Chocolate Idiot Cake

I recently bought David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert and have been itching to make something from it for a while. He explains that he needed to create cake to an idiot proof cake but used a nicer name and decided to called it Chocolate Orbit Cake. I much prefer the former than the latter since I was feeling rather stupid today due to a head cold.

Chocolate Idiot Cake (Adapted from David Lebovitz)

12 oz chocolate (bittersweet or semisweet) chopped
1 c butter (2 sticks)
6 eggs
1 c sugar
1t vanilla

Grease a 9" springform pan and cover the outside with foil. Set aside. Heat chocolate and butter in 10-second bursts in the microwave or over a double boiler. Set aside. Whisk eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Whisk in chocolate. Pour into springform pan. Cover with foil. Place in a roasting pan. Pour warm water into roasting pan until it reaches half-way up the springform pan. Bake at 350 1hr 15 min or until just set. (When you touch the center, your finger should come away almost clean). Remove from roasting pan, and let cake cool on a rack. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Store in refrigerator and remove 1/2 to 1 hour before serving.

It might not be exactly idiot proof because I had a little problem with the water. Make sure your pan is thoroughly wrapped in foil. Next time I would double wrap it. Secondly, make sure when you check the cake for doneness, if it's not done, that you seal the foil back on securely. I did not and I had a slight pool of water that dripped down on the surface of the cake (a quick mop up with a paper towel when it came out of the oven did the trick). Other than that it is pretty idiot proof.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this cake. It is not your typical flourless cake. It is very dense, very chocolatey, and very creamy. I was not expecting the creaminess. I removed it from the refrigerator and served. It was a bit tough slicing (read messy). I think perhaps a quick dip of the knife in warm water might have helped.

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