Gateau au chocolat fondant de Nathalie

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Ok, I am in shock, really in chocolate gateau shock.

I knew this recipe would be good as it has pretty top notch origins, namely Trish Deseine whose recipe was made by Kate (don’t know her, but would like to be her friend) for Molly aka Orangette. I found it whilst doing some task avoiding blog browsing in Molly’s archive.

I saw it and before you can say house cleaning chronically overdue I made it.

I don’t know why I am so happy with myself, it wasn’t exactly difficult and the credit is due to others, but I am. Before you disappear wincing at my smugness, let me explain. I haven’t made something so very very good for quite some time. Yes, I know, I am always bleating on about delicious this and divine that but this is another thing entirely.

This gateau is - supercalifrag-ilisticexpialidocious (is that how you spell it, answers on a post card please.) It is rather like a rich, dark, sublime, perfectly executed, egg heavy chocolate mouse which had been lent just a waft of cakeness by the scarce 1 tablespoon of flour. It slices like soft butter into almost quivering slices, each mouthful is rich, moist and indulgent yet light and dissolves creamily in your mouth.

I will not be putting this recipe in the low fat category because I don’t have one, but if I did, I would, just because it would make me laugh.

If you eat two slices, as I just did for lunch with a cup of tea, does that constitute a balanced meal? – answers on the same post card as the Mary Poppins trivia please.

Gateau au chocolat fondant de Nathalie

Recipe adapted from Trish Deseine by Kate (don’t know her, but would like to be her friend) for Molly aka Orangette.

200g good butter, 200g very good quality dark chocolate, 250g granulated sugar, 5 eggs, 1tbsp plain flour.

Set the oven to 190°c/375f. Line a 8 inch round cake tin with baking parchment and butter the parchment.

Cut the butter into cubes and break the chocolate into small pieces, melt them together in a small bowl balanced over a pan of hot (not boiling) water. Keep an eye on them while they melt and keep stirring very regularly.

Once the butter and chocolate are melted remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Scrape the butter and chocolate into a larger bowl and stir in the sugar.

In separate small bowl lightly beat one egg and then add it to the other ingredients and stir thoroughly. Again in the separate bowl beat another egg, add it to the mixture and stir in. Repeat until you have added all five eggs.

Stir in the flour.

Your mixture will be batter like in its consistency and gloriously gloopy and shiny.

Scrape the mixture into the lined tin.

Bake for about 25 mins. Set your timer for 20 and then keep a careful eye during the last five minutes while the mixture turns from being very wobbly and raw looking into a just set. The gateau will still wobble a little but the top will be cooked, dry and cracking.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for about 2 hours otherwise, unless you are very skilled it will crack.

When the cake is totally cool, gently invert it on to a wire tray and then revert it on to the serving plate.

The cake is best after some hours or the next day so morning or day before baking is recommended.

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