The theme for today’s post is… cooks are frauds.
Or, OK… here’s a more upbeat theme: even if you think you can’t do something — you probably can! Don’t you love the times you can surprise yourself by discovering some untapped capacity or skill you have? The kitchen is a great place to try new things and to grow. The fancy foods you see, admire, and think you could never make at home… you can. Really. They’re probably not all that fancy! For this dessert, I tried two things that I was a little scared to try: flourless baking, and homemade caramel. I thought I’d end up with gross, overly-eggy baked custard and burnt caramel, but I ended up with two really simple, fun recipes.
There are some desserts you are likely to eat only when you order them in a restaurant. Créme brulee (blowtorch in the kitchen, anyone?), chocolate molded into the shape of a paper bag (thanks, Mom and Dad!), or bacon and chocolate chip ice cream (yes, that does exist in a restaurant near us), for example. I think many of us would put flourless chocolate cake in that category — right? “Oooooh, flourless chocolate cake… how do they get cake without flour?” (I really hope I’m not the only person with this flourless fascination… otherwise this post could stop being interesting right… now.)
Anyway, what I didn’t know, and what I am here today to announce to the world, is that flourless chocolate cake has a dirty little secret. It is actually the easiest chocolate cake to make at home… ever. I was prepared for the process to be fussy, difficult, and irritating… looking back, I am now questioning why I chose to make a recipe for which I had such low expectations. In any case, there was no reason to be so anxious about it! I thought I was creating a restaurant-style fancy dessert, and really, I should have just pulled out an easy-bake oven, because this cake was child’s play.
There’s no magic here — the eggs and the cocoa give it structure, the coffee gives it depth of flavor, and, well, the sugar and chocolate just get in there and makes it a real dessert. The crust is just substantial enough to notice, but quickly disappears into the thick, fudgey, almost brownie-like cake. What I really loved about this was the flavor. To be honest, I didn’t use very high-quality chocolate (long live Aldi!), but it still had a rich, densely chocolate flavor that is incredibly satisfying.
Moving on to baker’s secret weapon #2. You can see that I paired the flourless chocolate cake with a basic caramel sauce… truly a match made in heaven! I got the recipe from Simply Recipes, a great resource. I really can’t describe the process any better than Elise does there, so head on over, and make this sauce! One thing you might want to try is adding a little salt to the caramel. I think a really salty caramel sauce would be even better with this rich, sweet cake.
Caramel + chocolate cake = best friends
Finally, before arriving at this incredibly mouthwatering recipe, I have an announcement! Remember when I promised you all contributions from Puerto Rico? Well, they’re here! Every Monday, I’ll be posting a recipe from my dear friend Courtney who is in sunny Puerto Rico, living the island life, and eating her way through all the delights of Puerto Rican food.
She’s taken a lot of time to prepare fantastic Puerto Rican food and to also write thoughtful posts that share a bit about life and culture in Puerto Rico, so get excited! The food looks WONDERFUL and extremely accessible, even for those of us who have never been to PR. Whoohoo! I’m so excited! Everyone have a great weekend, and we’ll see you Monday with exciting new recipes!
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Adapted from Culinate, originally from Hip Kosher
- 8 oz. semisweet chocolate
- 1 Tbsp. instant coffee powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp. cold coffee
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.
Put the chocolate, instant coffee powder, and butter in a heatproof bowl, then set the bowl over a saucepan containing about an inch of barely simmering water. Cook until the chocolate has melted, stirring occasionally to blend ingredients completely. Remove the bowl from heat, and set aside to cool slightly.
Combine the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer set at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the cocoa powder and beat until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Add the chocolate mixture and cold coffee and blend them in thoroughly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few chocolate crumbs clinging to the sides. Transfer to a cake rack to cool almost totally until cutting around the edges of the cake with the tip of a knife and releasing the sides of the springform pan.
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That came out fantastic by the looks and sounds of things!!! Yes, for sure a “eat only when you order them in a restaurant” dessert…until now! Homerun, nice work!!!!!