La Bete Noire

French for The Black Beast
Bon Appetit-September 2006
















1 Cup Water
3/4 Cup Sugar
9 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, diced
18 Ounces Milk Chocolate Chips
6 Eggs

Chocolate Ganache
1 Cup Heavy Cream
8 Ounces Milk Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350. Butter 10-inch spring form pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment round; butter parchment. Wrap 3 layers of heavy duty foil around outside of pan, bringing foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim.

Combine water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly. Add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake cake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes. Remove from water bath; transfer to rack. Cool
completely in pan.

Chocolate Ganache
Bring whipping cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cake still in pan. Gently shake pan to distribute ganache evenly over top of cake.

Refrigerate cake in pan until ganache is set, about 2 hours. Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release sides. Cut cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream.