the best chocolate cake in the world (part 2)

after my first trip to “the best chocolate cake in the world” I consulted the joy of cooking to find out the definition of “cake.”

seems silly, yes? how could one slice call into question decades of real life experience?

but when i think of cake—particularly what i might envision as “the best”—my mind immediately pictures layers of a discernable thickness—a leavened cake, if you will–intersected neatly by generous cream filling or icing.

i wondered if i could give “the best chocolate cake in the world” –a low-rise layered affair of meringue and mousse–a “pass” of sorts simply by disqualification?

but the joy of cooking reminded me that “cakes” is indeed a broad category that can be broken down: foam cakes, sponge cakes, butter cakes, genoise….and then, praise be, hundreds of variations. baked meringue is definitely used as a cake layer.

so maybe the thing to do is consider this particular cake in the context of a baked meringue variety? there’s not a lot of competition out there it seems, so maybe they’ve really got something? maybe this is the one that chocoholics would choose as the best? certainly, this cake win points for inventiveness. the recipe, created by carlos lopes and adriano lucas, is a version of a dacquoise made by fauchon in paris. i’m not sure which cake—i’m guessing the famous megeve cake, which is composed of traditional white meringue, layered with chocolate mousse, covered with ganache, and chocolate curls. other versions i’ve seen online aren’t made of “all chocolate.” the lopes/lucas version is an admirable pure chocolate celebration, with two varieties: the traditional (50 %) cocoa and the bittersweet (70%) cocoa. while my personal preference is for the bittersweet, there is same lusciousness to the mousse in both, and the crunchy meringue gives it necessary “bite.” it is sweet, yes, but not overbearingly so. it’s an intense chocolate experience, but there’s lightness and elegance to it that is sets it apart from other “cakes.”

now, is this the cake you’re going to order for your nine-year old’s birthday party? even your 39 -year old birthday party? maybe this is what would be traditional in paris, or portugal, or brazil or spain? perhaps judging the best chocolate cake in the world is not only a matter of opinion, it may also involve a wider world view. but i’m going to venture that folks stateside might vote for some celebration cake that is more common to our tradition, as my friend teresa did, when she declared that ladybird bakery’s brooklyn blackout cake was better.  i suggest you head down to nolita to judge for yourself. it seems to me this is kind of glorious battle where there really can be no losers.

good friend/chocolate fiend/actor richard short …and lots of caffeinated drinks.

the traditional (50 % cocoa)

the bittersweet (70 %)

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the best chocolate cake in the world is at 55a spring street (between lafayette and mulberry streets. (212) 343-2253.