Chocolate Gâteau with Crème Anglaise

So can we discuss chocolate? How Sara and I love all things chocolate? All the brownies and the double-chocolate cookies and the hot chocolate? How we both have entire cookbooks devoted to chocolate? How we have secret stashes of the good stuff tucked into the back corners of our pantries for emergency chocolate-related situations? So when American Heritage Chocolate asked us to share a recipe from their new book, we jumped at the chance.

Part history book (it’s actually published by National Geographic!), part cookbook, this was a fascinating peek into the past of one of my favorite things, plus it’s full of incredible recipes like the Chocolate-Raspberry Silk Tart, Chocolate Tres Leches Cake, Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, and this Fine Chocolate Gâteau with Crème Anglaise (which is basically a fancy way of saying “dense, fudgy, almost-gooey chocolate wedges with creamy vanilla custard sauce.”)

To make this gâteau, you’re going to need butter (lots of it…1 1/4 cups, which equals 2 1/2 sticks), 16 ounces of bittersweet chocolate or American Heritage Chocolate, 7 room temperature eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, flour, salt, and, if you’re feeling it, a little bit of cinnamon.

To make the cake, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour the inside of a 9″ springform pan,

then sprinkle with flour…

and swirl the pan so the flour coats the inside of then pan, then tap out the excess flour. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Remove the saucepan from heat and add the chocolate. The American Heritage Chocolate is not as dense as regular baking chocolate, so don’t be alarmed. All will be well. We’re talking chocolate here. Allow to stand for about 3 minutes or until the chocolate has softened. Whisk until the chocolate is smooth and melted.

Let the mixture cool until tepid but is still liquid, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the eggs, sugar, and vanilla.

Beat on high speed

until the mixture is very pale and tripled in volume (about 3 minutes in a stand mixer or 5 minutes if using a hand mixer).

Reduce the speed to low. Add the chocolate mixture an dmix until combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and lightly sprinkle the flour, salt, and cinnamon over the chocolate mixture.

Fold it in with a flexible spatula and spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Bake until the center is set but the cake jiggles cohesively (like gelatin or a cheesecake) when you shake it gently, about 28-37 minutes (start checking around 28 minutes). Let the gâteau cool completely in the pan on a wire cake rack. Run a knife around the inside of the pan and remove the sides. Wrap the gâteau with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 8 hours, preferably 24 hours. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

To make the crème anglaise, heat the milk with the vanilla bean halves (if using) in a medium saucepan over low heat until small bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 10 minutes.

Remove the vanilla bean halves. Using the tip of a small sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean halves into the milk and discard the pods. In a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until the mixture is pale and thickened. Gradually whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot milk, then gradually whisk in the remaining milk. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook the custard on medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Strain the custard through a wire mesh strainer. If using vanilla extract, add it now. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Let the sauce cool, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour.

Refrigerate until chilled (at least 2 hours). To serve, let the cake stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Using a thin, sharp knife dipped into hot water, slice the gâteau. For each serving, spoon a few tablespoons of the crème anglaise onto a dessert plate and top with sliced cake. If desired, dust the top with powdered sugar. I also wouldn’t say no to a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. Just sayin’.

Chocolate Gâteau with Crème Anglaise

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Description

An elegant and sophisticated chocolate dessert that is actually much easier than it looks!

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Ingredients

GÂTEAU

• Flour and softened butter for the pan
• 1 pound bittersweet chocolate or American Heritage Chocolate
• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 7 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

CRÈME ANGLAISE

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Yolks of 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar

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Instructions

1. To make the cake, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour the inside of a 9″ springform pan, tapping out the excess flour.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Remove the saucepan from heat and add the chocolate. Allow to stand for about 3 minutes or until the chocolate has softened. Whisk until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Let the mixture cool until tepid but is still liquid, about 10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Beat on high speed until the mixture is very pale and tripled in volume (about 3 minutes in a stand mixer or 5 minutes if using a hand mixer). Reduce the speed to low. Add the chocolate mixture an dmix until combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and lightly sprinkle the flour, salt, and cinnamon over the chocolate mixture. Fold it in with a flexible spatula and spread the batter evenly in the pan.
4. Bake until the center is set but the cake jiggles cohesively (like gelatin or a cheesecake) when you shake it gently, about 28-37 minutes (start checking around 28 minutes). Let the gâteau cool completely in the pan on a wire cake rack.
5. Run a knife around the inside of the pan and remove the sides. Wrap the gâteau with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 8 hours, preferably 24 hours. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
6. To make the crème anglaise, heat the milk with the vanilla bean halves (if using) in a medium saucepan over low heat until small bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 10 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean halves. Using the tip of a small sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean halves into the milk and discard the pods.
7. In a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until the mixture is pale and thickened. Gradually whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot milk, then gradually whisk in the remaining milk. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook the custard on medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Strain the custard through a wire mesh strainer. If using vanilla extract, add it now. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Let the sauce cool, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour. Refrigerate until chilled (at least 2 hours).
8. To serve, let the cake stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Using a thin, sharp knife dipped into hot water, slice the gâteau. For each serving, spoon a few tablespoons of the crème anglaise onto a dessert plate and top with sliced cake.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 12

This post was sponsored by American Heritage Chocolate, but all opinions are completely our own.