passover

Passover Chocolate cloud Cake

If clouds were made of chocolate, I imagine they’d be just like this cake.

Pesadik or not, and it is, this is a fabulous chocolate cake. Forget about those dry, tasteless cakes that show up on the Passover dessert table. This, my friends, is not one of those. The flavor is deep and richly chocolaty but not overly sweet, with a texture that is light and airy yet moist, perfect for after a heavy meal. (Or for breakfast, or at 3:00 a.m.....)

This is a versatile recipe that easily lends itself to many variations. It can be served with a simple dusting of confectioner’s sugar, or covered with a rich ganache and decorated as elaborately as you’d like. Swap out the butter/vegan butter with coconut oil, cover with ganache, and sprinkle with coconut flakes, and you’ve got a chocolate coconut cake. This is your canvas; you are the artist.

Ingredients:

Have all your ingredients at room temperature.

• 1½ cups finely ground almonds (almond flour)

• 6 oz. good quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

• ¾ cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

• 1/4 cup best quality cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

• 6 oz. unsalted butter or organic parve margarine or coconut oil, at room temperature

• 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

• (optional) Kosher for Passover confectioner’s sugar or chocolate ganache, to decorate

Method:

• Slide a rack into the oven, one-third up from the bottom, so that the cake will be in the center.

• Preheat oven to 375°.

• Spray the bottom and sides of a 9” springform pan with non-stick spray, and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper cut to fit.

• Then, spray the paper.

• Dust the pan all over with matzo cake meal, then invert the pan (over the sink), and tap it lightly to shake out the excess.

• Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and microwave at full power for 1 minute. Stir the chips—they may not look melted when you take them out, but as you stir they’ll become smooth. If there are solid pieces remaining, continue to microwave, 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each time, until the chocolate is completely smooth.

• In the work bowl of an electric mixer (or with a hand-held mixer), beat the butter or margarine until soft.

• Add ¼ cup of the sugar and beat until fluffy.

• With the mixer running on low, add the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally so that the mixture is smooth and homogenous.

• Add the coffee powder, the vanilla, and the cocoa, and mix again to combine.

• On low speed, scrape in the melted chocolate and beat until mixed. Then, add the almond meal and another ¼ cup of the sugar and beat, scraping the bowl, until incorporated.

• Place the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl with the salt and lemon juice.

• Start with the mixer on low speed and gradually increase the speed to high. When the whites just begin to hold a soft shape (check by lifting the beaters—the peaks should hold their shape but not be as stiff as merengue), reduce the speed a bit and gradually pour in the remaining  ¼ cup sugar.

• Then, on high speed, continue to beat until the whites hold a straight point when the beaters are slowly raised. Do not overbeat.

• Drop a large dollop of the whites into the chocolate mixture and fold it in with a rubber spatula to lighten the batter a bit.

• Then, carefully fold in the remaining whites. Don’t fold more than necessary—you don’t want to deflate the air in the batter, but you also don’t want white streaks to remain.

• Turn the mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth the top to level the batter.

• Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350° and continue to bake for an additional 20—30 minutes. A tester should come out clean. If not, keep checking every 5 minutes.

• Place a damp dishtowel on a countertop. Set the cake pan on the towel to cool for an hour, then release and remove the pan’s ring and let the cake rest until it’s completely cool. You may want to run a blunt knife around the edge before removing the ring.

• Now, invert the cake onto a serving plate or cake stand: Place your serving dish on top of the cake. Put your left hand on the top of the dish, in the center, and the right hand under the bottom on the springform. Twist your arms so that the right hand is on top, to invert the cake.

• Carefully lift off the bottom of the pan and peel off the parchment.

• Pour some kosher for Passover powdered sugar into a strainer and use the back of a spoon to press it through to cover the top of the cake. If you like, lay a stencil over the cake before dusting with the sugar, to create a pattern.

  Alternatively, you could make a chocolate ganache and pour it over the top. If you used coconut oil in the cake, consider sprinkling shredded coconut on top of the ganache.

  Chocolate Ganach: Combine 1 cup chocolate chips with ¾ cup cream or your favorite non-dairy milk in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave until the milk is hot and the chips are melted. Stir together until smooth (it will get there!) and pour over the baked cake.