Flourless Chocolate Cake

Happy Independence Day!

I made this cake to celebrate some good ol’ fashioned Red, White and Blue and it turned out really well.  It was my first time making a flourless chocolate cake and I’m hooked.  It’s great for gluten-free and gluten-loving chocolate lovers! You can “accessorize” it however you want, which makes it a great recipe to keep handy all year ’round.

Flourless Chocolate Cake
from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients
Cake
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 teaspoons espresso powder, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process cocoa preferred

Glaze
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

What To Do
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease an 8″ round cake pan; cut a piece of parchment or waxed paper to fit, grease it, and lay it in the bottom of the pan.

To make the cake: Put the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat until the butter is melted and the chips are soft. Stir until the chips melt, reheating briefly if necessary. You can also do this over a burner set at very low heat. Transfer the melted chocolate/butter to a mixing bowl.

Stir in the sugar, salt, espresso powder, and vanilla. Espresso enhances chocolate’s flavor much as vanilla does; using 1 teaspoon will simply enhance the flavor, while 2 teaspoons will lend a hint of mocha to the cake.

Add the eggs, beating briefly until smooth. Add the cocoa powder, and mix just to combine.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake for 25 minutes; the top will have formed a thin crust, and it should register at least 200°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into its center.

Remove it from the oven, and cool it in the pan for 5 minutes.

Loosen the edges of the pan with a table knife or nylon spreader, and turn it out onto a serving plate. The top will now be on the bottom; that’s fine. Also, the edges will crumble a bit, which is also fine. Allow the cake to cool completely before glazing.

To make the glaze: Combine the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat until the cream is very hot, but not simmering. Remove from the microwave, and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is completely smooth.

Spoon the glaze over the cake, spreading it to drip over the sides a bit. Allow the glaze to set for several hours before serving the cake.

My Comments
For chocolate, I used semisweet chocolate chips and dutch processed cocoa.

I did include vanilla but not espresso powder.

I used an 8″ x 8″ pan, baked it for the same amount of time.

I made the glaze (chocolate ganache) while the cake was baking. I always make ganache in a pan on the stove.  Combine the heavy cream and chocolate chips and stir together on low heat.  I don’t trust the microwave.

After the cake had cooled and the ganache had cooled into a nice spreadable consistency, I frosted the cake and put it in the fridge overnight.  In the morning it was nice and firm and easy to slice.  I did rinse and dry my knife after each slice.  I sliced the cake into 16 squares.

I decided to whip some leftover heavy cream with a spoonful of powdered sugar and put little dollops on each piece, topped with fresh strawberry slices and blueberries, which I thought looked very nice for Independence Day.

 

This cake turned out super yummy and everyone loved it.  I think you’ll love it too and hope you try it out soon.  Have a wonderful day today celebrating our freedom!

Flourless Honey-Almond Cake

I had the pleasure of cooking for various members of my family yesterday.  A sister from Maine, a niece from Ohio and an uncle from about an hour south of here filled the house with chatter, laughter and good cheer.  For the main course, I tried the recipe that Commenter Teri shared for Ina Garten’s Perfect Roast Chicken (shared in the Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot – Part 1 post) and it really was perfect and delicious! It’s definitely a keeper and I will make it again.  For side dishes,  I made some green beans tossed with balsamic butter (I will post this recipe soon) and quinoa.  For dessert, I made this Flourless Honey-Almond Cake:

 

 

Not only was it pretty, it tasted really good.  It tasted even better with strawberries.

 

 

I liked it best with strawberries and leftover chocolate marshmallow fondue (another future post) drizzled on top!

 

 

Flourless Honey-Almond Cake
from EatingWell.com

Ingredients for the Cake
1.5 c whole almonds, toasted
4 large eggs, room temperature and separated
1/2 c honey
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

Ingredients for the Topping
2 T honey
1/4 c sliced almonds, toasted

What To Do
To toast whole almonds: spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F, stirring once, until fragrant, for 7 – 9 minutes.

To toast sliced almonds: cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned for 2 – 4 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the paper.

Process whole almonds in a food processor or blender until finely ground (you will have about 1 3/4 cups ground). Beat 4 egg yolks, 1/2 cup honey, vanilla, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer (or use a paddle attachment on a stand mixer) on medium speed until well combined. Add the ground almonds and beat on low until combined.

Beat 4 egg whites in another large bowl with the electric mixer (use clean beaters on a hand-held mixer or the whisk attachment on a stand mixer) on medium speed until very foamy, white and doubled in volume, but not stiff enough to hold peaks, 1 to 2 minutes (depending on the type of mixer). Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the nut mixture until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and gently remove the side ring. Let cool completely.

If desired, remove the cake from the pan bottom by gently sliding a large, wide spatula between the cake and the parchment paper. Carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter. To serve, drizzle the top of the cake with honey and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

My Comments
I did not spray the bottom of the springform pan before lining it with parchment paper.

I toasted the almonds for the cake batter and ground them up a couple nights ahead of time.  Matt thought they smelled like popcorn! The point is, though, you can do some prep work ahead of time.  I love that.

I did not measure 2 T honey for the topping, I just drizzled honey straight from the bottle to on top of the cake.

This cake is gluten-free!

 

This was my first time making a gluten-free cake.  Come to think of it, there’s no sugar either.  Hmmm…maybe eating well isn’t so bad! And as my sister pointed out, if I had used dark chocolate for the fondue/drizzle, we’d be getting antioxidants and all that.  Oh well, there’s always next time!

And until next time, I hope you all have a great day!