Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8" or 9" tall cake pan with cooking spray
Separate the eggs placing the yolks and whites in separate large bowls. (Remember you need 4 yolks and 7 whites, for some reason this math always gets me!) I often use the extra yolks to make Ham Sauce (recipe on the blog)
Grab the chocolate - I love the Ghiradelli 60% chocolate chips in this recipe. If you can't find them, use your favorite brand
Add the 6 oz of chocolate chips and the butter to a heavy bottom pan
Melt the butter and chocolate together over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is completely blended, smooth and shiny. Remove from the heat and set aside
Add 1/4 cup of sugar to the egg yolks
Using a mixer (hand or stand) beat the eggs and sugar until tripled in volume and a light yellow color, set aside
With clean, dry beaters, beat the egg whites on high until thickened and foamy
Add the remaining sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until shiny soft peaks form - set aside
Back to the egg yolks -using a rubber spatula, gently fold the chocolate mixture (that is now slightly cooled) into the beaten egg yolks until just blended
Gently fold in the beaten egg whites to the chocolate/egg yolk mixture 1/3 at a time
Continue folding the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until just blended - don't over mix
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Don't open the oven during the baking if you can help it.
Remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely
Once cooled the cake will likely fall and crack a bit. Not to worry - that's why toppings were invented!
Loosen the edges of the cooled cake with a knife to help it come out of the pan easily
Serve the cake with fruit and a dollop of whipped cream. It tastes as good as it looks!