Chocolate Torte with Crème Anglaise

this recipe is really rich, so I suggest serving really small pieces, and never telling people how much butter went into making it!

But once you get past the calories, it is probably the most decadent dessert I have made.

I have tried this chocolate torte several times and love it. It's true that it is loaded with butter and chocolate, and eggs but that's exactly what gives it it's pure flavour. I tell people exactly what's in it and then tell them to eat up before I eat it all!

I just made this torte and read the foot note too late about using a springform pan. What is the reason not to use one, for me it's too late but hopefully the torte will turn out just fine.

These pans can leak, which is why we suggest not using them for this torte. You could wrap the bottom of the springform with foil, I suppose, like you would do if you were making a cheesecake.

But we have always had much better success, with this particular recipe, when we used a regular, thick cake pan (preferably one that is non-stick).

Thanks for your response, yes it did leak a tad so I understand why you recommend not using one. The torte however, was very good and it's so easy, I did have to bake it longer than specified, perhaps it's because we live in a reasonably high altitude or maybe it's my gas oven.

I attempted to make this torte for a small dinner party. Everything seemed to be going well, but when I baked this, it remained "soupy", even after 40 minutes of baking! I was very disappointed, but it was at least salvageable with ice cream. Any suggestions on what might have happened? My own 2 worrisome parts: 1. one or more of my eggs looked a little dry when I put them in, even though they were well within the expiration limit; 2. when the recipe said after cooking a few minutes the sugar should melt, it still was slightly grainy, so I ended up cooking it for more than 10 minutes. Thanks, Kaisa S.

P.S. I made 2 other recipes from Rouxbe and they were both excellent!

I am making this right now, to investigate what might have went wrong for you. I have made it many times and never had a problem. Glad to hear that you still ate it...thank goodness for ice cream (ha! ha!). Together we will figure this out for you.
Stay tuned!

I baked the torte against the video and the text, using the exact same equipment...right down to the wooden spoon, and it was perfectly baked after 24 minutes. I made notes as I went along to try and figure out why it didn't work for you.

Here are some thoughts I had:

Oven Temperature - is it correct? Surprisingly, ovens can be off by quite a bit.
Was your oven preheated?

As for the ingredients, precise measuring is key. It's one of the places where things can easily go wrong.

Also the the quality of the chocolate is important, you'll need a dark chocolate (one that is at least 54% cocoa mass)?

As for the sugar not fully melting, mine didn't either and it's perfectly fine. I did let the chocolate/butter/sugar sit for about 5 minutes or so before I started adding the eggs, of which, I added one at a time, using a wooden spoon.

I say, don't give up. Try it again, because having eating this last night for dinner, reinforces how delicious this torte really is. Good luck and let us know how it works out for you.

Dawn, there are various grades of dark chocolate to choose from. Semi-sweet, 60% Cocao Bittersweet, 70% Cocao Extra Bittersweet, 100% Cocao Unsweetened, which do you recommend for the Chocolate Torte with Creme Anglaise? I'm making it for a dinner party tomorrow and don't want any unpleasant suprises!

I recommend a semi-sweet or dark chocolate (at least 54% cocoa mass). I tend to use a dark chocolate myself. I have never tried the Extra Bittersweet and I think the 100 percent might be a bit too strong...(but that's just an educated guess).

Good Luck with the Torte...and just remember to be accurate with your measurements, this seems to be the place people tend to run into trouble with this torte.

It is delicious though, I have made it many many times!

Dawn, I made this Torte as a birthday cake and coupled with the Creme Anglaise was sinfully decadent, but worth every calorie! I used the 60% Cocao Bittersweet Chocolate. I did however, have to bake it for approximately 35 minutes, as after 20 minutes it was still a tad soupy in the center despite a half hour of preheating. This is a high end restaurant quality dessert, perfect for a special occasion.

I made this Torte and found it needed more time in the oven and it must be due to my imperial-to-metric conversion, I guess the numbers do tend to vary depending on the conversion method and chosen ingredient density which does cause problems...
Would it be possible to put up a link with same basic data - how much milliliter is your cup of liquid, how much grams is a cup of flower, butter and sugar etc and I'll be more than happy to do the calculations myself, and in this way there would be no need to revise all of the recepies.
I was very surprised to find so many types of cups and with the ingredient density varying so much depending on how it was processed, you could end up measuring almost double the amount than needed...
Nevertheless, the cake is fabulous, I just hope you add more dessert recipes and fast because I'm dying to try them out!
Great job!

I would also love to see weight measurements instead of, or in addition to, cups. It is much easier to weigh butter, for instance, than to try cramming it into a measuring cup, saves on dishes I'm sure! I'd also love it if the oven temperatures were given in metric as well, it would save me time looking it up on other sites!

The posted comments and replies help as much as the detailed Video in attempting this challenging but rewarding recipe. Following the instructions to the letter I still found I needed to cook the torte for over 45 mins. At the time I removed it from the oven, the top was still soft. After cooling for 10 mins, while tipping out using cooling rack during transfer to plate, ridged indentations were left from the rack. The dessert when served 4 hours later was best described as "granular & crunchy" on the surface and edges but perfect inside. The appearance on the surface, beside the ridges, was pockmarked rather than smooth. Not sure if the final diagnosis is : slightly overcooked? Oven temp was monitored by an accurate in situ thermometer on middle rack. Two other comments: There is no way the Creme Anglaise can be made with care in under 30 mins. Whenever eggs are used for exacting recipes, the size should be stated. Depending on where you shop, the sizes vary enormously. I used Large from a US source but could have bought Xtra L or Jumbo at almost twice the size each.
With the right feedback, I intend to make this again and get it perfect - the dessert is potentially a 10.
John (husband of life member)

I made this a few days ago for the first time and it came out perfectly. Very rich, moist and oozing tons of chocolaty flavour. It went down a real treat with my family! I used 76% French chocolate and the only issue was with my temperamental oven which meant that I had to bake it for longer and keep a watchful eye over the baking process. 10/10

I have used chocolate chips instead of chocolate bar for this recipe and can't tell the difference. Chips are about half the price of bars. Is there any difference in chips vs bars? This recipe is a big hit among my friends. Thanks.

I have never used chocolate chips, but if they worked for you then super.
Maybe try using a high quality chocolate just once, to see if it makes a difference to you.

Glad to hear you like the torte!!

I am using high quality chocolate.....Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chips...seems to be same specs as Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet bar at about half the price. I can't tell the difference between chips and bar chocolate. Am I missing something?

The difference between choc. chips and chocolate bars is that many chocolate chips, especially the more mainstream commercial brands, are made with less cocoa butter so that they retain their shape. So when melting them, the result is not always as smooth.

Sounds like you are using good chocolate though, so you will be okay (do you have any for me :-)
Below is a link from a blog that talks a lot about chocolate. Good, short facts and questions by David Lebovitz.
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/11/chocolate_faqs.html

I have made this a number of times. It is incredible. But why stir in the flour? What does this small amount flour do?

The flour acts as a binder. It is just a bit, but it helps to bind the ingredients together.

I had the same disaster as Kaisa. It is all granular and was not cooked in 45 minutes. I used quality ingredients and measured it all perfectly. Any suggestions?

Hi Barbara. This recipe is truly a mysterious one to us at Rouxbe. To date it looks like 74 people have rated this recipe and it has a 95% average success rating. So for most, it appears to work just fine. And for the few times that this hasn't worked out for one of our members, we have tested this recipe again and have always had the same great results.

As you claim to have used good ingredients (chocolate) and followed the recipe precisely, my only thought is that perhaps your oven temperature is lower than most and that it simply did not cook long enough for the sugar to dissolve and for the cake to set.

As I've said before, try to ignore all cooking times on all recipes. In cooking school, you are never allowed to ask the question - "How long until this is done". It's done when it is done. I could make this cake 50 times and it will likely take 50 different cooking times to cook this to perfection. Why? First, I could open the door 3 times for the first cake and then 5 times for the 2nd cake - meaning I lose heat and it will take longer. Or, i could turn the dial on the over to a different temperature (maybe even off by only 2 degrees). Lastly, every oven is off by a few degrees or more. So one key trick to cooking success is to learn how to tell when things are done. For this cake, we show you at the end of the video.

I'm not sure if this response will provide any comfort for you, particularly given that you invested money and time into making this torte. I can only hope that it helps.

Hi

I made this torte recently - using the absolute best baking chocolate I could lay my hands on - and while melting the chocolate I turned on my gas oven to preheat -- and was rewarded with a very small explosion because, apparently, the igniter chose that precise moment to malfunction. So there I was with a pot of melted chocolate and no oven.

So I turned on my gas BBQ -- both sides --- allowed it to heat up and then turned on side down low and the other off. I placed the torte onto the unlit side, put down the lid and crossed my fingers!

After 20 minutes I went down and rotated the pan -- closed the lid, left it another 15 minute and..... the resulting torte was amazing -- beautifully cooked, moist and delicious and a total hit.

I am making this again -- but next time I do plan to use my oven.

Huge thumbs up for this one!!

Yeah, way to use your instincts, good thing to know in case the power ever goes out. I am so glad it turned out for you :-)

I'm wondering if the size of the cake pan that's used has any effect on the duration of the cooking time? The pan in the video seems smaller yet deeper than my 9" pan.

The pan size would have an affect on the cooking time. A larger pan would mean a thinner cake - therefore it would likely need less time. A smaller pan would make the cake thicker...which would mean longer time. However we used a 9" pan, so if yours is also 9" then the cooking times will likely be around the same time, as the depth of the pan won't really affect the cooking time here. The cooking time will mostly likely differ based on your oven. Hope this helps!

Awesome!...I gave it a test drive before my dinner party...did I already say awesome? I did have to cook mine for 40 minutes. I live at 5300ft so I'm not sure if the altitude has any effect on the cooking time, I didn't adjust the flour or sugar and I usually see high altitude changes for these two ingredients.Would you recommend any changes to them. It came out really moist and rich. I splurged and bought two 3.5 oz.good quality 75% chocolate bars so it was easy to measure out the 7 oz.

would the egg temperature make a difference

The temperature off the eggs should be room temperature or at least not overly cold. But they are added one by one so it shouldn't change the temperature of the chocolate too much.

I've noticed that a few people have been having the same recurring problem ive had with this recipe, in that the cake doesnt properly set up, even after prolonged baking.

Myself, i can't accurately say i've ensured that the eggs were room temperature prior to their addition, but i did find that increasing the amount of flour from one teaspoon to one tablespoon has had tremendously positive results. I'm wary to add much more, but those of you curious to try, i do recommend upping the amount of flour at least once to see if it helps.

I tried it a second time and followed Dawn's directions exactly..ingredients, time cooked & oven temp. It was perfect. The only thing I did different was I used convection bake on my oven. I think every oven differes in how they cook and how they hold heat.

I made this torte the other night for a dinner party. Being new to baking, I approached it with a mix of fear and excitement. It was absolutely amazing. However, during the baking process it nearly rose out of the cake pan. It came down after cooling obviously, but in the video recipe I didn't notice the any rise. Some of the butter I used was salted...do you think that could have caused it? Just wondering, not that it made a difference, it turned out delicious!

Don't worry it may rise a bit in the oven (ours did actually)...the bit of salted butter shouldn't have made a difference.

Although I had the same undercooked situation others experienced, the taste of this dessert was incredible! And the final consistency was very usable. I'm not a chocolate freak, but appreciate good chocolate. Learning all about chocolate in advance (thanks Rouxbe!) this recipe was a big hit, and I will definitely make it again. The more recipes I make from this site, the more single meals I make. I have 4 picky eaters with my wife and 3 pre-teen kids. But more helpers too!

Hi dawn! I was shopping for this recipe today (to prepare tomorrow) and the store had two types of Scharffen Berger chocolate.

The first, is described as "semisweet - with the following description - 62% CACAO SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE

With soft notes of citrus and honey overtones, our 62% Cacao Semisweet bar has a perfectly balanced flavor profile. Our distinctive chocolates are created using the world's best cacao beans blended in small batches on vintage European equipment.

The second, described as "bittersweet" -70% CACAO BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE

With bright fruitiness and a long, smooth finish, our 70% Cacao Bittersweet bar embodies everything we love about cacao.

I picked up the bittersweet but wonder if the semisweet might be more appropriate, as I'm not cooking until tomorrow I can easily trade one for the other. I have never made a chocolate torte before, so I would certainly appreciate your advice.

Either would work really, but for the best results I would actually try a piece of the chocolate that you bought...if it tastes really bitter then I would maybe go for the semi (some chocolate - even the same % of cocoa can taste more bitter than others. I have even had a Valrhona that was 90% that was smooth and creamy, with no bitterness at all).

Hope this helps Matthew. Good luck with the torte! We are here if you have any questions.

Thank you Dawn

This recipe is from a talented chef named Trish Deseine (her last name is French, but she is actually British), for anyone that is interested here is a quick video that Trish did for this recipe -
http://www.rte.ie/food/2008/0828/fondantauchocolat.html

The only thing that I will point out is that her measurements for the flour vary slightly from her cookbook. There is also no espresso in the cookbook version.

I have always made it the way that is shown in the Rouxbe video (with only 1 tsp of flour and no espresso), but I am pretty sure you would be okay to follow how she does it in her video.

I searched this recipe and found it on several sites. It seemed to vary every time some use less eggs, more flour, some glaze the cake, most do not. I also noticed that the comments on other sites were very similar to the comments here...it either turned out perfectly and people loved it, or else they had troubles and didn't know why...but they still loved loved loved the flavor.

I say if you are going to make this gateau, don't make it the first time on the day of a big party. Make it once before to see that you get the results you are looking for, as it can be a tricky one for some. I know that may sound a bit crazy, but the mystery of why this gateau turns out for some and not for others, is just that "a mystery"...but it's one that is worth trying!!!

I will do more research and keep you updated on this delicious recipe.

My first try (made a day before a dinner party) resulted in what my wife called "the world's best brownie." The top of the torte was crisp and the interior was chewy. I made the torte as per the Rouxbe instructions, however I added two teaspoons of flour as opposed to the one in the instructions. I overcooked the torte (31 minutes) as believe I was fearful that the torte had not set.

The next day (day of the party) I awoke and resolved to try a second attempt. This time I followed the directions exactly. At 20 minutes the tort still looked underdone - I cooked it another 3 minutes and removed, rested and plated the torte.

The torte was extraordinary - we served slices on a bed of creme Anglaise along with a dollop of warm cherry compote (also Rouxbe recipe - except we added 3 tablespoons of Edel Kirsch - Black Forest cherry liqueur).

Thank you Dawn and Joe!

Some of the things that have gone wrong with the cakes can be your alt. for those of you that are over 5400 ft. add 1 tbl. spoon of corn starch and 1 eye your cakes will come out fine. Also gas doesn't cook cakes or anything esle at that alt. sorry but elect. is the wy to go for baking you can cook on top of your stove but not for baking.

OK as I rewatched the video to see if I did anything differently these are the things I noticed. I forgot what the exact chocolate I used but it was a 70% chocolate. I melted the chocolate first, and not all at once. i melted like half of it and once it melted I added more then let that melt. After I did that I added the butter the same way tablespoon my tablespoon. (stirring often for both) I added the sugar. The sugar never seemed to melt into the batter. it was always a bit grainy.

After 25 minutes I still had soup. I continued to about 50min when I just took it out anyway. I have an oven thermometer I was checking that as well.

I am not sure what to do differently

oh my altitude is 750 ft

Sorry I am not sure exactly what may have gone wrong. I am also not sure of your question. You did put it in the oven to bake it right? And after it came out it was still soupy? or did it set? I am also not an expert at altitude cooking.

Did you read all of the other comments? Sorry I couldn't be of more help! Cheers.

I did cook it in the oven at 375. I just could not get the thing to set. I was trying to describe to you you what I had done that was different then the video. Since I was following your text recipe when I was actually cooking I did not do it exactly as the video. Since I have enough material to make 2 I was planing on making it again today. I was trying to find out if any of the things that I did differently from the video would have an effect of it not setting.

Thanks

Hi Justin, I would say read the comments in this thread and then watch the video again. And good for you for not giving up, this is an excellent dessert. Good Luck!

This is one of the more decadent desserts I've ever had. I had beautiful results using 62% cacao Semisweet Scharffen Berger Chocolate. I am at about sea level in Southern California and I left it in to cook for 29 minutes which resulted in a beautiful torte. I have a gas oven and it was all liquid at 20 minutes (preheated for over 20 minutes as well - normal preheat time is 10 mins.).

One thing though Dawn. You said to not use a Springform pan. Seeing that it was the only pan we had, we had no choice but to use it. It's a Cephalon and it didn't leak at all. Maybe it's the brand but we had no problems what-so-ever. It was also much easier to take out once we cooked it than a conventional pan. Just my experience. Though, your results may vary based on your altitude and equipment I suspect.

Question - After we make it, how long will it stay good for? Should we put it in the fridge?

Thanks!

Any leftovers will last for a few days. You can keep it wrapped on the counter for a day or so. Any longer and you might want to refrigerate it. I actually put leftovers in the refrigerator right away (out of site out of mind, so we don't eat too much) and then just bring it to room temperature before serving. Hope this helps!

Hi Dawn,
This is my first time to try this recipe and I find it very easty. I followed every steps indicated and even watched the video you provided while baking. It takes me around 40mins to bake this but after I'm done and setting it aside to cool for 5 mins. When I was going to remove it from the pan, it didn't went well, the center of the torte was stick in the pan. I try patting the pan but still it didn't work. I don't know what went wrong, is it because I didn't used a wooden spoon to mix the ingredient but instead I use a spatula, was this the reason for the torte didn't went well ? I did spray the pan before baking cause I don't have a non stick pan. Still my torte was broken into pieces instead of a whole round torte between I used brown sugar in baking this torte, really don't know what went wrong. Please advise. Your help is much appreciated. Thanks!

Sounds like this may have been a result of your pan. I have always used a non-stick pan (as stated in the recipe) and I have never had issues with it sticking or crumbling when it comes time to remove the torte from the pan.

Maybe your pan was not greased well enough or perhaps it had some sticky or scratched parts on the bottom that caused it to stick.

Also, I have not tried substituting the white sugar with brown sugar. Brown sugar is definitely softer, contains more moisture and would likely affect the texture of the torte.

I say try it again, use a non-stick pan and white sugar and see how it goes for you. Good luck!!

Hi there!!!...I made this torte! it was great!I followed every step, the only thing I had to change was the time in the oven...28 minutes instead of 25...but it was delicious and everyone had a great experience...thanks Rouxbe you are great!!

I'm going to make this for Easter and I'm kind of worried that I'm going to use a non non-stick pan. I was wondering if I lined the bottom with wax paper would that change a lot. Should I also spray or use butter to coat the pan? I've been trying almost a recipe a day. (sound familiar?) Everything is turning out great.

I would recommend a non-stick pan; however if you want to try another pan I would suggest you use the parchment as well as a very lightly coating of butter around the sides. Hope this helps and hope you enjoy it - cheers!

Can I use a less quality chocolate? Is the cocoa quantity essential for the structure of the cake,or just for the flavor?

Use a good quality chocolate as indicated for both flavor and structure. For more information on chocolate, there is a whole lesson in the cooking school about the Basics of Quality Chocolate. Cheers!

I tried tried the recipe and cooked I think for over 40 minutes. I had to take it out eventually because the top became partially burnt. My oven dial goes 50degrees a measure, so i had to turn it to 200C. Also, I do not have all purpose flour so I used cake flour instead. Will it be better if I used half-cake flour and half-bread flour to substitute for all-purpose flour? Is my problem at my oven temperature or at the flour? thanks a bunch!

Sounds like the problem could be both your oven and the flour you used. I suggest that you make it again using all-purpose flour (or 1/2 bread and 1/2 cake flour). This will give the cake the proper structure. Also, be sure to buy yourself an oven thermometer as the temperature of your oven plays a major role in cooking, especially, when it comes to baking. Cheers!

thanks Dawn for the comment! The cake actually turned out fine after a night of refrigerating (no wonder the recipe said to make it a day before)! I suggest all those who have a problem with making the cake set could try to refrigerate it. But next time I think I'll follow the recipe to the letter (even bought a wooden spoon for it!). We had the cake for our new year's eve party, and it was a hit even for the boys who don't like sweets! This recipe is the reason why I joined Rouxbe! Thanks to Dawn and the staffs!

so i tried again at this wonderful dessert. This time REALLY followed the entire video (even to the wooden spoon lol). As I closed the oven door, happily going on to other chores, then i saw something on the table: THE FLOUR!! I was totally shocked as flour could be what made my last attempt fail. But the torte has already being baked for 10 minutes, i had to leave the flour out. to my surprise, after 30~40 minutes of baking, there was no gooey stuff sticking to the testing fork. and now it's beautifully set right next to me!!! I have no idea as to why this happened...anyone???

I made mine with 70% dark chocolate (Schaffen Berger) and the torte seems rather oily. I measured and weighed the butter at 7 ounces. I also weighed the chocolate.

I cooked mine for 25 min then decided to put it back in the oven for another 13 min... it does not seem as oily, but it is still pretty greasy.

I made mine in an 8 inch but made it very thin (as I filed another pie dish with the remaining torte batter).

The taste is lovely, but oilier than I thought it would be. But then again I don't know if that is because I only rested my test pie dish one for 15 min.

I made a pretty raspberry coulis with it as a sauce in lieu of the creme anglaise.

I would like to bake it today to serve it tomorrow night.
How should i store it? in the refrigerator?

Thanks

After the cake has completely cooled, cover it with plastic wrap and then store in the refrigerator. Just be sure that you take it out of the refrigerator at least an hour before you plan to serve it, as this cake is best served at room temperature. The cake will keep for several days. In fact, it tastes even better a day or two later. Cheers!

Immense! Made with 85% Green and Blacks chocolate. Slightly soupy in the very middle, but still tasted superb. So moist and rich. Thanks!

How do you get it to last so long? I've made this several times and it disappears as fast as it is made :)

Question about making this less expensive for an "everyday" desert

I tried making this with semi-sweet chocolate chips. I melted the chocolate and then put it through a sieve to prevent any small clumps from entering the torte. The flavor was less rich than my other attempts.

Can a higher quality cocoa powder be substituted for the flour and serve the dual role of binding agent and flavor enhancer?

We have to say some things are better left as they are. This chocolate torte is decadent for a reason because of the ingredients used. You can definitely try experimenting with the ingredients that are available to you. It comes down to experimenting yourself and making tweaks that work for you. You might be interested to check out the lesson on the Basics of Quality Chocolate because good chocolate is good chocolate for a reason :-) Cheers!