Need help with Molten Chocolate cake

[savvysearch]

My sister is obsessed with this chocolate souffle cake at a restaurant chain called Yard House. I tried to duplicate it using the molten Chocolate cake recipe by Vongerichten.

* 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter

* 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably Valrhona

* 2 eggs

* 2 egg yolks

* 1/4 cup sugar

* Pinch of salt

* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

I used 70% bittersweet Valrhona. And it came out successful, but my sister still prefers the Yard House cake. She said she tasted the "bitter" in my cake but not much of the "sweet." I'm not much of a cook and I want to fix it for a dinner party on Saturday without attempting it beforehand.

So how should I sweeten it up? Do you recommend I increase the sugar or should I downgrade to 65% Valrhona Semisweet, or any other recommendations? I'm only giving myself one more attempt.

Edited February 13, 2006 by savvysearch (log)

[Sethro]

That JGV cake is not really meant to be too sweet. Use a 64% chocolate and the taste well be less bitter and more sweet.

[NickLam]

Hi,

I've had that same problem whilst doing a chocolate truffle cake (The one with the molten chocolate ganache centre) for my Thai mates, coz they like their stuff sweet. Even using callebaut 56% is too bitter for their tastes.

So, I usually substitute around 20% of the dark chocolate with milk chocolate to sweeten it. The flavour suffers a bit, but methinks if they like their chocolate sweet, they may not tell the difference anyway.

Sweetening Valrhona is blasphemy IMO..........my heart would hurt.

[chefette]

The cake is not really a complete standalone - are you serving it with/in a sauce? Use the cake as a component in a more involved dessert. The deep chocolate notes of the chocolate can compliment a couple of other sweeter and/or acidic flavors - like sweet raspberry compote with a rich creamy anglaise or custard

[savvysearch]

I'm serving it with vanilla ice cream. We tried to imagine it with vanilla ice cream, if that's any substitute, during the test bake.

So you all agree that I change the chocolate and not mess with the amount of sugar.

[A Patric]

I'm serving it with vanilla ice cream. We tried to imagine it with vanilla ice cream, if that's any substitute, during the test bake.

So you all agree that I change the chocolate and not mess with the amount of sugar.

←

By changing the chocolate % you are changing the amount of sugar. The cake will have less cocoa mass and more sugar. This means less powerful cocoa flavor and sweeter. However, I don't know if this change will be enough for someone who would find such a cake bitter in the first place.

Alan

[Jmahl]

Chefette has it right.

Molten cake is not a "standalone." Just as Cefette says, a fruit sauce and an anglaise are natural compliments. You can put the sweetness in the sauce and dust with powdered sugar to finish.

Good eating,

Jmahl

[srhcb]

I have a recipe which uses similar ingredients and calls for semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolate at a 3:1 ratio, and also adds a small amount of unsweetened cocoa powder.

They're a little sweet for my personal taste, but everyone else seems to like them.

SB