Mark Rylance, aka King Phillip V, star of “Farinelli and the King”
King Phillip V, that is. Our James has hopped directly from “Time and the Conways” to another Broadway show, “Farinelli and the King.” If you haven’t heard of it, you really, really should. I was lucky enough to see it last week, and it is really a gorgeous, emotional and relevant evening of theater. No spoilers here, but the entire production seems lit entirely by candlelight and the whole thing has a magical, poignant quality to it. Here’s a link to a Vanity Fair article about it, here’s the New York Times review and here’s where you can buy tickets. Do get them soon, because this is a limited run that ends on March 25.
But back to cake — Mark Rylance, (King Phillip) celebrated his birthday yesterday, and James baked his classic, simple and delectable Flourless Chocolate Cake. Actually, as you can see from the photo below, he baked two. While we’ve already blogged this recipe (here), when the King commands, it seems necessary to blog it again. Plus, the cake only has six ingredients, so it’s a definite keeper
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients:
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Glaze:
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 tablespoon butter
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch round cake pan, and dust with cocoa powder.
2. In the top of a double boiler over lightly simmering water, melt chocolate and butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
For the Glaze:
1. In a small saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons sugar, the corn syrup and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Add 4 ounces chopped chocolate, swirl pan to mix, do not mix, and allow to stand until melted, about 3 minutes.
2. Whisk 1 tablespoon butter into icing until melted and the chocolate is shiny and smooth.. Put wax paper under the cooling rack then pour glaze evenly over cake. Use a spatula to ease icing out to edges of cake and down the sides. Sprinkle the ground almonds around the top edge of the cake. Allow icing to cool and set before slicing.
Champagne with a chaser . . . Or is it the other way around?
The Backstage Baker 