#7- Flourless Chocolate Cake 2/15/18

This is actually called the "But it's not Valentine's day anymore chocolate cake"  because I ran out of time on Valentine's day to make it for Hubby. So when I told him it was for Valentine's day....

I had a different recipe for this from Food Network maybe from months ago, but it called for 8 eggs or something so I had put it off to the side. Then I came across this in a King Arthur Flour magazine and decided THIS was the recipe.

If you look really hard maybe you can see the perfect heart I drew on the "It's not Valentine's Day cake" ;)

Ugh  so I thought I had everything. I went to the store the day before and bought just about every dairy from the section. Looked at the whipping cream and said to myself- no I don't think I need that for anything....So imagine my face when I realized there was a GLAZE for this that needed whipping cream. SMH. So I went to the drug store quick after work to grab some.

CAKE

·         1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips  (I used Semisweet)

·         1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter

·         3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used ½ cup because I used semisweet chips)

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1 to 2 teaspoons espresso powder, optional (Spoiler alert- I did use this)

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

·         3 large eggs

·         1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process cocoa preferred (I used a triple blend mix by King Arthur)

GLAZE

·         1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

·         1/2 cup heavy cream

The recipe in the magazine did not say you could use semisweet but online it does. It also calls for the 3 blend cocoa mix not straight up Dutch cocoa

Instructions

1.    Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease an 8" round cake pan; cut a piece of parchment to fit, grease it, and lay it in the bottom of the pan. See "tips," below.

2.    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.

3.    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.

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

5.    Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

6.    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.

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

8.    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.

9.    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.

10.  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.

11.  Yield: 8" cake, 8 to 12 servings.