Gâteau au chocolat et café – French chocolate coffee cake Recipe
This moist chocolate cake with a hint of coffee is less sweet than a typical brownie and pairs beautifully with a cup of espresso. In French homes, similar bakes often appear at gatherings with friends instead of a layer cake – they’re cut into small squares and served on a large platter. The coffee enhances the chocolate flavour without overpowering it.
A rich yet not overly sweet chocolate cake where coffee subtly deepens the cocoa flavour, giving you an elegant, café-style treat that’s easy to slice and share.
Chef's tips
Use good-quality dark chocolate, as it largely determines the final flavour. Don’t overbake – take the cake out when a skewer still comes out with a few moist crumbs to keep the texture fudgy and moist.
How to serve
Serve cut into small squares on a platter, dusted with cocoa, alongside espresso or strong black tea. For a plated dessert, add whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of chocolate sauce.
Ingredients
- dark chocolate at least 60% cocoa - 200 g
- butter - 150 g
- sugar - 150 g
- egg size M - 4 piece
- wheat flour - 120 g
- espresso coffee strong, cooled; can be from a machine or instant - 60 ml
- baking powder - 1 teaspoon
- salt - 0.25 teaspoon
- vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
- unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting after baking, optional - 1 tablespoon
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat). Line a rectangular 20×25 cm tin with baking paper.
- Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a bowl with the butter. Set the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (the bottom of the bowl must not touch the water) and stir until the butter and chocolate melt and form a smooth mixture. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar using a mixer for 3–4 minutes, until the mixture is pale and slightly fluffy.
- Pour the cooled chocolate-butter mixture into the eggs, add the coffee and vanilla extract. Briefly mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold in with a spatula just until combined and no dry flour is visible.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
- Place the tin in the preheated oven and bake for 25–30 minutes. The centre of the cake should spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, and a skewer inserted in the middle may have a few moist crumbs but no raw batter.
- After baking, remove the tin from the oven and leave for 15 minutes. Then take the cake out of the tin, peel off the paper and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Before serving, dust the top with cocoa through a sieve and cut the cake into squares or rectangles.
Storage
Store the cooled cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze individual pieces for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and, if you like, warm briefly in a low oven before serving.
This cake is perfect when you want something more refined than a brownie but just as easy to make. The coffee note is gentle, so even people who don’t usually drink coffee tend to enjoy it.
