200 g butter (14.1 Tablespoons)
200 g chocolate (70%) broken into small pieces
200 g sugar (slightly less than 1 Cup)
4 eggs separated
1 tsp vanilla
3 T flour
Rum optional
Melt butter and chocolate in a bowl in the microwave using 30 second increments. Stir between each heating and it should take about 1-2 minutes. Stir the melted chocolate and the butter together well and set aside. Separate the eggs and set the egg whites aside in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar to the egg yolks and beat together until smooth. Add vanilla and 3 T of flour to the egg yolk mixture and combine. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg yolk mixture and blend until smooth. Using a mixer on high speed, whip egg whites to stiff peaks and then fold them into the cake batter.
Cut out a piece of wax paper to fit a cake pan. Place the wax paper in the pan and grease with butter. Pour in the batter and then bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Let the cake rest in the pan for about ten minutes then invert the cake onto a serving plate. Serves at least 12. Serve with whipped cream and berries if you wish.
This recipe is really Mara's specialty. She and I made it often for special occasions. Once she made two cakes and then frosted them with Nutella for my birthday! Mara also cut out a paper fluer de lis and used it to place on the cake then to dust the cake with powdered sugar. When the fleur de lis cut out is removed it leaves the undusted emblem on the cake. Mara says that the cake pan does not need to be buttered but I disagree. Bake in the oven so the top of the pan is at mid oven. It helps to take about 1/4 of the whipped egg whites and mix them in first to add some air before folding in the rest of the whipped egg whites.
This recipe (with just ingredients) came from a Peruvian Pastry Chef that worked in France that is a sister to a women that I took a cooking class with while in France.
This can be "flourless" or gluten free by adding rice flour instead of wheat flour.
https://sites.google.com/site/klcorecipe/