FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

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Flourless Chocolate Cake image

From Victoria magazine in 1993, not sure which issue. It's a bit fussy to make, but SO worth it! Truly a chocoholic's paradise! It is a bit like a fallen chocolate souffle; it puffs up during cooking, then collapses into a dense, rich cake. Be sure to use the very highest quality ingredients--especially the chocolate--that you can afford; you can really taste the quality here, so it definitely counts. I like to use Scharffen Berger or Valrhona chocolate. You will need a baking pan with a flat bottom somewhat larger than your cake pan and enough hot water to make a bain marie (hot water bath); if you've never cooked with one before, don't let it worry you--they aren't difficult to use, and they give such nice results. Times are estimated, but cooling and other minimal "sitting" times are included with cooking time. I'd definitely suggest making this the day before you need it.

Provided by Halcyon Eve

Time 15h30m

Yield 1 cake, 12-14 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 8

6 ounces semisweet chocolate
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
5 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Steps:

  • Combine chocolates and butter in top of a double boiler. Melt over hot (but not boiling) water, stirring often. Remove top from heat and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  • Meanwhile, in a small pan, combine the 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil 4 minutes without stirring. Set aside to cool to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours (sugar may crystallize on surface--don't worry if it does).
  • Preheat oven to 350* F. Butter and flour a 9x2 inch round cake pan. Line bottom with parchment paper; butter and flour paper. Start heating some water, such as in a kettle, so it is quite hot but not boiling.
  • When chocolate and syrup have cooled, beat eggs and the 1/3 cup sugar in large mixing bowl at high speed for 10 minutes or until tripled in volume and eggs form ribbons when beaters are lifted.
  • Slowly pour in syrup, beating constantly at high speed and taking care not to pour over beaters (which will fling syrup around in a sticky mess).
  • Fold in chocolate mixture until blended. Pour cake batter into prepared pan.
  • Place pan in a shallow baking pan, large enough for the cake pan to sit level on bottom and about 1 1/2 or 2 inches deep. Pour hot water around the cake pan to 1 inch depth, taking care not to splash water into the cake.
  • Place the bain marie with the cake into the oven and bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes. The toothpick test will not work; the cake should be moist with a slight crust on top.
  • Remove the cake from the bain marie. Cool in the pan to room temperature (about 3 hours). During cooling, the cake will settle and crack.
  • Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours.
  • To serve, run a warm knife around inside of pan several times to loosen cake. Gently heat bottom by placing in hot water for 1-2 minutes. Dry off to keep from dripping onto cake. Place a baking sheet over top of pan, invert, and rap sharply on counter to remove cake from pan. The cake can be quite difficult to remove, so you may need to repeat these steps a few times before you are successful.
  • Peel off paper and invert onto a serving platter, so top side is once again up. Cover and refrigerate; remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving and let sit at room temperature.
  • Garnish with a dusting of sifted confectioner's sugar before slicing. The cake is very rich, so cut into sliver portions to serve.

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