We always enjoy the recipes and beautiful photographs found on Erin’s Food Files. And today, we’re all in for a treat, literally, with this easy-to-make, tempting Valentine’s dessert. Yum!
Updated: February, 2023
Erin:
I decided to make this Flourless Chocolate Cake for a Valentine’s post for a couple reasons. One is that chocolate is such a big part of Valentine’s Day. I firmly believe a way to a woman’s heart is definitely with chocolate. This cake is sinfully rich and delicious. Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to throw dieting restrictions out the window and indulge. Another reason I decided on this cake is because it’s really quite simple. If you are thinking of doing a meal at home to impress your significant other on this holiday, this is a great cake to choose. You don’t need to do any fussy decorating, a mere dusting of confectioner’s sugar or cocoa powder dresses it up. You can spend more time and effort on the meal if you need to. Also, this cake pairs well with red wine. If you’ve never had a flourless chocolate cake, I’ll say the texture is similar to a fudgy brownie. It’s like eating a baked chocolate truffle! An added bonus to this cake? It’s gluten-free!
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- Cake ingredients:
- 4 ounces fine quality bittersweet chocolate not unsweetened
- 1 stick 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- Optional: confectioners' sugar or additional cocoa powder for dusting
- Sweetened Whipped Cream Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and butter an 8-inch springform pan. Line bottom with a round of wax paper and butter paper.
- Chop chocolate into small pieces.
- In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with butter, stirring, until smooth.
- Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture.
- Add eggs and whisk well.
- Sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined.
- Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 20-25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust.
- Cool cake in pan on a rack and then remove from pan.
- Dust cake with confectioners' sugar or additional cocoa powder and serve with sweetened whipped cream if desired. (Cake keeps, after being cooled completely, in an airtight container, 1 week.)
- Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar; continue whipping until the soft peaks return, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Use immediately.
Nutrition
(Cake adapted from Epicurious. Sweetened Whip Cream adapted from Martha Stewart.)
Thanks, Erin!
To read more about Erin’s latest kitchen discoveries, visit her blog: www.erinsfoodfiles.com.
