I have a reputation with my children for getting a little bit carried away when I do Christmas baking. A few years ago, I was so excited about having all of our children and grandchildren home for the holidays, I kept adding to the items I just had to make. By the time they all arrived, I had quite a dessert “buffet” that included 18 items. I still haven’t lived that down!
This month’s issue had all the makings for me getting carried away again. It was difficult to stop coming up with recipes. Hopefully, I will have gotten some of the need to bake out of my system before Christmas and can keep the recipes to a reasonable number. Only time will tell.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Gluten free flourless chocolate cake.
Servings 12
Ingredients
- 1 lb. semisweet chocolate coarsely chopped
- 1/2 lb. unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 1/2 T.
- 1/4 c. Kahlua
- 8 large eggs
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1/2 t. Salt
- Powdered sugar or cocoa powder for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Using 1/2 T. butter, grease a 9-inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment paper. Wrap outside and bottom of pan with heavy duty foil and set in a roasting pan.
- Bring a medium pan of water to boil. Combine the chocolate, butter and Kahlua in a metal bowl set over simmering water or in top of a double boiler. Melt the mixture, stirring constantly, until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes; reserve.
- Meanwhile, combine eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt in a large bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until frothy and almost double in volume, about 5 to 10 minutes. Fold 1/3 of egg mixture into chocolate mixture using a rubber spatula. Repeat this process two more times, until all of egg mixture has been folded in.
- Pour batter in prepared pan. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until cake has risen slightly and edges are just beginning to set, about 40-45 minutes.
- Carefully remove cake from roasting pan and cool on wire rack to room temperature. Remove foil, cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove cake from refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving. Remove springform pan sides, invert cake onto a large plate, peel away parchment paper and reinvert cake onto large serving plate. Garnish as desired immediately before serving. The easiest way to cut this is to use unflavored dental floss.
