Pastel De Chocolate Recipe

1. Prepare

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Butter an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper; butter the parchment and lightly flour the pan.

2. Melt 170 g chopped dark chocolate and 170 g unsalted butter together: place in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (double boiler) or microwave in 20–30 second bursts, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly (5 minutes).

3. Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl: 120 g all-purpose flour, 30 g Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp fine sea salt and 1 tsp instant espresso powder. Sift if desired to remove lumps.

4. In a large bowl, whisk 220 g granulated sugar and 40 g brown sugar with the 3 large eggs until pale and slightly thickened (about 2–3 minutes by hand or 1 minute with an electric mixer).

5. Slowly whisk the slightly cooled chocolate-butter mixture into the egg-sugar mixture in three additions until fully incorporated. Stir in 60 ml buttermilk and 1 tsp vanilla extract until smooth.

6. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture in two additions with a rubber spatula, folding just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.

7. Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 28–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (the cake should be fudgy but set).

8. Remove cake from oven and let cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge, invert onto a wire rack, remove parchment, and cool completely (about another 30 minutes) before serving or slicing.

9. Place 150 g chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat 180 ml heavy cream with 1 tablespoon light corn syrup (or honey) until it just begins to simmer — do not boil.

10. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and the sauce is glossy. Whisk in 15 g unsalted butter and a pinch of sea salt until incorporated. Keep warm; if it thickens, gently rewarm over a double boiler or in short microwave bursts.

11. Slice the cooled cake into 6 generous slices (or 8 smaller slices). Place a slice on each serving plate.

12. Warm the chocolate sauce slightly and spoon 1–2 tablespoons over each cake slice. Top each slice with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream (about 1 scoop per person if serving 4, or 2 scoops if you prefer).

13. Arrange halved fresh strawberries (about 30–50 g per plate) beside the cake. Dust strawberries and cake edges lightly with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar if desired. Garnish with mint leaves.

14. Serve immediately so the ice cream softens slightly against the warm cake and sauce.