La Bete Noire

La Bete Noire- "The Black Beast" or To Die For Flourless Chocolate Cake
Time: 20-30 min prep/melting, 50 min bake, 3 hours cooling
From: epicurious.com
Serves: 16 slices, sliced thin

Ingredients:
Cake
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, diced
18 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 large eggs

Ganache
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Lightly sweetened whipped cream (optional)
Frozen sweetened raspberries, thawed before serving

Directions:
For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter 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 1 cup water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, 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 45-50 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 2 hours. Do not put any plastic or foil over the top of the cake. When the condensation builds and drips on the cake it will ruin (not taste wise) the ganache.

Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release sides. Cut cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream.

Notes:
So after making this a couple times I have learned that it is a MUST to use the extra wide foil. I have tried twice to use regular width foil but water always seeps in! With the double wide, no problem at all!
If using a glass pan you may have to cook it 5-10 minutes longer.
I use bittersweet for the cake and semi-sweet for the ganache.
The cake can be made ahead of time up to two days. Just keep refrigerated.
Topped with raspberries, it is just divine!
Use a high quality chocolate. I used an off brand one time and it didn't melt the right way.

ENJOY!!