Best La Bête Noire Recipes

LA BETE NOIRE CHOCOLATE FLOURLESS CAKE

Steps:

• For Cake:.
• Preheat oven to 350°F Butter 10 inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment round; butter parchment. Wrap 3 layers of heavy duty foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim. Combine water and sugar in saucepan. Bring to boil over medium hear, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly. Add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.
• Bake cake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes. Remove from water bath; transfer to rack. Cool completely in pan.
• For Ganache:.
• Bring whipping cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cake still in pan. Gently shake pan to distribute ganache evenly over top of cake. Refrigerate cake in pan until ganache is set, about two hours.
• Do Ahead: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.
• Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release sides. Cut cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream.

BETE NOIRE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the center of the oven.
• Butter a 9" cake pan (not a springform) and place a circle of parchment or wax paper on the bottom, covering it completely. Butter the paper.
• Chop both the chocolates into fine pieces and set them aside.
• Combine the water with 1 cup of the sugar in a heavy 1 1/2 quart saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat and cook about 2 minutes.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately add the chocolate pieces, stirring until they are completely melted. Then add the butter, piece by piece, stirring to melt it completely.
• Place the eggs and the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in either the bowl of an electric mixer or a regular mixing bowl. For a cake with a crunchy crust: beat the eggs and sugar in the electric mixer until they have tripled in volume. For a smooth top (better for frosting): mix the eggs and sugar only until the sugar dissolves.
• Add the chocolate/butter mixture to the eggs and mix to incorporate completely. DO NOT OVERBEAT! - this causes nasty air bubbles.
• Spoon and scrape the mixture into the prepared pan.
• Set the pan into a slightly larger pan or a sturdy jelly-roll pan.
• Set both in the oven and pour hot water into the larger pan.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes.
• Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then run a sharp knife around the sides to release the cake. Cover with plastic wrap and unmold onto a cookie sheet. Invert a serving plate over the cake and flip it over, so the plate is on the bottom and the cake on top. (Ed. Note: I cook longer as I don't trust the consistency. It's very "soft").
• Ganache:.
• Scald the cream.
• Add the chocolate off the heat, and stir very gently until smooth.
• Cool slightly and pour over cake.

LORA BRODY'S BETE NOIRE (A SPECIAL CHOCOLATE CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter a nine-inch cake pan and place a neat circle of parchment or wax paper on the bottom, covering it completely. If wax paper is used, butter it. If parchment is used, it is not necessary to butter it.
• Chop both the chocolates into fine pieces and set aside.
• Combine the water with one cup of the sugar in a heavy two-quart saucepan. A large copper saucepan is ideal for this. Bring to the boil over high heat and cook about four minutes or to a temperature of 220 degrees.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately add the chocolate pieces, stirring until they are melted and smooth. The mixture may ''sieze'' but that is all right; it will blend when the butter is added. Immediately start adding the butter, stirring gently until all of it is used.
• Place the eggs and remaining sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Start beating on high speed and continue until they are quite thick and pale yellow, and tripled in volume. This may take about 15 minutes. It may be useful to place a dishcloth over the mixer and bowl to prevent splattering.
• Start mixing the egg and sugar mixture on slow speed. Add the chocolate mixture, stirring only until it is fully incorporated. Do not overbeat. This would cause air bubbles to form.
• Spoon and scrape the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Set the pan in a slightly larger pan and pour boiling water around it. Do not allow the sides of the pans to touch.
• Place in the oven and bake 25 minutes. Insert the sharp point of a knife into the center of the cake; if it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it does not come out clean, continue cooking for up to 10 minutes. Do not cook longer than a total of 35 minutes.
• Let cool (see note) in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake and unmold onto a cookie sheet. Invert a serving plate over the cake and turn it right side up onto the serving plate.