Nothing says love in February like Dark Chocolate! Here is a quick, delicious and phytonutrient packed treat for you and your valentine.
For more health information about cocoa or cacao, click here.
Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake
Makes 10 servings
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces dark chocolate with 70% cocoa (not unsweetened) like Lindt, Ghirardelli, Trader Joes, etc.
- 3/4 cup European butter (Kerry Gold)
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus additional for dusting the pan and sprinkling on top
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup cocoa nibs for sprinkling on top
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch round baking pan or springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper that’s cut to fit the bottom. Grease the pan with butter and dust with cocoa.
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs and 1 cup of sugar for about 10 minutes until light and fluffy.
- While the egg mixture is beating, add the butter to the chocolate and melt in a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring constantly until smooth and glossy.
- Take the chocolate mixture off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool for a few minutes.
- Whisk in the egg mixture, stirring well until combined.
- Sift* in 1/2 cup cocoa and salt over the chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake in a water bath** in the middle of the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs.
- Cool the cake completely in the pan and then invert onto a cooling rack.
- Invert back onto a serving plate and dust the cake with the additional cocoa powder as well as cocoa nibs.
*You must sift in the cocoa and salt so that the cocoa does not clump.
**To make a water bath or bain marie, place the cake pan in an oven-proof pan, Dutch oven or roasting pan. Choose a pan that you can easily lift the cake pan out of at the end of cooking. Pour boiling water carefully around the cake pan up to the middle. If using a springform pan, after preparing the pan for baking, wrap it up to right below the rim in a double layer of aluminum foil to keep water from seeping into the pan.
*Adapted from epicurious.com
