The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (322 page)

SERVES 4 TO 6

This pudding cake can be made in any of the following: six ³⁄
₄
-cup custard cups, four 1¹⁄
₃
-cup ramekins or miniature soufflé cups, one 9-inch round cake pan, or one 8-inch square cake pan. All pudding cakes, regardless of pan size, require the same baking time.

1.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease pan or baking molds of choice. Lay folded kitchen towel in bottom of roasting pan and set molds or pan inside. Bring kettle of water to boil.

2.
Meanwhile, using back of wooden spoon, mash butter, sugar, and salt together in medium bowl until crumbly. Beat in egg yolks, then stir in flour, mixing until smooth. Slowly beat in lemon zest and juice, then stir in milk. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently whisk whites into batter by hand just until no large lumps remain.

3.
Immediately ladle (do not pour) batter into pan or baking molds of choice. Set roasting pan on oven rack. Quickly pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of pan or molds. Bake cake until center is set and springs back when gently touched, about 25 minutes. Remove roasting pan from oven and let pan or molds continue to sit in water bath for 10 minutes. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Reduce lemon juice to 2 tablespoons and add ¹⁄
₄
cup orange juice with lemon juice in step 2. Substitute 1¹⁄
₂
teaspoons orange zest for lemon zest.

This cake tastes best when made with very strong coffee. The easiest way to make it strong is to cover ¹⁄
₃
cup finely ground coffee with ²⁄
₃
cup boiling water and let it stand for 5 minutes, then drip through a coffee filter.

Substitute ¹⁄
₃
cup room-temperature brewed strong coffee and 2 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur for lemon juice and zest. Decrease sugar to ¹⁄
₂
cup and flour to 2 tablespoons.

Slowly stir ¹⁄
₂
cup boiling water into ¹⁄
₃
cup cocoa. Cool paste slightly, then stir in 1 tablespoon dark rum. Substitute cocoa paste for lemon zest and juice. Decrease flour to 2 tablespoons.

SERVES 6

This delicious version with bourbon butter sauce is rich enough to serve 6 amply. The cake can be made in any of the following: six ³⁄
₄
-cup custard cups, four 1¹⁄
₃
-cup ramekins or miniature soufflé cups, one 9-inch round cake pan, or one 8-inch square cake pan. All pudding cakes, regardless of pan size, require the same baking time. We prefer this version prepared in cups and served warm.

CAKE

SAUCE

1. FOR THE CAKE:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease pan or baking molds of choice. Lay folded kitchen towel in bottom of roasting pan and set molds or pan inside. Bring kettle of water to boil.

2.
Meanwhile, using back of wooden spoon, mash butter, sugar, and salt together in medium bowl until crumbly. Beat in egg yolks, then stir in flour, mixing until smooth. Slowly beat in vanilla and bourbon, then stir in milk. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently whisk whites into batter by hand just until no large lumps remain.

3.
Immediately ladle (do not pour) batter into pan or baking molds of choice. Set roasting pan on oven rack. Quickly pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of pan or molds. Bake cake until center is set and springs back when gently touched, about 25 minutes. Remove roasting pan from oven and let pan or molds continue to sit in water bath for 10 minutes.

4. FOR THE SAUCE:
Meanwhile, cook butter, sugar, bourbon, water, nutmeg, and salt in small saucepan over medium-low heat stirring occasionally, until bubbly around the edges. Off heat, whisk in egg. Return to medium-low heat and, stirring constantly, bring to boil and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Spoon sauce over each cake and serve warm, passing remaining sauce separately.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Those who have eaten hot fudge pudding cake know its charms: unpretentious, moist, brownielike chocolate cake sitting on a pool of thick, chocolate pudding–like sauce, baked together in one dish, as if by magic. But some recipes lack decent chocolate flavor; texture can be a problem, too. Instead of providing enough spoon-coating sauce to accompany the cake, some are dry, with a disproportionate amount of cake, while others are soupy, with a wet, sticky, underdone cake. Pudding cake is made by sprinkling brownie batter with a mixture of sugar and cocoa, then pouring hot water on top, and baking. To bump up the chocolate flavor, we used a combination of Dutch-processed cocoa and semisweet chocolate. We also added instant coffee to the water that is poured over the batter to cut the sweetness of the cake. We baked the cake slow and low to promote a good top crust and a silky sauce. And we found that letting the cake rest for 20 to 30 minutes before eating allowed the sauce to become puddinglike and the cake brownielike.

SERVES 8

If you have cold, brewed coffee on hand, it can be used in place of the instant coffee and water, but to make sure it isn’t too strong, use 1 cup of cold coffee mixed with ¹⁄
₂
cup of water. Serve the cake warm with vanilla or coffee ice cream.

1.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 8-inch square baking dish. Stir coffee into water and set aside to dissolve. Combine ¹⁄
₃
cup cocoa, brown sugar, and ¹⁄
₃
cup granulated sugar in small bowl, breaking up large clumps with fingers; set aside.

2.
Melt butter, remaining ¹⁄
₃
cup cocoa, and chocolate in small heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water; whisk until smooth and set aside to cool slightly. Whisk flour and baking powder in small bowl to combine; set aside. Whisk remaining ²⁄
₃
cup granulated sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl until combined; whisk in egg yolk. Add chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Add flour mixture and whisk until batter is evenly moistened.

3.
Pour batter into prepared baking dish and spread to sides and corners. Sprinkle cocoa-sugar mixture evenly over batter (cocoa mixture should cover entire surface of batter); pour coffee mixture gently over cocoa mixture. Bake cake until puffed and bubbling and just beginning to pull away from sides of baking dish, about 45 minutes. (Do not overbake.) Let cake cool in dish on wire rack for about 25 minutes before serving. (Cake can be reheated, covered with plastic wrap, in microwave oven.)

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease eight 6- to 8-ounce ramekins with vegetable oil spray and set on rimmed baking sheet. Prepare batter as directed, then divide batter evenly among ramekins (about ¹⁄
₄
cup per ramekin) and level with back of spoon. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons cocoa-sugar mixture over batter in each ramekin, then pour 3 tablespoons coffee mixture over cocoa-sugar mixture in each ramekin. Bake cakes until puffed and bubbling, about 20 minutes. (Do not overbake.) Let cakes cool for about 15 minutes before serving (cakes will fall).

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Studded with dates and coated in a sweet toffee sauce, this moist, rich cake is a British favorite that we hoped to translate for the American kitchen. We wanted a cake packed full of date flavor, with a tolerable sweetness level and a moist, tender crumb. We cut down the conventional amount of butter but kept the sauce rich and flavorful—eggs and all-purpose flour gave our sauce body and stability. We maximized the fruit flavor by first soaking the dates, then processing a portion of them with sugar while leaving the remainder coarsely chopped. Brown sugar stood in for traditional, but hard-to-find treacle. A splash of rum and lemon juice cut through the sticky richness of the sauce. And for the cooking method, we placed the batter-filled ramekins in a roasting pan, adding boiling water, and then covered the pan with foil before baking. Poking the cakes with a toothpick allowed the sauce to be thoroughly absorbed.

SERVES 8

We place a kitchen towel on the bottom of the roasting pan to stabilize the ramekins. It is important to form a tight seal with the foil to trap the steam inside the roasting pan before baking the cakes.

CAKES

SAUCE

1. FOR THE CAKES:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour eight 4-ounce ramekins. Set prepared ramekins in large roasting pan lined with clean kitchen towel. Bring kettle of water to boil.

2.
Combine half of dates, water, and baking soda in 2-cup liquid measuring cup (dates should be submerged beneath water) and soak dates for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl.

3.
Process remaining dates and brown sugar in food processor until no large date chunks remain and mixture has texture of damp, coarse sand, about 45 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. Drain soaked dates and add soaking liquid to processor. Add eggs, melted butter, and vanilla and process until smooth, about 15 seconds. Transfer mixture to bowl with dry ingredients and sprinkle drained soaked dates on top.

4.
With rubber spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold wet mixture into dry mixture until just combined and date pieces are evenly dispersed. Divide batter evenly among prepared ramekins (should be two-thirds full). Quickly pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come ¹⁄
₄
inch up sides of molds. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil, crimping edges to seal. Bake cakes until puffed and surfaces are spongy, firm, and moist to touch, about 40 minutes. Immediately transfer ramekins from water bath to wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.

5. FOR THE SAUCE:
While cakes cool, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in sugar and salt until smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and slightly darkened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add ¹⁄
₃
cup cream and stir until smooth, about 30 seconds. Slowly pour in remaining ²⁄
₃
cup cream and rum, whisking constantly until smooth. Reduce heat to low and simmer until frothy, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

6.
Using toothpick, poke 25 holes in top of each cake and spoon 1 tablespoon toffee sauce over each cake. Let cakes sit until sauce is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Invert each ramekin onto plate or shallow bowl and remove ramekin. Divide remaining toffee sauce evenly among cakes and serve immediately.

TO MAKE AHEAD:
Prepare batter and divide among individual ramekins as directed, then cover and refrigerate, unbaked, for up to 1 day. Bake as directed in step 4. Sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance; microwave on 50 percent power, stirring often, until hot, about 3 minutes.