Pure Decadence

While the weather outside might be frightful, I love any excuse to have my husband home during the day. Even if he is working, it is nice to have lunch together and to be able to have dinner before 8:00, so yesterday I took the snowed-in opportunity to make an extra special dessert.

I had never made a flourless chocolate cake before, but since I am a huge fan of the dense, silky, chocolate-ness of flourless cakes, I decided to use my recent adventurous baking spirit to make my own.

Per usual, I started out by consulting a bunch of recipes and decided to use a flourless chocolate cake recipe from Epicurious because it required the least amount of eggs.

I started by chopping some high quality dark chocolate, then melting it until glossy in a makeshift double boiler. I love how shiny the chocolate gets, and my husband said that he could smell it from across our condo.

Once the chocolate and butter were melted and combined, I whisked in the sugar, using slightly less than the 3/4 cup called for.

Next in, the eggs, and finally, the cocoa powder which gave the batter a very thick consistency.

I poured it into a greased pie plate, baked for 25 minutes, and voila, ended up with a perfect flourless chocolate cake without a single crack!  

Yum yum yum yum! The cake was just as I wanted it to be, chocolatey but not sugary, rich and smooth, pure decadence. I served it with a sauce made of Trader Joe’s frozen berry blend, simmered with a little bit of water and sugar.

We didn’t have any ice cream in the house, but I could definitely see this with vanilla or coffee ice cream as well. This recipe was exceedingly easy; the most important part it seemed, was making sure the pan was fully greased and letting the cake cool enough before I turned it out of the pan. I am learning lessons from past baking mistakes! I will definitely be making this cake again; it would be perfect for a Valentine’s Day menu at home.

When it comes to dessert, do you lean toward chocolate? Or do you prefer more fruit-based desserts like pies and crumbles?

Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe from Epicurious.com

• 4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus additional for sprinkling

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F and butter an 8-inch round baking pan. Line bottom with a round of wax paper and butter paper.

Chop chocolate into small pieces. In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with butter, stirring, until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk well. Sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.

Dust cake with additional cocoa powder and serve with sorbet if desired. (Cake keeps, after being cooled completely, in an airtight container, 1 week.)

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Flourless-Chocolate-Cake-14478#ixzz1ArPVGmyM