For local chefs, Valentine’s Day is a day where they can be creative in the kitchen for their guests, but what about for someone special? Tom’s Tavern chef, Jim Gallen, is a husband, dad to three little girls and local chef that loves to take classic dishes and elevate them by putting a sophisticated spin. Every Valentine’s Day, Gallen makes his French Chocolate Cake that leaves his wife and children chocolate-wasted on the special day.
French Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 9 ounces bitter sweet chocolate the higher quality, the better the results
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. orange flavored liqueur
- 5 eggs
- 1 Ybsp. all purpose flour
- whipped cream and powdered sugar for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the cake pan prior to preparation of ingredients, preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Spray a 9” spring form cake pan with nonstick baking spray
- Wrap a cake pan in foil and place in a water bath with water going about ¾ inch up the side of the pan
- Melt the chocolate, sugar and butter in a double broiler until smooth
- Mix eggs and flour together
- After chocolate mixture cools for five minutes, add the liqueur
- Slowly add chocolate mixture to egg mixture, mix until well blended
- Pour in to cake pan
- Bake for 25 minutes or until a slight crack forms on the top of the cake
- Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes
- Remove cake pan and turn onto a wire rack (the top should now be the bottom)
- Gently lift off pan base (it will be too difficult if you let it cool longer)
- Garnish with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream