I am willing to admit it; I am an anime fan. I love the plot lines, the visuals, and the complexity of the characters and their relationships.  I also tend to love series’ that have an obvious food theme. Black Butler happens to have all of the things I enjoy in one series. There is an interesting plot, well developed characters and at least one delicious dish presented in every episode.

For those of you that don’t watch anime or haven’t caught this particular show it follows Ciel Phantomhive, the adolescent head of the Phantomhive family, who is tasked with solving crimes in London’s underworld. He does this with the help of his trusty butler, Sebastian. Ciel has formed a contract with Sebastian Michaelis who is really a demon that has taken on the disguise of a butler, and in exchange for his services he will eventually be allowed to consume Ciel’s soul. So, we find ourselves in this show that is a mix of  mystery, scifi and Martha Stewart.

The first dish I have attempted from this awesome show comes from episode “His Butler, Supremely Talented”, which is about betrayal and drama that happens in conjunction with a curry competition. The dish I chose has nothing to do with curry; it’s Sebastian’s  gateau au chocolat, or chocolate cake.

The Gateau au Chocolat is important because it is part of a larger theme of the series; Black Butler deals heavily in the theme of appetites. Murder, lust, power, and sweets and are just some of the appetites that belong to the characters in this series.  The food is representative of the appetites overall and Sebastian’s appetite for Ciel’s soul in particular. The cake, in addition to all the food that is served, is a subtle reminder of Sebastian’s intentions.

It is also interesting to note that Sebastian prepares all of the food for Ciel; whose soul he intends to eat.  It is almost like Sebastian is fattening a calf for slaughter. I wonder if the sweetness of the food affects the taste of the soul?

Maing this, I was a little intimidated but I was determined. I was intimidated because I have been making a lot of complicated recipes lately and I was feeling a little exhausted by another one. However, it was much more simple than I thought. The hardest part was converting the ingredients to US measurements. The final result was almost like a brownie; dense and rich with great chocolate flavor. I loved this cake and will definitely be making it again.

Sebastian’s Gateau au Chocolat

12 oz. Dark Chocolate

3/4 cup Sugar

1/3 cup Flour

2/3 Cup Butter

4 Eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch cake pan. Cut a parchment circle to fit the bottom of the pan and butter it as well.
2. Combine the chocolate, butter and sugar in the top of a double boiler placed over simmering water. Melt over medium heat, stirring until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Set the mixture aside.
3. Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate. Whisk in the flour.
4. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl just until they form firm peaks; do not overbeat.
5. Add ⅓ of the egg whites to the chocolate batter and mix vigorously. Gently fold in the remaining whites. Do this slowly and patiently. Do not over mix, but be sure that the mixture is well blended and that no streaks of white remain.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is firm and springy, 35 to 40 minutes.
7. Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before unmolding. Dust with confectioner’s sugar, if desired