French Chocolate Cake

1. Preheat oven to 325º convection. Coat the inside of a 9 1/2" spring form pan with butter. Sprinkle with sugar. Tap to shake out excess.
   
   
2. Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Stir in sugar, vanilla and salt. Transfer mixture with a spatula in a bowl large enough to hold all ingredients. Beat with egg yolks a little at a time. Incorporate flour.
   
   
3. Beat egg whites with remaining 3 tablespoon sugar in a scrupulously clean bowl. When glossy peaks form, beat in about a third with the chocolate mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites and place in the spring form pan. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Surface may signal readiness with small spider cracks in its center Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

Optional raspberry sauce: Place a 24 -ounce package of frozen raspberries in a non-reactive pot. Thaw covered over medium heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in 1/3^rd cup of sugar. Continue simmering for a few more minutes. Remove seeds by pressing raspberry mixture through a mesh strainer into a bowl. Return strained sauce to pot and simmer to desired thickness. For quicker results, mix in a small amount of water with whisked corn starch. Finish by stirring in a 1//4 teaspoon of lemon juice. Luck enough to have leftover sauce, serve warm over ice cream. 

Optional whipped ricotta and cream: In one bowl beat 1 cup of whole milk ricotta with a tablespoon of sugar. In another bowl, whip chilled heavy cream also with an additional tablespoon of sugar to soft peaks. Fold contents of both bowls together and serve cake a generous with a generous dollop on its side.