Chocolate Pastry

This is a lot like a sheet of chocolate sponge cake.

6 eggs
pinch salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
2 tablespoons strong coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 11 x 16 jelly roll pan or a 9 x 13 pan and line with parchment paper.
Separate eggs. Beat egg whites with salt until they hold soft peaks. Add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is very firm, about 5 minutes in all.
Stir egg yolks with a fork to break them up. Stir in melted chocolate, coffee, and vanilla. Fold 1/4 of the stiffly beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture. Pour back over remaining egg whites. Fold all gently together. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking about 5 minutes longer, or until top of pastry is firm. Cool in pan.
Sift cocoa evenly over a sheet of wax paper. Turn out pastry on cocoa covered paper. Carefully peel off paper lining.

Yum

2 comments

  • I borrowed your grandmother’s ,”Art of Baking’ from kathy m but this is more fun! glad you are doing this in your grandmother’s tradition! I need gluten and dairy free cakes for my daughter Miranda’s birthday. I am thinking this plus a broyage (substituted arrowroot for cornstarch) and a chocolate buttercream filling. (She loves chocolate and tolerates butter) Any suggestions or tips? Can I make one big cake and cut it?

  • I haven’t actually tried the broyage yet but that sounds delicious. One big cake should work. You could also make the Chocolate Roll with this pastry and chocolate buttercream. Additionally, there are number of gluten free cakes in The Art of Fine Baking that use finely ground almonds or almond flour – Hunter Cake and Chocolate Ring are a few I’ve done for this site.

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