Cocoa (Chocolate) Cake Without Defoaming

No one can resist the temptation of chocolate cake, especially this Valrhona chocolate cake, which is irresistible. However, cocoa cake is a "baking nightmare" for many people - the two hurdles of fat and consistency alone are enough to make countless people shy away from this kind of cake that is easily "defeated". The cocoa butter it contains is like a "time bomb", which will disintegrate the bubbles in the meringue if you are not careful; and after the cocoa powder absorbs enough water, the batter becomes thick and sticky. If you use a little force when stirring, the meringue that has been whipped with great difficulty may lose its bubbles and collapse. If you want to bake a fluffy cocoa cake that does not shrink, the following method can make it easy for you to control it~

Ingredients

Steps

Weigh Ingredients 1: 70g cake flour (for the egg yolk batter); 40g sugar, 10g cornstarch, lemon juice (for whipping the egg whites). 5 eggs.
Weigh Ingredients 2: 20g chocolate chips, 10g chocolate powder (chocolate with a cocoa content of 66% or higher is recommended for a richer flavor).
Prepare ingredients 3: Prepare eggs and lemon juice.
Take a clean pot (try to make the pot bigger than mine so that it will be easier to operate later), weigh 55g corn oil, 20g white sugar, and 55g water and add them.
2. Egg yolk paste making
Heat the mixture in the small pot from step 4 on the stove until it melts and bubbles form.
To blend the chocolate: Add 10g of chocolate powder to the mixture from step 5 and stir. Add 20g of chocolate chips and cook until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture has a smooth texture.
Sift in the cake flour: Sift 70g of cake flour into the chocolate mixture. Stir gently in an N-shaped pattern to ensure that the flour and liquid are fully combined to form a uniform egg yolk paste. Set aside.
Prepare a large bowl without salt or water for separating egg whites.
Separate the egg yolks and egg whites carefully. Add the egg yolks to the prepared chocolate egg yolk batter, stirring evenly in an N-shape (if you're lucky, you'll get a double yolk). Pour the egg whites into a large, salt-free, water-free bowl.
3. Beating and Mixing Egg Whites
Beating the Egg Whites: Use an electric whisk to beat the egg whites, adding 40g of sugar in three batches: First: When the egg whites form large, fish-eye bubbles, add 1/3 of the sugar and beat on low speed. Second: When the egg whites are fine and smooth, add 1/3 of the sugar and beat on medium speed. Third: When streaks appear, add the remaining sugar. Beat on low speed until soft peaks form (the egg whites should form an inverted triangle when the whisk is lifted and should not fall over when a chopstick is inserted).
Turn on the oven in advance and set the appropriate temperature for preheating. Set the temperature according to the temperature required for baking the mold.
Take 1/3 of the beaten egg whites and add the egg yolk paste, stirring evenly (stirring from the bottom up to avoid degassing). Pour the mixture back into the remaining 2/3 of the egg whites and continue stirring to make a smooth, thick cake batter.
4. Baking cakes
Pour the cake batter into your preferred pan and gently shake the pan to release any air bubbles. Place in a preheated oven. I made a roll cake, baking it in the middle rack of a 28x28 baking pan for 20 minutes, then covering it with tin foil around the 14th minute mark to prevent it from burning. Don't ask me why I love baking roll cakes; it's quick! 😀 and can hold the cream fillings that the mythical beasts love. If using an 8-inch round or square pan, bake at 150°C/350°F on the bottom rack for 45-55 minutes. Watch the pan while baking and cover with tin foil to prevent the surface from burning.
After baking, remove the cake from the pan and invert it onto a wire rack. Cover with baking paper to prevent the surface from drying out and let it cool naturally. You can then enjoy this delicious chiffon chocolate cake (see photos of some previous ones I've made). It's also delicious without any filling. The following is optional. If you'd like to add filling, please continue reading to learn how to make a ganache cream filling. However, the pictures are incomplete, so you'll need to use your imagination.
5. (Optional) Share the ganache filling (the filling ingredients are not included in the recipe)
(This step is incomplete, so use your imagination.) Prepare the chocolate liquid: 1. In a small pot, add 40g chocolate chips and 60g heavy cream. Heat over low heat until the chocolate and heavy cream are completely combined. This creates the chocolate liquid. Let cool and set aside. 2. After the temperature is between 16-20°C, whip the cream filling: Take 120g heavy cream, add 16g sugar, and beat with a whisk until 70% fluffy (the cream should be slightly grainy). Pour the cooled chocolate liquid into the mixture and continue beating until 90% fluffy (the cream should be clear grainy and thick). This creates the ganache filling.
If making a cake roll, after the cake has cooled, place it face down on a baking sheet, apply ganache or other filling, and roll it up using the reverse rolling technique. (For the method, please refer to my "Coffee Cream Cake Roll")