Chocolate Decadence Cake

Topped with mounds of whipped cream, this iconic 1970s dessert is as sensuous to make as it is to eat.

Published on February 12, 2025

As delectable as this chocolate cake is, it’s the seduction of preparing it that makes it so fitting as a Valentine’s Day dessert. This recipe for Chocolate Decadence cake comes from Janice Feuer Haugen, who invented it in 1976 while she was a pastry chef at Narsai David’s eponymous restaurant Narsai’s in Berkeley, California. Adapted from a chocolate truffle cake, the recipe uses bittersweet chocolate, whipped eggs, and sugar to deliver a rich, creamy cake that’s hidden under clouds of whipped cream and chocolate curls and served with a perfectly tart raspberry sauce. Whether made for a crowd or enjoyed sliver by sliver at the kitchen counter, this is a cake that delivers on its name. (To make this cake gluten-free, simply swap in almond flour for the all-purpose flour.)

Featured in “I Still Make the Chocolate Cake From This Sexy 1976 Cookbook” by Jessica Carbone.

Suggested pairing: A deep, dark, spicy, berry-fruity Banyuls from the south of France, especially one from Domaine La Tour Vieille or Domaine de la Rectorie. Find more recommendations from the Jancis Robinson wine experts here.

Makes
One 8-inch cake
Time
1 hour 45 minutes, plus chilling

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Thu Buser

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 lb. bittersweet chocolate (60–70% cacao), coarsely chopped
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. sugar
4 large eggs
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

For the topping:

2 cups heavy cream
1 Tbsp. onfectioners sugar, plus more for the berries (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (60–70% cacao) from a block, just above room temperature
8 oz. fresh or frozen raspberries

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Instructions

Step 1

Make the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F. Line an 8-inch round cake pan (cake baked in a 9-inch pan will be too thin) with a parchment round.

Step 2

In a medium pot over medium heat, bring a few inches of water to a simmer. To a medium heatproof bowl, add the chocolate and butter. Place the bowl over the pot and cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture is fully melted and satiny smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl and set aside.

Step 3

Place a second medium heatproof bowl over the pot and turn the heat to medium-low. Add the sugar and eggs and cook, stirring continuously, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture deepens in color and is just warm to the touch, about 3 minutes.

Step 4

Quickly remove the egg mixture from the heat and, using a hand mixer, beat on high until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.

Step 5

Using a silicone spatula, very gently fold the flour into the egg mixture until fully combined. Stir one-third of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, then fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining egg mixture, stirring gently until fully combined.

Step 6

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan lightly on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake until the cake is just set and still a little soft in the center and crusty on top, about 15 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and set aside to cool for at least 20 minutes, then place in the freezer for at least 12 hours. (The cake can be frozen for up to 1 month.)

Step 7

Make the topping: To a medium bowl, add the cream, confectioners sugar, and vanilla. Using a hand mixer, whip until the mixture is smooth and firm enough to hold its shape, about 5 minutes. (Do not overwhip.) Refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.

Step 8

Into a small bowl, use a vegetable peeler to shave thick curls from the chocolate. Set aside.

Step 9

In a blender, purée the raspberries for about 3 minutes. Pour the purée through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl or pitcher. Taste and add a little confectioners sugar if desired. Set aside.

Step 10

Retrieve the cake from the freezer, then invert onto a platter (gently warm the bottom of the pan over low heat to release the cake if needed) and remove the parchment. Spread the whipped cream in a thick layer on the top of the cake and pile the chocolate curls in the center. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or up to 2 hours.

Step 11

The cake is best served cool or at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge about 15 minutes before serving. Using a knife that has been run under hot water and wiped dry between each cut, cut the cake. Serve with the raspberry purée.

Make the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F. Line an 8-inch round cake pan (cake baked in a 9-inch pan will be too thin) with a parchment round.
In a medium pot over medium heat, bring a few inches of water to a simmer. To a medium heatproof bowl, add the chocolate and butter. Place the bowl over the pot and cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture is fully melted and satiny smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl and set aside.
Place a second medium heatproof bowl over the pot and turn the heat to medium-low. Add the sugar and eggs and cook, stirring continuously, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture deepens in color and is just warm to the touch, about 3 minutes.
Quickly remove the egg mixture from the heat and, using a hand mixer, beat on high until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Using a silicone spatula, very gently fold the flour into the egg mixture until fully combined. Stir one-third of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, then fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining egg mixture, stirring gently until fully combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan lightly on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake until the cake is just set and still a little soft in the center and crusty on top, about 15 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and set aside to cool for at least 20 minutes, then place in the freezer for at least 12 hours. (The cake can be frozen for up to 1 month.)
Make the topping: To a medium bowl, add the cream, confectioners sugar, and vanilla. Using a hand mixer, whip until the mixture is smooth and firm enough to hold its shape, about 5 minutes. (Do not overwhip.) Refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.
Into a small bowl, use a vegetable peeler to shave thick curls from the chocolate. Set aside.
In a blender, purée the raspberries for about 3 minutes. Pour the purée through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl or pitcher. Taste and add a little confectioners sugar if desired. Set aside.
Retrieve the cake from the freezer, then invert onto a platter (gently warm the bottom of the pan over low heat to release the cake if needed) and remove the parchment. Spread the whipped cream in a thick layer on the top of the cake and pile the chocolate curls in the center. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
The cake is best served cool or at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge about 15 minutes before serving. Using a knife that has been run under hot water and wiped dry between each cut, cut the cake. Serve with the raspberry purée.

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