|
 Cooking with Chocolate
Deutsch Butterkuchen (German Butter Cake)
Germany is another country well known for its rich, dark chocolate. This particular recipe mixes a light, delicate cake similar to American pound cake with dark, delicious chocolate marbling. You can serve it topped with whipped cream or ice cream and chocolate sauce.
Ingredients:
 |
3 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate |
|
3 cups cake flour, sifted after measuring
|
|
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
|
|
1-3/4 teaspoons baking powder
|
|
1/2 teaspoon salt
|
|
4 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
|
|
1/3 cup whole milk
|
|
2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
|
|
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
|
|
Powdered sugar, for garnishing cake top (optional)
|
Instructions:
| 1) |
Preheat the oven to 350°F and position the rack in the center of the oven. Prepare a 12-cup Bundt pan (or a tube pan) by greasing it well and coating it with flour.
|
| 2) |
Place 1 inch of water in the bottom of a double boiler and heat it until it is hot but not boiling. Then melt the chocolate in the top of the double boiler stirring occasionally. Once the chocolate has melted, place the double boiler aside, keeping the chocolate over the water so that it will stay warm.
|
| 3) |
Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a medium bowl, using a fork, beat together the eggs, yolk, milk, and vanilla, until the mixture is well blended.
|
| 4) |
Add the butter and half of the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Beat on low speed until the mixture is thoroughly blended but not overmixed. Raise the speed of the mixer to high and beat for 1 minute. Add the remaining egg mixture and beat on high speed for 1 minute longer, until the batter is fluffy and smooth. Stir together the melted chocolate and 1-1/4 cups of the batter until the mixture is well blended.
|
| 5) |
Spoon out half of the plain batter into five or six pools in the prepared pan. Then spoon pools of the chocolate batter into the spaces between the pools of plain batter. Top the entire mixture with pools of the remaining plain batter. Swirl a table knife through the batter until is has a marbled appearance.
|
| 6) |
Bake the cake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it stand until the cake is completely cooled. Run a knife around the pan edges to loosen it. Invert the pan onto a serving plate and slide out the cake. Dust it with a little sifted powdered sugar, if desired.
|
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Continue to British Chocolate Bread Pudding
|
 |
|
The Swiss consume the most chocolate (23 lbs per person each year), followed by the Germans and Belgians.
|
|
