Sue Kleber

Melt chocolate and butter in a microwave for 5 minutes on power level 4, stirring several times until smooth. Cool to lukewarm.

Separate eggs and put whites in a stand mixer bowl. Starting slowly at first, beat until frothy. Gradually add 6 TB of sugar and beat until peaks are medium firm, but not stiff. Transfer to a clean bowl. Put 6 yolks into the mixer bowl and add 6 TB sugar and a pinch of salt. Beat until very pale yellow and very stiff. (About 7 minutes in a Kitchenaid)

Fold the lukewarm chocolate mixture into the yolks and add the vanilla. Fold the whites into the yolks in three additions being careful not to deflate. Pour into a buttered 9 inch springform pan which has also been lined with a circle of buttered parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes. The top of the cake will crust and a circular crack will appear.

Cool cake in the pan. It will collapse in the middle as it cools. When cool, press the outer edges flush with the middle giving a flat dense cake. Invert onto plate and remove parchment.

Bittersweet Ganache
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
9 ozs. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

Finely chop chocolate. Bring cream and corn syrup to a simmer and remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until smooth. Coat cake with about 1/3 of the glaze and put the cake in freezer to set for 3-4 minutes. Pour remaining glaze over the cake and smooth. The glaze will set up in about an hour.

Raspberry Coulis
12 oz package sweetened red raspberries
4 TB sugar
2 TB Chambord liquor

Defrost berries and put in saucepan with sugar. Cook until berries wilt and sugar dissolves. Mash mixture with a potato masher and strain through a sieve to remove the seeds. Add Chambord to coulis. Makes about a cup of intense raspberry essence.