Flourless Chocolate Cake

Flourless Chocolate Cake
from the kitchen of Ellen, with thanks to Cook's Illustrated

• Ingredients:
• 8 large eggs, cold
• 1 lb bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 lb unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1/4 cup strong coffee (optional) but really enhances flavor
• confectioner's sugar for decoration
• heavy foil
• Preheat oven:
• to 325 degrees, adjusting oven rack to lower-middle position.  Line bottom of 8" springform pan with parchment and grease pan bottom and sides. Cover pan underneath and along sides with heavy-duty foil and set in large roasting pan.  Bring some water to boil.
• Beat:
• eggs on high until volume doubles, about 5 minutes.  
• Melt:
• chocolate and butter (adding coffee if using) in large heatproof bowl set over pan of almost simmering water, until smooth and warm (about 155 degrees), stirring until fully homogenous.  Fold 1/3 of egg foam into chocolate mixture using large rubber spatula until only a few streaks of egg are visible.  Fold in 1/2 of remaining foam, then last of remaining foam, until mixture is totally homogenous.
• Scrape:
• batter into prepared springform pan and smooth surface with rubber spatula.  Set roasting pan on oven rack and pour in enough boiling water to come about halfway up side of springform pan.  
• Bake:
• until cake has risen slightly, edges are just beginning to set, and interior registers 140 degrees, 22-25 minutes.  Remove cake pan from water bath and set on wire rack; cool to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate overnight. 
• 30 minutes:
• before serving, remove springform pan sides, invert cake on sheet of waxed paper, peel off parchment, and turn cake right side up on serving platter.  Sprinkle top with confectioner's sugar, if desired.