once you’re done, carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  14. When slicing the cake, use a sharp knife. Dip the knife in hot water in between each cut and be sure to wipe the water off the knife before you slice.
  15. Enjoy!

Note:  For this recipe, I used Lindt chocolate.

40 Comments

Anne

02/14/06 at 12:38 am

Wonderful ! This makes me think a bit of the famous
” Forêt Noire” - delicious treat from of the Black Forest.

Heidi

02/14/06 at 1:24 am

Ivonne,

This is an incredible cake. All my favorite ingredients, too. There really isn’t any flour in it at all?

And your figure eights look positively Renaissance Italian. Congrats on such a fine treat for Valentine’s day!

rob

02/14/06 at 1:26 am

Oh, I so love ganache and anything made with it. I especially like it when my ganache is served with a little bit of cake.

GastroChick

02/14/06 at 2:36 am

HI Ivonne

Beautiful cake - well worth the effort. Happy Valentines day.

Rosa

02/14/06 at 2:40 am

Woaw, that cake looks beautiful and yummylicious to please!

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Cannella

02/14/06 at 3:43 am

Ivonne, il tuo post era uno di quelli che aspettavo com maggior desiderio. E’ bellissimo e buonissimo. Grazie di cuore e buon Valentino.

J

02/14/06 at 3:43 am

hi ivonne, what a terrific choice of cake! fran bigelow’s book is one of my favourites on the chocolate subject too

Ilva

02/14/06 at 3:49 am

I just fell in love! With your cake!

Amy

02/14/06 at 6:00 am

Happy Valentine’s Day, Ivonne!

fiordizucca goes english

02/14/06 at 6:03 am

thats a killer recipe ivonne!!
happy valentine!

Kat & Satoshi

02/14/06 at 6:08 am

what an intense recipe! I’m sure it was worth the effort :)

Ivonne

02/14/06 at 7:43 am

Bonjour Anne,

You’re right it does have a similarity with that dessert … that’s the beauty of chocolate … it means something different to everyone and it’s always GOOD!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Hi Heidi,

Thanks so much! The cake has NO FLOUR. For this reason it’s very difficult to handle. And you just made me realize that I called it a sponge when it obviously isn’t since it has no flour. I will have to fix that!

Happy Valentine’s Day, Heidi!

Hi Rob,

I couldn’t agree with you more. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your wife!

Hi GastroChick,

Thanks so much! I’m sending my Valentine’s Day wishes to you from Toronto!

Hi Rosa,

Thanks … Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ciao Cannella,

Grazie a te di cuore per il MEME. Bacioni e Buon San Valentino!

Greetings J,

Thank you so much for stopping by Cream Puffs in Venice. I’m enjoying Fran’s book even though this recipe was quite challenging!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ciao Ilva,

Tak! I fall in love with your blog EVERY DAY!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Hi Amy,

Thanks so much … Happy Valentine’s Day to you as well!

Ciao Fiordizucca,

Yes I wanted to slay you with love! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Hi Kat,

Good choice of words! It was intense and it was wort hit … wish you could come over and have a slice.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Alanna

02/14/06 at 9:04 am

What a work of love!

Sally

02/14/06 at 9:20 am

Oh, Ivonne! How beautiful. You are truly an artist. I would never have cut into it - it’s too beautiful to eat. Happy Valentine’s Day.

Ivonne

02/14/06 at 9:57 am

Hi Alanna,

Thanks so much … Happy Valentine’s Day!

Hi Sally,

After all that work I was tempted not to cut into it, but I had to take a picture! I actually sent the dessert with my mom for her to bring to her coworkers. Hopefully they’re enjoying it!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Tania

02/14/06 at 10:36 am

This looks phenomenal! Oh my goodness, that ganache filling looks positively wicked! Thanks for sharing this bit of chocolate love with all of your readers, and Happy Valentine’s Day, Ivonne!!!

Karina

02/14/06 at 10:43 am

Yummalicious! Chocolate says love, no doubt about it. Gorgeous [as usual!]…

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ivonne

02/14/06 at 11:36 am

Hi Tania,

Thanks! Happy Valentine’s Day to you too!

Hi Karina,

Thanks for the kind words. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Cindy

02/14/06 at 5:31 pm

Wahou, amazing ! How talented you are ! It’s definetely a cake I’ll make one day. Perhaps next year for my Valentine ;)

darla

02/14/06 at 5:32 pm

Yum! I’m in love. It looks so pretty, and I love flourless cakes!

Céline

02/14/06 at 6:23 pm

So much patience and skills! I hope your Valentine appreciated your hard work because wow, that’s one impressive cake. One big slice of gooey love :)
I’ll also give this recipe to friend a mine who is allegic to gluten and thought she was condamned to eat these funny tasting gluten free muffins.
Thank you!

Ivonne

02/14/06 at 7:08 pm

Hi Cindy,

I definitely recommend it for your Valentine!

Hi Darla,

Thanks so much. While it was a lot of work, it was worth it!

Bonjour Céline!

Thank you for the kind words. While I don’t have a Valentine at the moment, I gave it to my mom for her to share with her co-workers. So I guess they’re all my Valentines!

Ciao!

Rorie

02/14/06 at 7:38 pm

Be mine, Ivonne!

Nina

02/14/06 at 8:01 pm

This cake is the stuff that dreams are made of :)

Ivonne

02/14/06 at 10:06 pm

Hi Rorie,

Sure I’ll be your Valentine!

Hi Nina!

Thanks for stopping by … and I couldn’t agree with you more!

Mona

02/14/06 at 11:45 pm

Well, in Italia it is officially the day AFTER Valentine’s Day, but here I swear I have 20 more minutes to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day. I hope you shared it with people you love!! This cake looks unbelievable…and probably too difficult for my clumsy hands to create :( Thanks for the thoughtful post with all the international I Love You’s….was any of those Korean? My bf is Korean. Should learn how to say it in Korean….

Sailaja

02/15/06 at 1:47 am

Worth every bit of effort.What a beauty!And to think its flour less or should I be saying flawless!

Ceendy

02/15/06 at 1:57 am

Happy Valentine’s Day, Ivonne!
Great post!
I’m making my own chocolate feast =p All because your Chocolate month is so influential!!

Btw, you mean Lindt as in the chocolate bar or there’s a baking chocolate for lindt?

Paz

02/15/06 at 2:07 am

Wow! Now, that’s a true Valentine’s Day Cake!

Much love,
Paz

Ivonne

02/15/06 at 8:13 am

Hi Mona!

Thank you so much for the Valentine’s Day wishes. Same to you!

I actually don’t have a Korean I Love You there … but I know where to find one and I’ll e-mail it to you!

Hello Sailaja!

Thanks so much for visiting Cream Puffs in Venice … and thank you for the kind words!

Hi Ceendy,

Good luck with your chocolate feast! And yes I mean Lindt the chocolate bar.

Ciao Paz!

Happy Valentine’s Day to you too!

sara

02/15/06 at 9:43 am

why oh why did I look at yourblog! oh my god, it all looks SOOO wonderful. I think I just gained 10 pounds. haha thanks for visiting my blog. i am afraid to visit yours again. haha You should check out http://www.gia-gina.blogspot.com/ She is a friend of mine that lives in Torino, and she is a great cook as well! I just finished watching Canada crush Italy in hockey. :O( hehe
Ciao, Sara

Jenny

02/15/06 at 11:46 am

Wow looks spectacular Ivonne. Hope you had a happy Valentine’s Day.

Oh you can add “Ja tebe volim” to the “I love you” list.

Ivonne

02/15/06 at 1:31 pm

Hi Sara!

Thanks so much! I actually watched the first period of Canada vs. Italy but then had to get ready for work.

Thanks for the tip about the gia-gina blog … I will defintely check it out!

Hi Jenny,

You bet I’ll that I Love You to my post …

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day!

pmoed

02/15/06 at 1:39 pm

I think I died and went to chocolate heaven! I have to buy Fran Bigelow’s book, but before that I’ve got to lose a few pounds…Thanks again for an absolutely decadent and wonderful treat.

Ivonne

02/15/06 at 8:33 pm

Hi Patricia,

Thanks so much! And you’re more than welcome for the dessert!

anna

02/15/06 at 11:40 pm

What a gorgeous picture! I got cavities just looking at it.

Jaay

02/15/06 at 11:51 pm

Yum!! Ivonne it’s beautiful! You did a great job as usual. Happy Belated Valentine’s Day!!

Ivonne

02/15/06 at 11:58 pm

Hi Anna!

Sorry about the “cavities”, but I’m so glad you enjoyed the picture!

Hi Jaay!

Thanks so much … Happy Belated Valentine’s Day to you as well!

ninles

02/19/06 at 8:33 am

Oh no! Damn you!! I am seriously salivating over the idea of a juicy smooth chocolatey sponge cake with a creamy, almost mallow-y center… gah!!

Ivonne

02/20/06 at 12:11 pm

Hello Ninles!!!

Enjoy every little bit of it … it’s worth it!!!

:o)

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