I have a confession to make : I’m not a fan of chocolate. Well, I like it and don’t say no to a square of milk chocolate from time to time. But in restaurants and at home, I systematically choose a lemon cake or a fruit tart over a chocolate dessert.
But I know that I’m quite alone in this case and it’s sometimes difficult to stand in this sea of chocolate lovers. So I’ve decided to add a chocolate cake recipe to my repertoire, to make when I have guests or when I want to make friends and family happy.
But this cake needed to be chocolaty without being overly sweet, not greasy and light as a feather. So bye bye dense brownies and rich fondants !
While searching, I found the best combination, fluffy eggs for the lightness, good chocolate, not too much butter, hazelnut flour and buckweat flour for the nuttyness.
Also, it goes well with many toppings : chopped hazelnuts, pistachios, roasted pears or apples, in winter, and strawberries and raspberries in summer.
French light chocolate cake with pistachios
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
100 g unsalted butter
100 g bittersweet dark chocolate (70 to 72 percent is ideal)
4 large eggs
100 g blond cane sugar
35 g buckwheat flour
35 g hazelnut flour
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To serve
Chopped pistachios
Chopped hazelnuts
Roasted pears
Strawberries
1. Preheat your oven at 180°C and butter a round pan. Melt your butter with the chocolat in a microwave or in a double boiler, stirring often.
2. Beat the eggs with the sugar and salt in a mixer until light and fluffy (5_10 minutes)
3. Gently fold in the butter and chocolate. Add the flours and vanilla.
4. Pour in your pan and bake for 20-30 minutes. Serve with the suggested toppings or as is.