Chili Chocolate Cake
Sep 10, 2008
I just completed watching the movie Chocolat with Juliet Binoche, Judi Dench and Johnny Depp. It’s a movie about a woman’s journey introducing chocolate to a small village in France in the 1960’s. She opens a chocolaterie that shakes up the rigid morality of the community. Her chili powder with cocoa was one of the big hits with all the locals that ventured to go into her store. The tag line of the movie is “One Taste Is All It Takes”. With the movie as the inspiration I made this chili chocolate cake. The chili adds a wonderful subtle warmth with every bite. I must confess I ate three pieces of the cake, as it was so delightful.
According to Wikipedia historically chocolate was consumed in a bitter, spicy drink called xocoatl (chocolate), and was often flavored with vanilla, chile pepper, and achiote (known today as annatto). Xocoatl was believed to fight fatigue, a belief that is probably attributable to the theobromine content. If you haven’t had a chance to see Chocolat I highly recommend it, it’s a heart warming movie. You’ll also feel inspired to make this cake too!
Ingredients
| 1 |
cup or 7oz. best quality cooking chocolate, I used 72% unsweetened chocolate |
| 6 ⅓ |
tablespoons unsalted butter, softened |
| 2 |
tablespoons all purpose flour |
| ½ |
teaspoon chili powder |
| 1 |
cup super fine sugar |
| 3 |
eggs, separated |
Serves
6
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Directions
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F
Gently melt the chocolate in the oven, microwave or in a heat-proof bowl suspended over simmering water (as per chocolate fondue recipe).
Mix the chocolate with the softened butter, flour, chili powder, sugar and lightly beaten egg yolks.
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
Turn the cake mixture into a buttered loaf tin (approximately 8 inches long) and bake in pre-heated oven for 35 minutes. The cake will be cooked when a thin crust has formed on top. It may appear slightly under-cooked inside, however it will become firmer as it cools. The ultimate result is a moist, dense cake with a crackly exterior.
Turn out onto cake rack as soon as it is cooled.
Credit
Elizabeth David, French Provincial Cooking
Filed Under
Dessert
Spices Used
Chili
26 Comments
“I have always wanted to make a chili chocolate cake. But never could find a simple recipe. Ill try this recipe this weekend. ”
—Amy, about 1 year ago
“it's amazing, thanks! (:”
—Flynn, about 1 year ago
“wow! How beautiful. i love the powdered sugar dusting and the display with blueberries. one of my favorite combos is chocolate and spice... this sounds lovely!”
—heather, about 1 year ago
“This looks really delicious. I really like the use of chilies. ”
—Fearless Kitchen, about 1 year ago
“Did you use a semi sweet chocolate? And what kind of chili did you use? Being from the Southwest we have many kinds. Thanks, Can't wait to make it. Melissa”
—Melissa, about 1 year ago
“I used a 72% baking chocolate, and used regular chili powder from a bottle”
—Ursula, about 1 year ago
“Ursula,
Did you use SWEETENED baking chocolate? or unsweetened chocolate? I would like to make this cake this weekend.
Thanks, Stacey Snacks”
—Stacey Snacks, about 1 year ago
“I used unsweetened baking chocolate.”
—Ursula, about 1 year ago
“ I would love to make this recipe. How many ounces of chocolate did you use?”
—Kristina , about 1 year ago
“Hi Kristina, I used 7 ounces of chocolate”
—Ursula, about 1 year ago
“Hi Ursula,
Is it only two tablespoons of flour? Should I expect to see something more like brownie batter? ”
—Ellie, about 1 year ago
“Yes, its only two, yes the batter will more look more like brownie batter, than a traditional cake batter. ”
—Ursula, about 1 year ago
“Ursula,
I made your chili chocolate cake and it came out delicious. Thanks for the helpful hints. It will be on my blog within the next few days, giving you credit. Thanks!
Stacey Snacks”
—Stacey Snacks, about 1 year ago
“That looks delicious, cant wait to make it. It should be served with vanilla ice cream. ”
—Del, about 1 year ago
“ended up with a cinder block! wtf???”
—SS, about 1 year ago
“how the hell do you measure out 6 1/3 tablespoons of butter!?!? what a daft measurement, whats that in grams?”
—Frank, about 1 year ago
“350 degrees centigrade must be totally wrong. surely 180 or thereabouts?”
—Sophie, 11 months ago
“Hi Sophie,
Indeed you are correct!. Ursula”
—Ursula, 11 months ago
“i am making this on the week-end and i only have sweetened chocolate, will it make a big difference in the flavour? or should i adjust the amount of chili powder i use, to get the same taste”
—Elliot, 11 months ago
“Hi Eliot, I would reduce the sugar to half a cup to make up for the sweetened chocolate. Let me know how it goes. Ursula”
—Ursula, 11 months ago
“Does this recipe require modification in order to make cupcakes? Other than the time spent in the oven, of course.”
—Missy, 9 months ago
“Missy,
I would use an existing chocolate batter for the cupcake and add 1 teaspoon of chili powder. Let me know how it goes. Ursula”
—Ursula, 9 months ago
“Hello, I would just like to know, does this make a good birthday cake as well? I know that it's a very moist cake and I'm just making sure that it's okay to put icing on it. I'm making it tomorrow for my mom's birthday. Thanks! :)”
—Benjamin, 4 months ago
“Oh yes, and would you have any suggestions as to what icing I may use? I'm thinking white with little red chili designes or probably black...”
—Benjamin, 4 months ago
“Is powdered sugar the same as super fine sugar? ”
—Amy, 4 months ago
“Hi Amy, you should check out this link. It explains powdered vs super fine sugar.
http://www.slashfood.com/2006/05/23/sugar-vs-powdered-sugar-vs-superfine-sugar/
Ursula”
—Ursula, 4 months ago