Tuesday, October 1, 2013

paula's flourless chocolate cake

The first time I saw Paula "Butter! Butter! Butter!" Deen on TV was when I was in NYC. I was watching Food network and this larger-than-life woman came on the screen and started whipping up food that contained copious amounts of butter.

I was enthralled.

Was this woman for real? I mean, could people eat THAT MUCH butter and not have a heart attack and die on the spot?!?

Apparently so.



All that butter aside, the woman can cook.

Some of the stuff that she has made look incredible.

But then again, how wrong can butter go, right?

BUTTER! BUTTER! BUTTER! :D

When I chanced upon this recipe, it took me a while to come to terms with the fact that it was a Paula Deen recipe. It only calls for 225g of butter and yet it looked so decadently sinfully rich.

So! I simply had to make this cake! :P

To start, I melted the chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl over a ban-marie. You can also melt the chocolate in a microwave oven, but I am too much of a coward to try doing that. I am always too worried that my precious Valrhona chocolate may be ruined by over-heating or something similar in the microwave.

But that's just me.




Once the chocolate and butter had melted, I transferred the mixture to a mixing bowl, added the sugar and beat until the sugar had been incorporated into the mixture.


The yolks were added, one at a time, followed by the coffee (or vanilla) extract and mixed until combined.


This was set aside.



In another bowl, I whisked the egg whites until stiff peaks formed.

The egg whites were gently folded into the chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined.

The batter was poured into a lined and greased springform pan and baked.


While baking, the cake would rise, then collapse.

It is normal.


Do not panic.


Once baked, the cake was cooled on a wire rack in the springform pan for at least 4 hours before being placed in the fridge to chill.

Before serving, transfer the cake onto a cake stand or plate.


You can dust it with icing sugar, or top it with a raspberry compote.


Chocolate and raspberry. Match made in heaven.


This is a very, very rich cake (Chocolate lovers shout "HURRAH!!") so a small slice does go a long way.

Tastes best when chilled!!

RECIPE
Paula's Flourless Chocolate Cake (Serves 8-10)
Recipe from Paula Deen‘s Chocolate Celebration Magazine via Bakerella
Recipe for raspberry compote adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients:
For the cake:
226g semi-sweet chocolate
113g dark chocolate (I used 70% Valrhona)
1 tsp vanilla or coffee extract (optional)
225g unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
6 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites

For the Compote:
2 punnets fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2 cup water
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar
3 tbs corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
Zest of 1 lemon

Method:
For the cake:
Prep a 9-inch springform pan such that a large sheet of parchment paper hangs over the bottom of the pan, latched in place by the pan ring. Grease pan sides and baking paper.
Preheat oven to 170C.
Chop both types of chocolate into small pieces for easier melting and place in a heatproof bowl. Add butter and melt over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the surface of water. Remove from heat when chocolate is completely melted and smooth. (You can also melt chocolate and butter together in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between.)
Whisk in sugar until combined.
Add egg yolks, one at a time, whisking constantly. Add vanilla or coffee extract, if using. Mix to combine.
In a medium bowl, beat egg whites on high with an electric mixer for several minutes until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour. Cake will rise in the oven and fall drastically when removed. This is normal.
Let cool on counter and then for at least 4 hours in refrigerator before releasing from springform pan.
Dust with powdered sugar, or top with raspberry compote, if desired.

For the Raspberry Compote:
1. In a small saucepan combine the raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, zest and water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring gently until boiling.
2. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and carefully stir it in. Cook for 2-3 minutes over low heat, stirring until sauce is thick.
3. Sauce will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.








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