No, This is not my famous molten chocolate cake. While I’m glad the molten cake is as popular as it is, this simple cake is the dessert of choice in my home. It’s Chloe’s favorite, and mine, too. My mom used to make this for me as an after-school treat. Very, very moist, it’s like a brownie and tastes even better after it sits for a day.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 6

　　4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, preferably cultured, plus more for the pan

　　1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

　　3 large eggs, separated

　　1 teaspoon granulated sugar

　　3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably Valrhona 66% cacao, chopped

　　1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

　　1/2 cup almond flour

　　Dutch-process cocoa powder, optional

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom or a springform pan, tapping out the excess. Whisk the egg whites with the granulated sugar until medium-stiff peaks form.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, fill a medium saucepan with an inch of water and bring to a simmer. Combine the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over the simmering water. Melt, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the saucepan.

　　

Step 3

Beat 1 yolk into the chocolate mixture to temper it. Beat in the remaining yolks, then beat in the confectioners’ sugar, almond flour, and all-purpose flour until well mixed.

　　

Step 4

Add a third of the whipped whites and beat well to loosen the chocolate mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whites just until combined. Pour into the prepared pan and gently spread evenly.

　　

Step 5

Bake until puffed and a knife comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto the rack. Carefully flip the cake right side up. Let cool completely. Dust with cocoa powder if you like.

　　Reprinted with permission from Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Genevieve Ko. Copyright © 2011 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family.Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.