Hot Milk and Cocoa Sponge Cake
- Easy
- 60 min
- Kcal 291
Torta tenerina (Moist chocolate cake) is traditional dessert from the city of Ferrara, but its delights have conquered all of Italy. No one can resist a slice of this fantastic cake! Is it because of its fragrant external crust, or its texture that melts in the mouth with each bite? We fell in love with both of them, but one thing is certain: its intense chocolate flavor makes everyone agree! The moist chocolate cake contains few ingredients and it is without yeast, which allows it to remain low and moist inside, just as the name suggests: in the dialect of Ferrara it was also called "Torta Taclenta", which means "sticky cake". It is a simple dessert to make, with guaranteed success: to enhance its flavor, try serving it together with a delicate mascarpone cream and enjoy its delights! It is perfect for any occasion, as well as Father's Day!
To prepare the cake, finely chop the chocolate 1, then transfer it to a bowl in a pan with water (the water should not come into contact with the bottom of the bowl or pot in which you poured your chocolate) and melt in a bain-marie, stirring continuously 2. When the chocolate has melted, but is not too hot, add the chopped butter 3
and let it melt while continuing to stir 4. Since the exact melting temperature of chocolate is around 120° F (50° C), the butter should only be added when the chocolate has melted, making sure that it does not exceed its melting point (which is about 90° F, or 32° C), and thus preventing it from separating. Let the chocolate and butter mixture cool, stirring occasionally. In the meantime separate the yolks from the egg whites in two separate large bowls. Add the sugar to the egg whites 5 and beat them until a firm, frothy mixture is obtained 6.
Set the beaten egg whites aside and pour the remaining sugar into the yolks 7, then beat them at a moderate speed until you obtain a clear, frothy mixture 8. While continuing to blend, pour in the now lukewarm chocolate and butter mixture 9,
and keep mixing until a uniform texture is obtained 10. Add the whipped egg whites in several stages: initially add about 1/3 of the egg whites 11 stirring with a spatula 12 or whisk.
Then incorporate the remaining egg whites by gently stirring from the bottom up 13. Sprinkle in the flour 14 and stir with a spatula, using gentle movements from bottom to top 15
until smooth and uniform 16. Grease with butter and sprinkle some flour a 9-inch (23 cm) springform cake pan (this will make it easier to remove the soft cake), and pour in the freshly prepared dough (17-18). Bake in a static oven preheated to 355° F (180° C) for 30-35 minutes (we do not recommend the use of a ventilated oven, as it could cook the cake unevenly).
Once out of the oven 19 let your moist chocolate cake cool before removing it from the pan 20 and sprinkling with powdered sugar 21.