I was invited to a steak dinner with some friends a few weeks ago, and I usually do, I offered to bring dessert. My mind automatically gravitates to cake when I make desserts for group settings, so I started flipping through my various books and websites to see what I could scrounge up.
One of the joys of cakes (for me, at least) is the frosting, but this time I decided to go against my comforts and not use it. Frosting can be a great enhancer to a cake, but it can also become a crutch. After all, why concern yourself with baking a strong, flavorful cake when you can smother it with frosting instead? So after perusing a few recipes, I found a flourless, frosting-less chocolate cake recipe that I decided to try. After all, what one-layer cake made with two sticks of butter, five eggs, and 9 oz of baking chocolate needs frosting?
I commenced by melting the butter and baker's chocolate over the stove.
One of the joys of cakes (for me, at least) is the frosting, but this time I decided to go against my comforts and not use it. Frosting can be a great enhancer to a cake, but it can also become a crutch. After all, why concern yourself with baking a strong, flavorful cake when you can smother it with frosting instead? So after perusing a few recipes, I found a flourless, frosting-less chocolate cake recipe that I decided to try. After all, what one-layer cake made with two sticks of butter, five eggs, and 9 oz of baking chocolate needs frosting?
I commenced by melting the butter and baker's chocolate over the stove.
Once everything I melted, I mixed in 5 eggs, 1 cup powdered sugar (the recipe called for 1/2 cup, but since this was unsweetened chocolate I was using, I thought it could use the extra sweetness), and two teaspoons vanilla. I mixed everything slowly until it was all smoothly blended together. This part takes a while, but be patient.
Once I'd mixed everything to a smooth consistency, I poured it into a 9" cake pan that I greased with butter and dusted with powdered sugar.
After baking it at 325 degrees for 40-50 minutes, this emerged:
After letting it cool completely, I flipped it over onto a serving plate, exposing the smooth bottom of the cake. I then dusted it with some powdered cocoa.
Finally, I covered the top with chopped dark chocolate. The original recipe calls for shaved chocolate. I didn't have that on hand, but I did have a blender and some Hershey kisses, and that sufficed for me.
This definitely isn't your kid's birthday cake. It's not especially sweet, and with its rich, dense texture, I wouldn't recommend it for the wee ones. If you're a fan of dark chocolate (and butter), however, then this is the cake for you.
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