Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!
I can’t wait to share this delicious Chocolate Gateau, also known as gâteau au chocolat (ガトーショコラ) that I made over the weekend. Indulge yourself with this rich, dense, yet moist, melt-in-your mouth chocolate cake. It’s utterly divine!
Speaking of Valentine’s Day, I thought I should share how we celebrate this day in Japan as it’s a bit different from the U.S. Valentine’s Day was first introduced to Japan in 1936 by the confectionery company Morozoff. Other confectionery companies started promoting this holiday in the 1950s.
In Japan, it is only the women who give gifts (mainly chocolates, like Nama Chocolate) to men as an expression of love, courtesy, or social obligation. This custom was originated from the translation error of a chocolate company (according to wiki). Unlike western countries, gifts like greeting cards, candies, flowers, or dinner dates are uncommon on Valentine’s Day in Japan.
In Japan, many women feel obligated to give chocolates to male bosses and co-workers. This tradition is known as “Giri-Choko” (義理チョコ), meaning obligation (giri) chocolate (choko). In addition to “Giri Choko”, chocolates are also given to family and others.
- The chocolate that women give to their loved one is called “Honmei Choko” (本命チョコ).
- Chocolates for friends (including girl friends) are called “Tomo Choko” (友チョコ).
- Chocolates for family are called “Fami Choko” (ファミチョコ).
When I was living in Japan, a lot of female school children and young adults chose this day to tell the boy/man about their affection. Even girls who were usually too shy to express their feelings took advantage of Valentine’s Day as a great opportunity to express their love (does it sound like I’m talking about my experience? Maybe!). If you are familiar with Japanese culture, dramas and mangas, I’m sure you have seen the “declaring love” (kokuhaku 告白) scene on Valentine’s Day.
By the way, while the rest of the world moves on to the next holiday, Valentine’s Day won’t be over yet in Japan. A month later, March 14th is “White Day”, a day when men are supposed to return gifts to women. White Day was first introduced in late 1970s by the National Confectionery Industry Association (according to wiki). Men return gifts like jewelery, white chocolate, candies, and cookies.
Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or not, this moist, dark, and crumbly Chocolate Gateau with a nice cocoa punch will make everyone happy. If you prefer a more chocolatey flavor, you can apply fudgy frosting or chocolate ganache. I like my cake to be simple and less sweet so I decorate the cake with fresh raspberries and powdered sugar on top. After refrigerating the cake for one day, I microwaved a slice for 20 seconds and served it with vanilla ice cream. The result was just fabulous: warm moist chocolate cake with the delicate chilled flavor of vanilla.
Hope you and your loved ones enjoy this cake!
Ingredients:
- 90 grams/3.2 oz (7 Tbsp.) unsalted butter
- 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter for greasing
- 30 grams/1.1 oz (1/3 cup minus 1 Tbsp.) all-purpose flour
- All-purpose flour for dusting
- 75 grams/2.6 oz (1 cup minus 1 Tbsp.) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 150 gram/5.4 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate
- 4 cold eggs (I decided to reduce an egg after taking the ingredient picture)
- A pinch of salt
- 180 grams/6.3 oz (2/3 cup + 1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 60 grams/60 ml heavy whipping cream
- Raspberry for garnish
- Powder sugar
Instructions:
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190C). Butter an 8-inch baking pan, dust the inside of the pan with flour, and tap out the excess.
- Line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper, dust the paper with flour and tap out the excess. Set aside.
- Combine the flour and cocoa powder and sift, set aside.
- Chop chocolates into small pieces and set aside.
- Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (140F/60C) and add the chocolate. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted.
- Add the coarsely chopped butter and let it melted completely. Transfer the bowl to the counter and let the mixture cool.
- Separate the cold eggs, putting the whites in a mixer bowl or other large bowl and the yolks in a small bowl.
- While the chocolate is cooling, place the egg whites in a clean bowl with a pinch of salt. Working with the whisk attachment of the mixer, beat the egg whites until they are foamy and start adding half of the sugar (3oz/90g) in 2-3 separate additions.
- Continue to beat on high speed until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved (about 5 min total). To test for stiff peaks, the peaks should stand straight up when you lift up the beaters. The whites should not slide around. Transfer the meringue into a bowl and wash the mixing bowl for next step.
- In the clean mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and the rest of sugar (3oz/90g) until creamy and stir in the heavy whipping cream.
- With a rubber spatula stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
- Then add the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture.
- Using the spatula, stir about 1/3 of the meringue in to the batter, then gently fold in the rest until the color is uniform.
- Pour the batter into the pan and give the pan several sharp taps on the counter to bring up any air bubbles that may be trapped in the batter.
- Bake at 375 degrees F (190C) for 10 minutes and then lower the setting to 340 degrees F (170F) and bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick pulls out moist crumbs when inserted near the center of the cake. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the cake rest for 15 minutes.
- Run a knife along the edges of the cake and carefully turn the cake over onto a rack and remove the pan and the parchment paper. Invert the cake onto a serving platter before serving. As the cake cools, it may deflate a bit. Decorate with raspberry and dust the powder sugar before serving.
Notes
Adapted from Cookpad.
Enjoy!
Hi, I'm Nami. Thanks for stopping by Just One Cookbook. You can read little bit more about me 
{ 107 comments… read them below or add one }
Beautiful chocolate cake, Nami! I cook very often Chocolate Gateau, and we always finish it before it cools completely-)) I love addition of raspberries, perfect treat for Valentine day, for sure!
Nami, this is stunning!!! I’m so happy you baked
! Gorgeous photos!
Ah! This is gorgeous, Nami!!! I love when you bake! This was a nice, easy and rich chocolate cake. Love it! I’m saving it
What a gorgeous cake, Nami, and stunning photos. Very interesting to hear how Valentine’s Day has translated to Japan.
That looks stunning, Nami. My kids will definitely ask me to make this. They love chocolate cake. And can I say your cake stand is just too adorable! Love it!!
Nami, what a lovely story about Valentine’s day. I don’t like the commercial way it is done here, but giving chocolates is cute. Maybe we should make them ourselves aswell!
Thank you for your kind comment! Well, confectionery stores are having good business for Valentine’s in Japan too…
Happy Early Valentine’s Day!
Who doesn’t love chocolate? =)
Happy Valentine’s Day! And also, Happy Lunar New Year this weekend!!
That looks fabulous Nami! And you always say that you are not a baker. You just did something incredibly delicious here! I had fun reading the Japanese tradition on Valentine’s day and the month after that. So nice to learn about these things.
The cake looks wonderfully rich and decadent.
Thats interesting, females are the one who give the chocolates. I wanna be there
Your Chocolate Gateau turned out beautiful and looks deliciously decadent. Thanks for sharing about the customs and expressions of affection in Japan, Nami!
Nami this is outstanding A+ post! Cake looks like from the bakery and pictures making my mouth water. Interesting Valentine tradition, and for sure well written!
Nami this looks perfect. I’m so happy you’re finally baking, and you thought you couldn’t do it. I love that you just simply coated it with confectioners sugar and fresh berries!
it looks so delicious, thanks for sharing:)
Thank you for your kind comment Jun!
This looks so delicious, and I’m a huge chocolate fan! I really adore the Japanese traditions during Valentine’s day — I think it really takes the focus away from the commercialism in the holiday and puts the emphasis on expressing love and appreciation for others. And what better way than through dessert? =) Thanks for sharing the cultural background and for the wonderful recipe!
Hi Kimmi! Me too, I’m a chocoholic! Well, confectionery stores sell crazy amount of chocolate for Valentine’s Day each year, and considering the number of people we are (sort of) obligated to give chocolates, Japanese Valentine’s is same/worse as here…
Not to mention we have White Day for another reason to shop… 
How cool to learn the different traditions in Japan! My husband and I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s day but I sure love chocolate and chocolate cake
What a beautifully presented incredibly mouthwatering treat my friend – and you say you don’t bake!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
You know how thrilled I am to see this. It looks perfect and your presentation is beautiful. I love the cake stand!
oooooooooooooo nice cake!
Thank you Linda!
I am in shock, you made cake! This is a favorite chocolte kind of mine, dense and intense. Obliged to give men chocolate. I will be selfish and keep the chocolate for myself. Funny we call November 25th Saint-Catherine’s day in Quebec the day of single women that can make taffy for boys they like.
Ahhhhhhhh! I am crazy about chocolate but living in Japan, I started to fear Valentine’s day.
Yes, on this day, it is women/girls who give to men/boys but not only to their loved ones but also to friends and colleagues which is called giri chocolate (obligation chocolate). And if you receive some, on white day, you have to return the favor. It has become quite a budget.
Thanks to Nami, this year, I will try to bake two cakes and then give some around on White day.
Oh Nami, this chocalte cake looks amazing…!!! And you told me your food is bored…JA…
Interesting the celebration in Japan, so different…we didn’t celebrate like in the US, I mean, it’s not so comercial here, well, it was not, but looks like Valentine’s Day is becoming more and more important.
Oh my goodness, this chocolate cake made me crave chocolate so much right this minute! I’m going to have to bake this delish gateau chocolate cake. Thanks for sharing this recipe and the interesting facts about Valentine’s in Japan. Enjoy yours, Nami!
This looks so so indulgent! I love that the insides are both dense and also slightly airy. It’s the perfect combination.
i’ve never made chocolate gateau.. and i’m still looking for that perfect chocolate cake.. this is definitely a recipe to try one day ^^ love how you decorated the cake with powdered sugar and raspberries.. it’s so pretty and so valentine-perfect! ^^
Looks deliciously decadent!
I tried not to visit this post tonight because my chocolate craving is so big right now. Well, as suspected, it didn’t help because this cake looks so good. The craving is bigger than ever!
Nice to learn about Valentine traditions in Japan–never heard about White Day either.
Looks delicious!
Beautiful cake Nami! I love dense chocolate cakes, and I’d love to make it for the kids, we are chocoholics here and I’m sure that your cake will be a hit
That’s a beautiful looking cake, Nami. I love how you presented it with those perfect looking raspberries. I’m glad there’s a White Day – I’m so pleased the women get something! xx
Gorgeous cake Nami!
Mandy
I love that you shared how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Japan. I love learning about how other countries and cultures celebrate holidays. This cake is lovely and I love the raspberries on top!
I love this!
There is a lot to learn when it comes to Japanese customs and Valentines day is totally different from Western customs. Thank you for educating a lot of your readers like me. This cake will make Valentines day very special as it is so beautiful and delicious.
I loved reading about how you celebrate Valentine’s in Japan! It is very interesting to learn how different cultures have adjusted celebrations like this to their mentality. I love your cake because I am a notorious chocolate lover lol.
Nami, this is an absolute show-stopper – you really took amazing pictures of your delectable Valentine´s Day Chocolate Cake! I love the combination of fresh raspberries with chocolate cake – particularly at this time of year!
Now that is something I could never say NO,
not even at 12 pm.. hehehe.. gorgeous dessert indeed.
Hi Nami! I will definitely try this recipe out for this weekend at my family’s Chinese New Year gathering! Just a question, on the ingredients list in the recipe, it says that 2 cups of cocoa powder are needed. Is this a typo? Or is 2 cups of cocoa powder the correct amount?
It should be 1 cup minus 1 Tbsp. Thank you so much for noticing my mistake!
So delicate and light, Nami-san!
東京のパティスリーとそっくり。Just like the ones in Tokyo patisseries =)
hi Nami, that looks too divine, and I love the way your Valentine’s Day is different from our western one, always fascinating. I also like the way you honoured your cake with no suggestion it was wicked or naughty in any way!! Your posts are always a pleasure.
How fascinating that there are multiple words for chocolate gifts, how about on for Belinda chocolate gifts?
What a lovely chocolate cake, Nami! Your baking skills amaze me. I never manage to obtain such neat and equally shaped cakes. Not to mention the decoration. I hate Valentine’s Day and have never celebrated it in any way, but I would love such a gorgeous chocolate treat any day of the year.
Lovely recipe and delightful gift ,that I wish to receive any time.and I will be glad to know more about your experience Nami .
Hi Suki! Thank you so much for your kind words.
Nami, your desserts always wow me! This looks magnificent, my friend…you are as good of a baker as you are a cook. Brava!!!
the photos of the cake are BEAUTIFUL!
This looks good. But I have some questions. Can I find cocoa powder in Japan and what is the Japanese word for all purpose flour?
Hi Lele! You can find at a regular supermarket in Japan.
Cocoa powder: 純ココアパウダー
All purpose flour: 薄力粉 (hakurikiko)
Hope this helps!
This is simply gorgeous. I can’t believe how much I love chocolate, and this looks like the kind of chocolate cake that is just filled with flavor. Like a big brownie!
Darling little cake. I love hearing about the Valentine’s practices in Japan too. I knew about the “declaration of love” but didn’t realize that women presented gifts to men.
Nami, your cake is gorgeous!! You were bit by the baking-bug! ;-D
I love reading about your culture – thanks for always sharing with us!! xo
So interesting to hear about the Japanese customs! It’s funny how it’s so different, but that’s what makes this world so interesting.
Love this cake Nami, and especially micro’d with ice cream! Yum!
Nazneen
Oh I love the Japanese custom for Valentine day and then White Day!! Makes much more sense than the way it’s done in the U.S. Years ago Bobby and I gave up the “traditional” Valentine’s. Now he usually cooks me supper and I make dessert. (Will be posting that tomorrow.
) When I was teaching a male teacher always placed a red carnation on all of the female teachers’ desks. It was so sweet.
This is definitely a cake I could make and enjoy eating! It’s so moist and quite simple. Love it! Have a wonderful Valentine’s!
What a wonderful chocolate cake my non-baker friend.
Hi Nami! Thanks for sharing the Japanese way of celebrating Valentine’s day. Really interesting gift exchange!
One question:
So does that mean on the White Day a month later, the man will only return the gift to the woman he fancies? Or he has to return gifts to all the women who had bought him gift on Valentine’s day?
I am not into baking but this post convinced me to take the plunge and try this out this coming Valentine’s Day for my wife and kids! Will let you know how it turns out…
Hehee, good question! Men are supposed to return a gift to all the ladies who gave them a gift!!! Yep….it can be costly!
I’m not much of a baker too, so you rarely see me bake or make desserts on my blog…
Haha Nami… Although costly, I don’t think the man will mind being popular!
So apt and perfect for Valentine’s day. I love desserts with just chocolates. I am planning to bake chocolate cheesecake but now I am thinking may be I should bake some chocolate cake too. Looks so yummy Nami! Happy Vday to you
That’s fascinating – I love hearing about how different countries treat holidays! That chocolate cakes looks perfect, love the color from the powdered sugar and raspberries.
I love how you’ve decorated this with the raspberries and powdered sugar. It’s so pretty!
Hi Nami, Your chocolate cake is the perfect Valentines Day dessert for that very special celebration dinner! I saw your chocolate gateau photo on facebook and knew it was time to pay you a visit for a better look at your cake and a good look at your cake making method;-)
I love the raspberries with the cake and think it is just lovely exactly the way you served it;-)
It seems just the perfect cake for Saint Valentine’s day. I’d definitely love a slice of this choco-heaven
Oh, this cake looks sooooo good. I have to make this! If I wanted to put frosting on it, do you have a recipe for it?
Hi Cynthia! I’m sorry I don’t have a recipe for frosting, but I highly recommend this chocolate ganache.
Wonderful cake! I’m all for chocolate anything, so this has all of my attention. Great pictures, also. I particularly liked learning about how Valentine’s Day and White Day are celebrated in Japan. I’d never heard of White Day. Really interesting – thanks.
Nami, your posts are filled with so much more than just wonderful food! The history behind Valentine’s Day in Japan was fascinating, as was White Day. Thanks, too, for including the recipe measurement conversions and stunning photos, as always. Such a pleasure to visit you!
Beautiful cake! Simple and easy. I love the idea of warming it up the next day in the microwave. I like warm chocolatey dessert with ice cream.
What a beautiful cake! I’m not much of a baker, but I’m tempted to make this. BTW, I love your new(?) logo!
I’m not much of a baker too – if I bake once a month, that’s pretty good…
Thank you for your compliment about my logo. I changed it at the end of last year but I changed my Google+ profile yesterday (and I think you noticed there). We call a Japanese bowl “wan” so I use the picture of “wan” for “one”… 
Do you say “wan” for bowl too? Chinese is the same, according to my husband.
Love this cake, Nami! So decadent and beautiful! Perfect for V-Day!!
Your cake is so beautiful, Nami! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to bake something like that.
Thanks for sharing how Valentine’s day is celebrated in Japan as it’s really interesting and at least it’s fair that both parties have a day to show their affection for each other!
This cake looks amazingly rich and decadent! So, how many boys did you bake this for in Japan.
This is absolutely beautiful Nami! Wonderful job on the recipe and photos too… lovely! Thanks for sharing such a nice sweet treat for Valentine’s Day. Enjoy the day with your family!
I like that Japan has Valentine’s Day and White Day–more chances to eat chocolate!
And that cake looks gorgeous. I love the last photo with the berries and powdered sugar.
How interesting that the chocolate giving is the other way around in Japan!
That’s a nice Valentine’s tradition..because a month later the boys return the gifts to the girls..LOL! Love the cake, Nami!
Thanks for sharing the history of Valentine’s Day in Japan, I enjoyed reading all about it. And drooling over that cake.
Delicious case! I have a very similar recipe for this case and I just love it… my husdband loves chocolate and this case is so easy to make. For us Valentine’s Day is very special… we had our first date on the 14th Feb.
Ciao.
Hi Nami
I loves seeing you baking for cakes because that is what I loves too. Your chocolate cake simply look gorgeous and bet it is delicious too, I know it is.
Love, love, love your baking, Nami. Gosh, I had no idea of the Valentine’s Day customs in Japan – fascinating. I think living in Japan at this time of year would suit my Valentine, indeed!
Never mind Nama Chocolate; there should now be a custom called Nami Chocolate Cake!
Stunning cake, Nami! You say you’re not a baker, but I beg to differ…you are creating some lovely baked goods in your kitchen. I would happily devour a slice of this cake with my coffee right now!
Woow. The French taste in my mouth.
It looks simply delicious. In fact, it reminded me of the gift I’m gonna give to my girlfriend on Valentine’s Day. I’ve made a private booking for one of the courses organized by Zac’s cooking school here in Vancouver – cooking classes for couples and this recipe will most certainly be among the first ones we’ll try together. So it fits in perfectly with my romantic plans and don’t forget that the way to anyone’s heart is via their stomach! 
Hi Justin! Sounds like a fun cooking class! I always want to have a proper cooking lessons, especially baking. Maybe one day… Have fun in cooking class!
I love that kind of cake. Yours looks divine and wonderfully moist. A great Valentine’s Day treat.
Cheers,
Rosa
This cake looks exactly like the one my mom does in France ! We eat it with a cold vanilla flavoured sauce called “crème anglaise”, it’s one of my favorite, you should give it a try !
I dont know what to say, it;s just spectacular!
Looks amazing! I reckon I could eat that whole thing all by myself!
That chocolate gateau is lovely
Happy Valentine’s day to you.
Also, thank you for the very sweet comment…I really, really appreciate it.
What a lovely cake! And chocolate, too! YUMMY! I think many American men wish they could move to Japan, especially after reading about how the women give the gifts, not the men for Valentine’s Day!
Hi Nami, I saw your gorgeous cake on Facebook (and various other places) and had to come over and have a closer look… it is utterly beautiful, chocolatey and perfect for Valentine’s day! And, could there be a more wonderful pairing than chocolate and raspberry in the entire universe?!
. Your photography is as captivating as ever.
What a sweet post
It was fun to learn about Japanese tradition on Valentine’s Day. I make a cake very similar to yours that is called French Chocolate Cake. I think this looks absolutely perfect for Valentine’s Day! Pinning 
WOW! What an interesting story about Valentines day and white Day. I never would have imagined that the Japanese celebrate differently.
I love the look of your decadent cake, so lush!
I always enjoy looking at you beautiful images
Beautiful cake ! Perfect for any special occasions
This looks so cute and delicious! I always see this cake when I got to Japanese supermarkets.
I think it’s adorable whenever I watch a Jdrama or read manga where a girl is confessing to a boy!
I definitely celebrate Valentine’s day and would love it if we had a White Valentines day here in Melbourne, because I really think MEN need to do something for us GIRLS hahaha
Your Chocolate gateau looks SIMPLY amazing! I would love to dive in and try it!
Thanks for sharing the recipe I think I might make it VERY soon ~
I made this today for my family’s Valentine dinner and they love it!! The cake itself is kinda melt-in-your-mouth, and I might try cake flour next time to get the sponge-y texture. I just want to point out that the amount of sugar in the ingredients list is 180gr but on procedure numbers 8 & 10 both list only 60gr each, making it 120gr total.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Hope you had a great Valentine’s day!!
Hi Khristine! How embarrassing! I’m not good at math, but still this mistake was so elementary level that I’m very embarrassed. =P Thank you so much for pointing that out. At least oz. amount was correct… I updated my recipe.
Thank you!
I’m glad your family enjoyed the cake. Thank you so much for writing your feedback here.
Hope you had a nice Valentine’s Day!
Your chocolate cake looks amazing! Really drool-worthy! Thanks for sharing a bit of the Japanese culture. Didn’t know the V-day is only for girls to give gift for the guys and show affection.
Good that there’s a day the guys will return the favor in March! hahaha….
I would simply adore this cake! Reminds me of the ones my mother used to make while she and my family lived in France; a tiny bit of flour, lots of chocolate and eggs and voilà~ perfect not only for Valentines, but for every week-end for a chocolate-induced happiness.
This looks gorgeous – so chocolatey and moist, some of the best parts of a good chocolate cake. Especially love it topped with those fresh raspberries
Nami, this cake is absolute perfection! I want to make it right now, it looks so delicious! I love your step by step photos!!
Can i use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Anna! Yes, you can use cake flour. Hope you enjoy this cake!
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