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This cake really is easy and very delicious. And it is like
a simple black dress – can be dressed up or down depending
on the occasion. I have made this cake for birthday parties
with colorful M & M’s on top and for no reason at all other than
wanting a special treat at the end of an ordinary day.
Don’t be afraid of separating, beating and folding in the egg
whites. You won’t mess it up. I use a separate hand held mixer
for the egg whites and my orange (yay!) Kitchen Aid stand mixer
for the rest of the ingredients. Have fun!
flourless chocolate cake
1 stick and 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
1 pinch of salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips, melted in microwave for
45-60 seconds
3 cups ground nuts (I like walnuts, but pecans, hazelnuts
or almonds are all good!)
2 tbsp. cornstarch
6 egg whites
1 pinch baking powder
2 tbsp. sugar
In a stand mixer beat butter and sugar until pale in color.
Add egg yolks, pinch of salt, vanilla and melted chocolate.
Beat just until incorporated. Add cornstarch to nuts, then
add both to above mixture. I use my food processor to grind
the nuts. There are alot of gadgets used for this recipe, but
I just throw everything in the dishwasher while the cake is
baking. Trust me, it is worth the mess!
Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl, add the baking powder
and sugar midway, then continue beating until stiff. The whole
process takes about 4 minutes. Use a rubber spatula and fold
the egg whites into the cake batter. Don’t worry the egg whites
will appear to break somewhat, just stir until completely mixed.
Pour into a 9 inch sringform pan, which has been buttered and
floured on bottom and sides. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 min.
Cover with foil after 35 minutes to prevent over browning. Let cool
on a rack for 15 minutes before removing the side of pan (I usually
run a thin knife around the cake first). Prepare the icing* and
invert cake onto a cake plate and pour icing onto cake and spread
with a long metal spatula. The top of the cake is your blank canvas!
I sometimes leave it blank, but M & M’s are always fun!
icing*
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
Stir together cream and chips in a small sauce pan
over low heat, stirring continuously until chocolate
is melted. Pour over cake. Yum! (store cake covered
with saran wrap in the fridge. It stays fresh up to four
days.)
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!
Thanks Stephen for the positive response to the cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!