Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

Posted by Tina / 18 comments » / *Recipes, Cakes, Desserts, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian

Looking for a delicious rich and decadent chocolate treat? Look no further. This recipe uses dark chocolate, so it’s healthy. Yep, WebMd says so.  Okay, I may have slightly misinterpreted that one (*comment dripping with sarcasm).

Anyhow, I was having a serious hankering for some chocolate this week (can we say PMS? hah).  Come on people, we all know chocolate is a girls best friend. Anyhow, we had this incredible flourless chocolate cake at Capitol Grill for our anniversary last month. I have been wanting to re-create it ever since and Saturday was d-day. It was time to finally make THE cake.

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about whether it would turn out.  The consistency of the batter just seemed SO thin. Would a chocolate cake without flour acutually turn out? Oh, yes. It was better than I could possibly imagine. This treat is essentially a hybrid between rich dark chocolate fudge and a chocolate espresso cake… it will rock your world.

Note: A little fun fact that my sister in-law pointed out about this cake is that it’s gluten-free (Friends with gluten intolerance or celiac disease – please correct me if I’m wrong)! One thing is for sure, this is one dessert where you WON’T be missing the flour. It is creamy and decadent, and it sure hits the spot with any chocolate craving!  

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Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

Adapted from: Bon Appetit via Epicurious

Ingredients:

Flourless Cake:
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 pound (4 sticks) butter
1 cup freshly brewed espresso (may substitute 1 tablespoon instant espresso prepared in 1 cup water)
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
8 large eggs, beaten

Raspberry Sauce:
12 oz (340 g) bag of frozen raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 TBS lemon juice
1 teaspoon corn starch mixed with 2 tsp water

Whipped Cream:
2 Cups Cream
Powdered Sugar to taste (1/3 Cup - 2/3 Cup)

Other:
Raspberries

Directions:

Flourless Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Cut a round of parchment paper and line the bottom of 9" round cake pan (about 2 inches tall). Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place chopped chocolate into a large bowl. In a medium sized saucepan bring butter, espresso, and sugar to a boil over medium high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Allow mixture to cool for a few minutes and then whisk the eggs into it.

Pour batter into the parchment-lined cake pan. Then, place the cake pan into a large roasting pan. Carefully pour hot water into the roasting pan until it rises halfway up sides of the cake pan. Place into pre-heated oven and bake until the center of cake is set, about 1 hour (use a toothpick to test). Remove the cake pan from the water and allow to cool. Refrigerate cake for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight).

Take a knife and gently slide it around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake cake. Hold the bottom of the cake pan over a burner on low heat for 15 seconds, warming it to help release cake. Place platter over pan and carefully invert the cake onto the platter. Lift cake pan and peel off the parchment. Slice and serve with Raspberry Sauce, Whipped Cream, and fresh Raspberries.

Raspberry Sauce:
Heat Raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium high heat. Heat until raspberries come to a low boil (takes about 10-15 minutes). Add the cornstarch (premixed into the 2 teaspoons of water). Simmer for 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.

Whipped Cream:
Beat Cream with a mixer until stiff peaks form, add powdered sugar (use more or less depending on how sweet your prefer it to be). Put into a plastic bag or icing bag so it's easy to pipe into glasses.

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