I just baked the flourless chocolate cake. used a 10” springform and increased the recipe to 1.5 times (similar to the art deco cake on page 204). I tried following the directions to the T except for a few details. I placed the waterbath in the oven at the beginning during the oven heating time. So, when I placed the pan of batter inside, there were bubbles in the water. I did cover the pan loosely with a piece of unbuttered foil about 7 minutes into the cooking. Cooked for 20 minutes as stated for the 10” pan. When I brought it out, it was a bit dry looking on the edges but not in the center. There was thin lines of butter along the edge of the pan where the batter met the pan. There were also a few cracks on top with traces of melted butter coming out of it. Does this mean that it’s undercooked? how do i know whether it’s fully cooked? do I give it the toothpick clean test?? Will put it in the fridge to set now. Thanks for any help.
Hue, the cracks are a sign that you overcooked it. The most accurate test for doneness is internal temperature. There was a whole series of posts about this on the main blog—if you do a search, you can find the specified temperature.
Hue, yes, cracks means it is overdone. On the main blog, there are posts that the water bath should be 140-150 degrees and that the internal temperature of center of the torte should be between 145-155 degrees. It does seem underbaked when it is done, but trust the recipe, it is perfect.
Thanks for your responses. This is obviously the first time I made it and it really surprised me how wobbly the cake came out. I was actually concerned it was undercooked. So is it still edible? I’ve included a picture of it with the cracks and the butter through it. I also wonder whether it rose enough. It was about 1.25” high (recipe has it for 1.5”) and I used 1.5X the recipe since I had a 9.5” pan (instead of the 8” pan it called for. I tried my best to fold the eggs into the chocolate not sure whether the eggs deflated too much. I did taste a bit of the edge and have to agree with the other post that it’s pretty bitter. Maybe the white ganache will help balance out the bitterness?
Hi Patrincia,
Thanks for the kind words. I actually did buy an 8” the day I made the cake. I opted for the larger size because it was for 15-17 people. I wonder whether the Chocolate Oblivion Torte overcooked because of the pan material. It was a springform pan that was made of that dark (almost black) nonstick coating. maybe, it absorbed too much heat. But then again, the pan is heated by the waterbath so I don’t know how much the metal color affected the temperature of the cake. I’ll have to try it again with an 8”. I might just do the 1/2 recipe and make a 6”. I ended up decorating the cake with white ganache, a chocolate lattice band and chocolate covered strawberries (wanted raspberries but there were none left at the market I went too and I was just too late to go to another store). Made it for my firned and am awaiting for feedback from her. I only tasted the edge of the cake (was a bit too bitter on it’s own to me, however, the white ganache (p.278) helped balance the flavor. So I will keep you posted.
I heard back from my friend. She and her friends liked the cake! Here’s a quote: “Thank you for the beautiful and tasty cakes! It was delicious!” I was the first time I made a cake for someone else and I was quite nervous. I guess it was ok after all! Yay!!!
Thanks everyone for all your compliments. I am looking forward to making another cake tomorrow. We’re having dinner with a group of ladies who have been in trouble with the law and are trying to get back on track!
. Get yourself an 8” pan! Let us know how it tastes.
I heard back from my friend. She and her friends liked the cake! Here’s a quote: “Thank you for the beautiful and tasty cakes! It was delicious!” I was the first time I made a cake for someone else and I was quite nervous. I guess it was ok after all! Yay!!!
