Oven-Steamed Chocolate Cake with Sake Apple

When I worked with Kristin Eycleshymer, a pastry chef, at one of my book events, she suggested that we prepare my steamed chocolate cake recipe in the oven rather than in a bamboo steamer. The slow rate of steam production in the oven turned my usually light and spongy cake into a pleasantly moist and dense one. Since then, I have been using the oven cooking method.

The sauce served with this chocolate cake is made from apples cooked with sake. For apples, I