Spago's Chocolate Chiffon Cake

bmxmama's Note:

I adopted this recipe in a whirlwind zaar adoption in September 2006. I haven't myself made it but I will update the description as soon as I do. Absolutely the best chocolate cake

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 1 9inch r ...

• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs , separated
• 2 egg whites
• ½ cup vegetable oil (SEE NOTE)
• ½ cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. NOTE: Recipe has been printed in various places with 3/4 cups of oil.
2. Cake is softer but tends to sink in middle.
3. Note: cake can also be made in a bundt pan.
4. Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Butter or coat with vegetable spray and line with parchment round one 9-inch round cake pan.
6. Dust with flour, tapping out any excess flour.
7. Set aside.
8. Sift together 1 cup sugar, the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
9. Set aside.
10. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, with paddle or beaters, beat the egg yolks at hight speed.
11. Turn speed to low and pour in the oil, water and vanilla.
12. Gradually add the sifted ingredients, and when almost incorporated turn speed to medium and beat until well combined.
13. Remove bowl from machine.
14. In another clean large bowl, with whip or beaters, whip the 6 egg whites until soft peaks form.
15. Start on medium speed and raise speed as peaks begin to form.
16. Gradually pour in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and whip until whites are shiny and firm but not stiff.
17. With a rubber spatula, fold 1/4 of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then scrape the chocolate mixture back into the whites, quickly folding until completely incorporated.
18. Scrape into the prepared pan (Note: do not fill cake pans more than 2/3 full. If you have some batter leftover make cupcakes.) and bake until edges of the cake pull away from the pan and a tester, gently inserted into the center of the cake, comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
19. Cool on a rack.
20. To remove, run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to loosen cake.
21. Invert onto rack.
22. Place 9-inch cardboard round on cake and invert cake onto round.

Reviews

[Gay Gilmore]

This cake tastes great. It takes a fair amount of work, but it took great honors from the person who's birthday it was made for. (I made this as a part of the German Chocolate Cake recipe also posted by this chef). Ok, my problem was this. I wanted to make a 2 layer cake for the German Chocolate Cake version, so I doubled this recipe. I thought something might be wrong when I poured the mix into the cake pans (large restaurant size pans)...there was so much... Sure enough there was soon cake all over my oven -- another lesson learned, always put them on jelly roll pans with parchement. I'm not really a baker so I don't know if this was a problem with my doubling, but I could easily have made a 3 layer cake with the amount of cake that was left on the oven floor. Still I'll make this again, and I know because I know I'll be asked to. [Editor's Note: recipe edited as a result of this review 1/2/03]

[Melinda Majors]

The moistest chocolate cake I have ever made.

[Chef #560503]

Its alot of work. It wasn't fully cooked at 30 mins. At 45 minutes it was done and looked great but as it cooled it more than sunk in the middle. It looked so deflated and the texture was tough.