Chocolate Gateau (Chocolate Cake) ガトーショコラ • Simply One Cookbook

Moist and wealthy Chocolate Gateau recipe is a basic dessert present in cafes and pastry retailers throughout Japan. Topped with strawberries and contemporary whipped cream, this decadent cake is a good looking and stylish candy deal with to make at house for any festive event.

It has all the time been my aim to increase our recipes for Japanese sweets and pastries on Simply One Cookbook. Nevertheless, baking just isn’t my sturdy swimsuit, so I introduced in a Japanese pastry assistant, Haruka, to the crew in order that we may share genuine treats with our readers.

Immediately’s recipe, Chocolate Gateau or gâteau au chocolat (ガトーショコラ), is without doubt one of the first recipes we labored on collectively. With the vacations quick approaching, we wished to share one thing you possibly can deliver to household gatherings or make forward for a celebration that you simply’re internet hosting. And this chocolate cake recipe is THE ONE you want!

Firstly, the cake itself is impossibly wealthy and moist, with a well-rounded, truffle-like taste. Subsequent, it strikes the proper stability of sweetness—candy however not overly so. Lastly, the topping! The whipped cream and strawberries really take this cake to the subsequent stage, providing a contemporary distinction to the general enjoyment. ‘Kanpeki 完璧,’ as we’d describe it in Japanese!

What’s Chocolate Gateau?

A chocolate gâteau, also called gâteau au chocolat (ガトーショコラ), is a basic French cake made with eggs, butter, sugar, chocolate, cocoa powder, and flour. This luscious dessert is wealthy, moist, dense, and intensely flavorful. It may be discovered in every single place, from cafes and pastry retailers in Japan.

Western sweets in Japan are closely influenced by European (sometimes French) sweets somewhat than American sweets, and they don’t seem to be as candy as American desserts.

The recipe requires easy however high-quality components, together with chocolate chips (for baking functions) and cocoa powder, to make a gateau wherein the chocolate flavors shine. The total taste is indulgent sufficient that you simply don’t even want any chocolate frosting on high.

The right way to Make Chocolate Gateau

The Components You’ll Want

• Cake flour – You need to use all-purpose flour, however cake flour (much less gluten) is most well-liked.
• Dutch-process cocoa powder
• Salt
• Eggs
• Unsalted butter
• Chocolate chips – Use good-quality baking chips! I like utilizing 2 elements semi-sweet chocolate (46% cacao) and 1 half additional darkish chocolate (63% cacao) for our desire.
• Granulated sugar
• Milk – You can also use heavy cream for a richer style.
• Cake ornament – Strawberries or raspberries, confectioners’ sugar, heavy whipping cream, and sugar.

Bounce to Recipe

The Cooking Steps

1. Put together the chocolate combination. Soften the chocolate chips and butter in a double boiler.
2. Put together the yolk combination. Whisk egg yolks and sugar till it turns into a thick texture and pale in shade.
3. Mix the chocolate and yolk combination.
4. Beat the egg whites. Fold the egg whites and dry components into the chocolate combination.
5. Pour the batter and bake. Let cool utterly and refrigerate in a single day.
6. Invert the cake and beautify the cake earlier than serving.

Suggestions for Getting ready the Components

1. Measure the components with a kitchen scale. I extremely advocate utilizing a kitchen scale to measure the components, as we did for this recipe. Nevertheless, I wished to make sure that this recipe is simple to measure by quantity for individuals who choose utilizing cups. For those who select to make use of cups, measure your flour and cocoa powder by “fluffing and sprinkling.” In any other case, you’ll scoop and compact an excessive amount of flour or cocoa powder into the measuring cup and find yourself with a dry, dense cake. When you get used to utilizing a kitchen scale, you’ll admire its comfort. No extra washing a number of measuring cups!
2. Hold your eggs at room temperature. It is a small but necessary step. Set a reminder to take out the eggs from the fridge 30–60 minutes earlier than you begin prepping so they arrive to room temperature naturally.

3. Sift the flour and cocoa powder. Don’t take shortcuts. Sifting dry components forward of time helps incorporate them into the moist components and keep away from lumps within the batter.
4. Line the 8-inch (20-cm) spherical cake pan with parchment paper. I’ll present you my trick later within the submit. Additionally, use a light-colored cake pan for the very best end result. Keep away from utilizing a dark-colored pan as a result of it’s going to take up warmth quicker and extra intensely and your cake will bake extra shortly, probably overbake, and will even burn. For those who should use a darkish pan, cut back the oven temperature by 25°F (15°C) and verify for doneness 10 minutes before the directions point out.

Suggestions for Melting the Chocolate in a Double Boiler

A double boiler is a heat-proof bowl set over a bigger saucepan full of 2 inches (5 cm) of barely simmering water. It permits for oblique, mild warmth when warming up temperature-sensitive components, like chocolate, that require a fragile contact.

1. By no means expose melted chocolate to water! Any water will trigger the chocolate to grab. Ensure the bowl matches tightly on high of the saucepan as a result of escaping steam may trigger your melted chocolate to grab up.
2. For bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, take away from the warmth when the chocolate combination reaches 122°F (50°C) and preserve it at 104ºF–122ºF (40–50ºC) to forestall the chocolate from hardening. DO NOT let your chocolate combination cool as a result of it’s going to grow to be extraordinarily tough to mix with different components.

Suggestions for Making the Batter

1. Ensure to make use of room-temperature egg yolks in order that they don’t harden the chocolate combination when mixed. Whisk the yolks and sugar till the combination turns into thick and pale in shade.
2. Regularly incorporate all the nice and cozy chocolate combination into the egg yolk combination.

3. Beat the egg whites till they type very smooth peaks. When lifting the overwhelmed egg whites with the whisk, they need to be smooth sufficient to drop a couple of occasions after which cease; they shouldn’t be runny. This course of is a bit totally different from making Chiffon Cake and Japanese Cheesecake, so watch out to not overbeat the egg whites.
4. Use a scooping movement together with your whisk when including the egg whites and dry components to the batter.

5. Add all of the dry components while you see “a pleasant marble impact.” Cease mixing while you discover a bit little bit of dry components are nonetheless left.
6. When utilizing a silicone spatula, fold within the combination from the underside of the bowl.

Baking Suggestions

1. Test your oven’s precise temperature. I do know my oven doesn’t attain the specified temperature despite the fact that it beeps and says it’s finished preheating. Know your oven’s traits! Some ovens warmth up too shortly, whereas others wrestle to succeed in the optimum temperature. I put a thermometer contained in the oven to find out the precise temperature.
2. Pour the batter into the pan unexpectedly and in a single spot to each decrease air pockets and easy the highest of the batter.

3. Drop the cake pan a couple of occasions on the countertop earlier than placing it into the oven. This releases the air bubbles trapped within the cake batter.
4. Use a skewer to verify the cake’s doneness. Don’t assume that your cake is finished simply because the timer is up. For those who change the dimensions of your cake pan, it‘s particularly necessary to verify with a skewer.

5. After baking, drop the cake pan as soon as on the countertop to launch sizzling air trapped contained in the cake. This prevents the cake from shrinking.
6. Let the cake cool within the pan utterly. We extremely advocate leaving it within the cake pan in a single day within the fridge for higher texture and taste.

Serving Suggestions

1. Invert the cake onto the palm of your hand to launch it from the pan, then shortly flip it again over onto a plate or cake stand.
2. I like to recommend conserving the cake at room temperature for 10–quarter-hour earlier than serving. The cake won’t be as dense after leaving it out for a while. You too can heat it up if that’s what you like.

Cake Ornament Suggestions

As a result of the Chocolate Gateau is wealthy and focuses on high quality chocolate taste, I choose to not add an excessive amount of ornament to the cake. Right here, I give two easy ornament choices.

1. Whipped Cream + Strawberries – This has a wow issue, but it’s easy to embellish. Make whipped cream with heavy whipping cream and sugar till it’s a spreadable consistency. Then, beautify with sliced strawberries within the form of a flower. My fast tip is to create irregular patterns for a pure look.
2. Confectioners’ Sugar + Raspberries – Merely mud the confectioners’ sugar on high of the cake and beautify it with raspberries.

The right way to Line the Spherical Baking Pan

I used to search out lining the baking pan with parchment paper a frightening course of. Plus, I didn’t need to purchase precut sheets of parchment circles for a cake pan that I don’t steadily use.

Then, I discovered this lining method from my pal, which I believed was tremendous sensible. It does take a while, however I admire the truth that I can use the whole sheet of precut parchment paper with out losing any elements of it. Considering that you simply is likely to be like me, I wished to share this system right here.

1. To measure the pan’s backside, place an 8-inch (20-cm) spherical cake pan on a sheet of parchment paper and hint across the exterior with a pen.
2. For the pan’s sides, use the additional paper subsequent to the circle you traced. Fold it in half lengthwise and make a pointy crease to mark the middle line.

3. With a pair of scissors, lower out the circle alongside the traced line. I like to chop simply inside the road so the circle is the precise measurement. Set it apart.
4. Subsequent, lower off the oblong sheet from the paper if it’s nonetheless hooked up, as I did right here.

5. With the oblong sheet folded in half lengthwise, fold up the lengthy edges collectively to type a flap about ½ inch (1.3 cm) broad. Make a pointy crease to mark the flap, then unfold it.
6. Whereas holding the sides collectively, lower straight notches as much as the crease mark each ½ inch (1.3 cm) throughout the whole size of the flaps.

7. Unfold the oblong sheet and lower it in half alongside the middle line crease. Now, you could have two strips, every with a notched flap alongside one lengthy edge.
8. Line the facet of the pan with the strips, putting the flap sides down with the notches mendacity flat on the pan’s backside. The folded half ought to match neatly the place the pan’s facet meets the underside. Overlap the brief edges of the strips.

9. Line the underside of the pan with the parchment paper circle, putting it on high of the notched flaps.
10. There’s no have to grease the pan or parchment paper.

The right way to Alter to Completely different Pan Sizes

I take advantage of an 8-inch (20-cm) spherical cake pan in my recipe. Nevertheless, you possibly can adapt my recipe if you wish to use a bigger or smaller cake pan.

For a 9-inch (23-cm) spherical cake pan:

• use 6 massive eggs;
• use 120% (6/5) of the opposite components; and
• bake for an extended time (verify with a skewer).

For a 6-inch (15-cm) spherical cake pan:

• use 3 massive eggs;
• use 60% (3/5) of the opposite components; and
• bake for a shorter time (verify with a skewer).

FAQs

What sort of chocolate is finest?

We will’t make the very best chocolate cake with out utilizing the best high quality chocolate you possibly can. I like to recommend getting confectionery chocolate, combining semi-sweet (46% cacao) and additional darkish (63% cacao) on this recipe. For a chocolate gateau, it’s finest to make use of chocolate with 55–70% cacao.

Can I substitute Dutch-process cocoa powder with pure cocoa powder?

Your cake will likely be lighter in shade since pure cocoa is inherently lighter than Dutch-process. As a result of acidity of pure cocoa, you could discover a delicate tanginess or a barely bitter style.

Yow will discover Dutch-process cocoa powder at many gourmand meals shops, like Complete Meals and Williams-Sonoma. You too can purchase the identical one I take advantage of on Amazon.

How can I add espresso powder to this recipe?

Espresso powder could be added to the recipe for an intensified, complicated, and deep chocolate taste. Because it’s very concentrated, you solely want half to 1 teaspoon (in any other case, an excessive amount of espresso taste) whereas the chocolate is melting.

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Chocolate Gateau (Chocolate Cake)

Moist and wealthy Chocolate Gateau recipe is a basic dessert present in cafes and pastry retailers throughout Japan. Topped with strawberries and contemporary whipped cream, this decadent cake is a good looking and stylish candy deal with to make at house for any festive event.

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Prepare dinner Time: 1 hour hr

Complete Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 (8-inch, 20-cm) cake

Components 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the Strawberry and Whipped Cream Ornament (choice 1)

For the Fast Raspberry Ornament (choice 2)

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you need substitutes for Japanese condiments and components, click on right here.

Prepare dinner ModeStop your display from going darkish

Directions 

• Earlier than You Begin: I extremely encourage you to weigh your components utilizing a kitchen scale for this recipe. Click on on the “Metric“ button on the high of the recipe to transform the ingredient measurements to metric. For those who‘re utilizing a cup measurement, please observe the “fluff and sprinkle“ methodology: Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup, and stage it off. In any other case, you could scoop extra flour than you want.
• Collect all of the components. This recipe makes use of an 8-inch (20-cm) spherical cake pan. For a bigger or smaller pan, see learn how to regulate the ingredient measurements within the weblog submit. Use a light-colored pan for the very best end result; see the baking suggestions part of my weblog submit for extra particulars.

To Line the Baking Pan

• Line the underside and sides of an 8-inch (20-cm) spherical cake pan with parchment paper. Right here, I take advantage of a pre-cut parchment paper sheet. To measure the pan’s backside, place it on a sheet of parchment paper and hint across the exterior with a pen. For the pan’s sides, use the additional paper subsequent to the circle you traced. This paper ought to be a rectangle that‘s roughly 8 x 12½ inches (20 x 32 cm). Fold it in half lengthwise and make a pointy crease to mark the middle line.

• With a pair of scissors, lower out the circle you traced. I like to chop simply inside the road so the circle is the precise measurement. Set it apart. Subsequent, lower off the oblong sheet from the paper if it’s nonetheless hooked up, as I did right here.

• With the oblong sheet folded in half lengthwise, fold up the lengthy edges collectively to type a flap about ½ inch (1.3 cm) broad. Make a pointy crease to mark the flap, then unfold it. Holding the sides collectively, lower straight notches as much as the crease mark each ½ inch (1.3 cm) throughout the whole size of the flaps.

• Then, unfold the oblong sheet and lower it in half alongside the middle line crease. Now, you could have two strips every with a notched flap alongside one lengthy edge. Line the perimeters of the pan with the strips, flap sides down with the notches mendacity flat on the pan’s backside. The folded half ought to match neatly the place the pan’s facet meets the underside. Overlap the brief edges of the strips.

• Lastly, line the underside of the pan with the parchment paper circle, putting it on high of the notched flaps.

To Put together the Components

• Mix ¼ cup cake flour, ¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and sift utilizing a fine-mesh sieve.

• It‘s necessary to sift as cocoa powder might have clumps (see picture). Press them down with a spoon so the cocoa passes by the mesh. Repeat sifting 2–3 occasions and put aside.

• Wipe a stand mixer bowl (or a big mixing bowl) with a clear towel. This ensures that there is no such thing as a moisture or grease in an effort to correctly whip the egg whites. Separate 5 massive eggs (50 g every w/o shell), placing the whites within the mixer bowl and the yolks in a separate massive bowl. Hold the egg whites at room temperature. If they’re chilly, the chocolate combination might solidify.

• Arrange a double boiler by putting a heatproof glass bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water on the bottom warmth. Reduce 9 Tbsp unsalted butter into smaller chunks or cubes.

To Put together the Chocolate Combination

• Add the butter and ¾ cup chocolate chips to the glass bowl. Stir sometimes till the chocolate is melted. In the meantime, put together the egg yolk combination within the subsequent step. Tip: Ensure to not introduce any moisture to the bowl; in any other case, the chocolate will seize.

To Put together the Egg Yolk Combination

To Mix the Yolk and Chocolate Mixtures

• The chocolate combination ought to be 122ºF (50ºC). I like to recommend getting an instant-read thermometer to verify the temperature (it‘s helpful for steak, fish, and custard, too). Choose up the bowl from the double boiler and wipe off the moisture/steam on the underside of the bowl. We don’t need to drop any moisture into the batter whereas pouring the chocolate combination.

• Add the chocolate combination to the yolk combination, one-quarter portion at a time. Utilizing a hand whisk, mix nicely earlier than including the subsequent portion. 

• Proceed including the chocolate combination, one-quarter portion at a time. Mix nicely after every addition so the combination is homogeneous. Chocolate will solidify if the chocolate combination just isn’t heat sufficient or the yolk combination is just too chilly. For this reason it‘s necessary to make use of room-temperature eggs.

• Microwave 2 Tbsp milk for 10 seconds incrementally, till it‘s steaming. Add it to the batter and whisk to mix. Tip: The milk will assist heat up the batter, stopping the chocolate from hardening.

To Beat the Egg Whites

• Working with the whisk attachment of the mixer, beat the room-temperature egg whites at Medium pace till they’re foamy.

• Begin including ½ cup sugar in 3 separate additions whereas beating.

• Then, enhance the pace to Excessive and proceed beating till very smooth peaks type.

• To check for very smooth peaks, do the next: Take away the whisk attachment from the mixer. With the whisk attachment, hand combine the egg whites another time, scraping from the underside and carry it up. The egg whites shouldn’t be runny, but smooth sufficient that they drop a couple of occasions and cease. Don’t overbeat the egg whites.

To Add the Egg Whites and Dry Components

• Add one-third of the whipped egg whites to the batter. With the whisk, stir the combination with a scooping movement. Cease mixing while you see a pleasant marble impact (see subsequent step) within the combination.

• Add the dry components to the batter unexpectedly.

• Proceed utilizing a scooping movement with the whisk to mix the combination till the vast majority of the dry components are included however a bit little bit of dry components are nonetheless left.

• Add the remainder of the egg whites to the batter. Swap to a silicone spatula and gently fold within the egg whites, scraping the underside of the bowl. It‘s necessary to fold the batter with out deflating the air.

• Proceed to fold simply till the colour is uniform and no white streaks or dry components stay. Don’t overmix, however on the similar time, you possibly can‘t undermix because the cake might type a hole spot inside.  

• Pour the batter into the pan unexpectedly and in a single spot to each decrease air pockets and easy the highest of the batter. Drop the pan onto the counter two occasions to deliver up any air bubbles trapped within the batter.

To Bake

• Bake the cake at 350ºF (175ºC) for 55–60 minutes till a toothpick pulls out moist crumbs (not moist batter) when inserted close to the middle of the cake. Tip: For those who‘re utilizing a dark-colored cake pan, your cake might bake quicker than mine did. I like to recommend decreasing the oven temperature by 25ºF (15ºC) and checking for doneness 10 minutes earlier, beginning at concerning the 45-minute mark.

• When the cake is finished, take away it from the oven and firmly drop the cake pan on the countertop to permit the water vapors to flee. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the cake cool utterly within the pan. Because the cake cools, it could deflate a bit. For the very best taste and texture, wrap the cake (nonetheless within the pan) nicely so the moisture doesn‘t escape, then retailer it within the fridge in a single day.

To Unmold the Cake and Serve

• About quarter-hour earlier than serving the cake, take it out from the fridge. Run a knife alongside the sides of the cake. Then, fastidiously flip the cake over onto your hand and take away the pan.

• Invert the cake once more onto a cake plate or stand so it’s proper facet up. Take away the parchment paper from the perimeters of the cake. Go away the parchment paper on the underside in place.

To Adorn with Strawberries and Whipped Cream (choice 1)

• In a stand mixer, whip ⅔ cup heavy (whipping) cream (ought to be very chilly) and 4 tsp sugar till medium peaks type. For those who‘re hand-whisking, you possibly can whip whereas cooling the underside of the bowl with ice water. 

• Medium peaks imply while you carry the whisk, the cream will maintain its form, however the tip of the height will fold again on itself. To embellish the cake, use a fine-mesh sieve to mud the highest with a wonderful layer of confectioners’ sugar. Subsequent, high the cake with whipped cream; you possibly can both pipe it as you want or observe the simple methodology I present right here. First, switch the whipped cream to the middle of the cake‘s high.

• Unfold a circle of whipped cream with an offset spatula to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of the cake‘s edge.

• Reduce ½ lb strawberries in half lengthwise. Place the primary layer of strawberries, lower facet up and suggestions pointing outward, on the whipped cream to type a hoop close to the sting of the whipped cream circle. Then, place a second ring of strawberries, lower facet down this time, contained in the ring of the primary strawberry layer. Tip: For a pure look, create some irregular patterns.

• Put the third and remaining layer of strawberries across the heart. Adorn with small contemporary mint leaves on high and flippantly mud the strawberries with confectioners’ sugar. Take pleasure in!

To Adorn with Raspberries (choice 2)

Diet

Diet Information

Chocolate Gateau (Chocolate Cake)

Serving Measurement

 

1 8-inch cake

Quantity per Serving

% Every day Worth*

* % Every day Values are based mostly on a 2000 calorie weight loss plan.

Creator: Nami and Haruka (JOC Pastry Assistant)

Course: Dessert

Delicacies: French

Key phrase: cake, chocolate

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