For someone who doesn’t much care for desserts, I’ve posted quite a few lately. Probably part of it was the holidays that just kept on coming: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with Valentine’s Day around the corner.    All of these special occasions call for a sweet closure, often with chocolate written all over it. 😉

To get in this proper dessert spirit, I’ll share my favorite recipe for  flourless chocolate cake.  Even someone as cake-challenged  as myself can make this scrumptious dessert, as I have since I saw it on “Taste”, with David Rosengarten (back when the FoodTV Network was worth watching).  I didn’t miss many of David’s shows, that I taped on my old VCR, and still have the box of those tapes.  VCRs are a thing of the past, but one day I’ll digitize those shows on DVDs (…one happy day… right after I organize my recipes in beautiful, indexed folders).

David Rosengarten’s flourless chocolate cake is special.  I mean, who doesn’t like a pony?  Even if you’re not a chocoholic, this dessert might be for you, but if you love chocolate, then don’t let this recipe pass you by.  It’s dreamy with a little whipped cream on the side, that slightly mellows its potent chocolate kick.   Please, use the best chocolate that you can find, because here quality makes a difference:  the chocolate is all that you will taste.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
(from David Rosengarten show Taste)

7 oz extra bittersweet chocolate
14 Tbs unsalted butter  (1 + 3/4 sticks)
5 large eggs, separated
1 Tbs vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

Heat the oven to 350F. Grease a 10-inch springform pan.

Combine the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water, heating until fully melted and smooth.  Transfer to a bowl, let it cool slightly for a few minutes, and whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla.  Sift in the sugar, salt, and cocoa powder, while constantly stirring.

Whip the egg whites to soft peaks.  Gently mix about one third of them into the chocolate mixture, fold the remaining whites trying to deflate them as little as possible. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan.  Place in the lower rack of the oven and bake for 25-28 minutes.

Remove the cake to a rack and immediately loosen the sides of the pan. Allow the cake to cool before serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Some people, including my husband, can’t conceive of a cake without icing (irony of all ironies, he married the “Anti-Cake”).  Yet, this cake won his heart (though he  insists it will still improve with a thin chocolate glaze).  Years ago I baked it in a heart-shaped pan for our Valentine’s dinner.  OK, it was a little  cheesy,  but it doesn’t hurt to travel that route every once in a while…  😉

David’s original recipe instructed to press the cake down with a plate or other appropriate flat object right after removing the ring, to compress it and release a bit of the air produced by the whipped egg whites.   In his opinion, the cake is all about a fudgy, dense, chocolaty texture.  I’ve tried it both ways, and prefer to skip the compression, allowing it to naturally cool and deflate.

For the fans of his show, those who certainly still remember his closing line….

” Life is a matter of taste.” (David Rosengarten)

CANTINHO BRASILEIRO

BOLO-FUDGE DE CHOCOLATE
(David Rosengarten)

200g  de chocolate amargo de excelente qualidade
14 colheres de sopa de manteiga sem sal
5 ovos grandes, separados
1 colher de sopa de extrato de baunilha
3 / 4 de xícara de acucar granulado
1 pitada de sal
2 colheres de sopa de cacau em pó sem açúcar

Aqueça o forno a175 C.   Unnte uma forma redonda com aro removivel de 25cm de diametro com manteiga.

Coloque o chocolate e a manteiga em banho-maria sobre água fervente, ate’ que formem uma mistura completamente lisa e homogenea.   Transfira para uma tigela, deixe esfriar um pouco por alguns minutos, e adicione as gemas e o extrato de baunilha, misturando constantemente.   Peneire o açúcar, sal e cacau em pó, sem parar de mexer.

Bata as claras ate’ formarem picos macios. Delicadamente, misture cerca de um terço das claras batidas ao resto da massa do bolo, depois adicione as claras restantes delicadamente, para nao perder o volume.  Despeje a mistura na forma preparada, coloque no forno e asse por 25-28 minutos.

Retire o bolo para uma prateleira e imediatamente retire o aro removivel. Deixe que o bolo esfrie antes de servir.