If you come across Captain Jack Sparrow and he’s wondering where all the rum has gone, go ahead and let him know it’s in this here cake.   The first time I baked it was like taking a shot of rum with every bite I took.  Oddly enough, no one who ate it complained.  I like to think it’s because I found a seemingly acceptible way for alcohol consumption at all hours of the day.  I guess I should also inform you that I’ve previously made it acceptable to eat cake for breakfast (which, btw, how cute is this?), so clearly this is just natural progression.

My German-French friend Dona made this lovely cake and brought it to me at work and she claims to have followed the recipe but I swear hers didn’t taste like mine because I’m pretty sure I didn’t feel like I was consuming alcohol at work. I would remember that. My first go ’round the alcohol tasted more concentrated in the center – like it hadn’t baked out enough – but the second time the outer rim of the cake tasted more pronounced so I’m not quite sure.  If you’re worried, go easy on the booze.  If you really love rum, have at it.  Also, Dona says that this is the easiest cake ever and if you forget things like flour, it still turns out great.  German-French women are so chic.

French Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups Dark Chocolate Chips
8 oz. Salted Butter
3/4 cup Sugar
5 Eggs
1 cup Rum (I think I used Bacardi Gold…and one day I swear I’ll try Malibu because I love coconut)
1 tbs. Pico de Gallo (or espresso, or orange zest, or ground anise…whatever you’d like to compliment the chocolate)
1/2 cup Flour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan, careful not to burn chocolate.
3. Separate egg yolk from egg white.
4. Beat egg whites with mixer until it becomes stiff (looking a little bit like snow).
5. Beat egg yolks with sugar until it turns whitish and thickens.
6. Combine chocolate and egg yolk until nicely mixed using a wooden spoon.
7. Add rum, spice(s) and flour.
8. Carefully fold egg whites in, trying not to flatten the egg whites by folding too long.
9. In your cakepan of choice, bake for 20-30 minutes.
   -Cooking times may vary by oven – mine took a little over 25 minutes.
   -To check if ready, slide a knife in cake. Knife shoud come out still a little wet (looking like very moist crumbs) in order to maintain it’s rich, gooey texture.

Decoration (optional):

1. Ganache — melt chocolate chips with heavy cream to taste.
2. Grinded and roasted hazelnuts or pistachios, caramelized with sugar.  Dona roasts grinded nuts in a pan without any oil and when they start to smell roasted and look darker, she adds sugar to make an “amateur prailine.”
3. Be awesome like Dona and grow beautiful flowers in your garden to adorn your lovely French cakes with alcohol in them.

Have you ever made a cake with alcohol?