Flourless Chocolate Cake

 

Some people were surprised when I became a baker in university due to my tendency to avoid the stove. Because of my extreme sweet tooth, most were not. When I was 2 years old, I pushed a dining chair up to the kitchen counter so I could climb up on to it and open the higher cupboards where my mom kept the sugar bowl. So I could eat straight from it.

I knew what I liked.

However, this is misleading as it implies that I love baking most in order to have an endless supply of goodies for myself. Now, I really do love eating my own freshly baked goods, but if I ate everything I made as often as I made it, I’d be a very rolly polly little lady.

Honestly, my favourite thing about baking is giving my goodies away. The look on others’ faces when they see what I’ve made to share with them. The moment when they take their first bite of something that I’ve really executed well. It’s somehow more satisfying than the touch of chocolate on my own tongue (don’t tell chocolate I said that).

Giving baked goods away is especially satisfying if it’s for one particular person, perhaps on a birthday, when I can really consider their likes and dislikes, customizing a dish for them in order to maximize the joy in that moment I look forward to each time.

It’s the most important when perhaps.. the motivation isn’t quite as happy as a birthday.

When bringing a smile to a face is a little more difficult for one reason or another, and bringing comfort is the goal.

This cake is for a particular face that needs a few more smiles right now.

A face that perfers their cakes flourless and packed full of chocolate.

I hope it brings them a little warmth and comfort. And maybe a smile.

Recipe from Paula Deen‘s Chocolate Celebration Magazine via Bakerella

Ingredients

• 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
• 4 oz. dark chocolate (I used 60% Ghiradelli)
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites

Directions

1. Prep a 9 inch springform pan such that a large sheet of parchment paper hangs over the bottom of the pan, latched in place by the pan ring. (see photo above for what this means.) Grease pan sides and parchment.
2. Preheat oven to 325º F.
3. Chop both types of chocolate into small pieces for easier melting and place in a heatproof bowl. Add butter and melt over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the surface of water. Remove from heat when chocolate is completely melted and smooth. (You can also melt chocolate and butter together in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between.)
4. Whisk in sugar until combined.
5. Add egg yolks, one at a time, whisking constantly.
6. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites on high with an electric mixer for several minutes until stiff peaks form.
7. Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour. Cake will rise in the oven and fall drastically when removed. This is normal.
8. Let cool on counter and then for at least 4 hours in refrigerator before releasing from springform pan.
9. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

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