I recently purchased the September issue of Bon Appetite. The one with the yummy looking chocolate cake on the front. (What issue doesn't look yummy!?!)
Anyhow, I read the recipe for the La Bete Noire and it is a flourless cake.

Here is the recipe:

CAKE
1C water
3/4C sugar

9T unsalted butter
18oz bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate chopped (not unsweetened)
6 Large eggs

Preheat oven to 350*, Butter 10-inch springform pan. Line bottom with parchment paper and butter again. Wrap 3 layers of foil outside the pain to top of rim. Combine 1 Cup water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly. Add eggs and whisk until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.
Bake until cake center no longer moves, about 50 minutes. Remove from water bath; transfer to rack. Cool completely in pan.

MY QUESTION IS....
I am baking a 14" round cake for the bottom of a wedding cake, and this recipe looks great. HOWEVER, I do not have a roasting pan big enough to make a bath. Is this necessary? I know I could try splitting one recipe and do a trial, one in a bath and one without a bath. But Im afraid with a cake size that big, 14" it could turn out different....

Does anyone have experience with a cake like this? Either with or without the bath?

Thanks!
Courtney

This is a very dense, heavy cake, much like fudge. You may have difficulty baking such a large cake (14") and it will not rise much.

If you cannot water bath this cake, at least make sure there is another large pan of boiling water in the oven with the cake. it needs the steam to keep from drying out an cracking