Eric Wolitzky, about his dessert ring: “My family calls it Wonder Cake. I come from a family of bakers, and this is an adaptation of a cake that my grandfather would sell at his bakery, Carolee Pastry, in Rochester, New York. The bakery closed when I was around 6 years old, so my memories of tasting this cake come from when I was a bit older. Around the holidays, my very large extended family would gather around the table and share this totally addictive cake while regaling tall tales from the past. With its fluffy texture and harmonious hints of chocolate and citrus, I can’t think of a more satisfying and comforting dessert.”
Serves a family
Ingredients
For the cake
6 oz. good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
2½ c. all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
2 sticks (or 8 oz.) butter, at room temperature
1¾ c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 lemons, zested
1 orange, zested
4 whole eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon extract
½ c. milk
4 egg whites
1/3 c. sugar
For the chocolate glaze
6 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. light corn syrup
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. orange juice
1 tbsp. honey
1. Grease a tube pan with butter or cooking spray.
2. Melt chocolate for cake over a double boiler or in microwave and let cool slightly.
3. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, salt, and zests on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, around 4 minutes.
5. Add eggs one at a time on low speed, scraping down sides of bowl with a spatula as needed. Now mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
6. Add flour mixture, alternating with milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl, then mix for a few more seconds. Transfer the batter to a large bowl.
7. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites with whisk attachment until foamy. Add the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped whites into the cake batter.
8. Add melted chocolate to batter, and with your fingers, make swirls until a marbled pattern forms. Be sure not to over mix, or you will lose the effect. Transfer batter to the tube pan and bake around 50 minutes, rotating half way until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 20 minutes, then unmold onto a serving tray.
9. For the glaze, combine all the ingredients and heat over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring with a rubber spatula until the mixture is completely smooth. Gently pour over the top of the cake, letting it run down the sides.
