Here is the chocolate cake recipe from my grandmother, Léonce Chenal. Yes, the Léonce, the original, the one who inspired this entire universe :). I came across this recipe last winter, during a quiet escape to my family home in Haute-Savoie, nestled in the French Alps. I had shared a few glimpses of that moment in the Lettre des Alpes.
The recipe was scribbled on a yellowed piece of paper tucked inside the pages of her old recipe notebook. I recognized her beautiful, slanted handwriting instantly. I could picture her underlining the title of the recipe (not once, but twice) with great care, using her fountain pen filled with blue ink and her old school ruler, the wooden kind she kept her whole life. There’s something quite intriguing about this cake. Its simplicity, of course. But also the final instruction, almost mysterious: “bake in a low oven for a long time.” No mention of baking powder either. That detail alone piqued my curiosity, and I began to dig a little deeper.
From what I’ve gathered, this recipe likely dates back to the 1930s or 1950s. At the time, baking powder wasn’t a staple in home kitchens. Instead, egg whites were whipped into stiff peaks to lighten the batter, which is exactly the case here. The measurements are also telling: equal parts chocolate and sugar (125 g each), round and symmetrical quantities that suggest a recipe passed down orally. And that instruction to “bake in a low oven for a long time” is typical of a time before thermostats and electric ovens became common in French households. Perhaps it was one of those cherished family recipes, passed from mother to daughter, handwritten in a notebook, then copied, adapted, offered, quietly treasured.
To share it with you today, I’ve made a few gentle updates. Nothing drastic, just a slightly lighter hand with the sugar, clearer temperature guidelines, and a bit more precision, all while keeping its rich chocolate flavor and soft, comforting texture. It remains exactly what it was: simple, sincere, and enveloping. The kind of cake that tastes like childhood, like Sunday afternoons, like the quiet of a kitchen. The kind of cake you slice modestly… and always come back to for a second helping. Or a third :).
My Grandmother Léonce’s Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 4.5 oz (125 g) dark baking chocolate (64–70% cocoa)
- 7 tbsp (100 g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp (90 g) light brown sugar (or 80 g coconut sugar for a warmer note)
- 3 large eggs, separated
- ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp whole milk (or almond milk for a lighter version)
- A pinch of fleur de sel
- ½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 320°F / 160°C (convection). Butter and flour a 8–9 inch (20–22 cm) round cake pan, or line it with parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate with the milk gently over a double boiler or in short bursts in the microwave. Let it cool slightly, the milk keeps the chocolate smooth and prevents it from seizing.
- In a separate bowl, melt the butter and set it aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and airy.
- Stir in the cooled melted butter, then the melted chocolate. Mix until smooth.
- Sift in the flour and add the salt. Fold gently to combine without overmixing.
- In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold them into the batter in three additions, using a spatula and a light hand.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 320°F / 160°C. The center should still feel soft, the tip of a knife or a toothpick should come out slightly moist, but not raw.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
