The Mystique of the Flourless Chocolate Cake

For better or worse, occasionally a concept gets stuck in my brain, and like a puppy with a new chew toy, I can't seem to let go of it until I have almost shaken the life out of it. This is the case at the moment with that most chic of French cakes, Le Chocolat sans farine. These cakes contain elements guaranteed to terrorize the novice baker- chocolate to melt without seizing, no leavening except beaten eggs, and huge self-doubt about when the cake is baked enough. With three strikes like that, as well as a long personal history of pancake flat unleavened cakes of all persuasions, venturing down the flourless cake path seemed pretty foolhardy, especially when you factor in the cost of messing up two-thirds of a pound of chocolate.

BUT, recent success with several chocolate mousse products encouraged me forward, as did two events just crying out for a French chocolate cake- Passover (no flour allowed!!) and a vintage wine dinner with 1970 Fonseca port to accompany the dessert and the admonition from Dr. Hal that the cake had to be chocolate, but not too sweet.

After serious study of the infinite variety of chocolate cake options- butter or cream? semi-sweet, bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate? coffee? liqueur? steamed or baked? I selected David Lebovitz's "Racines Cake" from Ready for Dessert. Mr. Lebovitz introduces this cake with what I believe is an apocryphal tale of discovering the recipe written on the wall of the mens room in Racine's, a Parisian restaurant, ordering it off the menu for dessert, and finding it so delicious that he went back to the bathroom with pen and paper to copy down the recipe.  Don't you agree that I have the right to be a little skeptical, I mean have you ever seen a recipe written on the wall of a restaurant bathroom?? Even (or especially) in Paris?

But the cake's various hurdles- making faux expresso with my drip coffee cone, beating the yolks until they are "light and creamy," folding the melted chocolate and butter into the yolks instead of the yolks into the chocolate as the recipe stated, messing up about 3 eggs trying to separate them, using an 8" pan instead of the 9" which was specified - were overcome and the results, baked just to a tender but non-collapsible firmness were truly "magnifique!" Try to locate the cocoa nibs for topping the cake- they make a really nice crunchy contrast to the cake's smooth creaminess.

Our vintage wine dinner hostess contributed a delicious cherry sorbet flavored with hints of citrus and almond that was a wonderful accompaniment, as was Dr. Hal's precious port. (He may disagree, in fact I'm sure that he does, but in my book the port accompanies the dessert, not vice-versa.)

In the coming weeks I will experiment with more cakes of this genre, building up to an attempt to overcome one of my biggest cake baking disasters, Julia Child's "Reine de Saba." Stay tuned.

Racines Cake
(adapted from Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz)

8" or 9" springform pan
Cocoa powder for dusting the pan

10 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup salted butter, plus 2 Tb to butter the cake pan
1 Tb freshly brewed expresso (I made super strong drip coffee)
1/2 tsp vanilla
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/4 cup, plus 2 Tb sugar
2 Tb cocoa nibs (Scharffenberger makes them)
Powdered sugar, optional, for dusting the cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Adjust one rack to the upper half of the oven. Butter the bottom and sides of the springform pan and lightly dust it with cocoa, shaking out the excess.

Melt the chocolate and butter, along with the expresso in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. When the chocolate has melted, remove the top pan from the heat, stir to smooth out the butter and chocolate, add the vanilla, and let it cool down for a minute or two.

While the chocolate is melting, whip the egg yolks and sugar in a stand mixer bowl with the whip attachment at medium-high speed until the mixture just starts to "form the ribbon." (When it seems that the eggs might be thickened enough, with the mixer off, lift the beater out of egg mixture and see if it is thick enough to make a ribbon as it lazily drips back into the bowl- that's the ribbon.)

Gently fold the beaten egg yolks into the cooled chocolate mixture.

Egg White ALERT!! Egg whites will not "mount" properly if the bowl, beater, or spatula are anything but immaculately clean and dry. If you only have one whip beater for your mixer, be sure to wash and dry it thoroughly before beating the egg whites. If you only have one mixer bowl, make sure that it is also clean and dry after folding the egg yolks into the chocolate.

In a second clean and dry mixer bowl, use a cleaned and dried whip attachment to whip the egg whites on low speed until they begin to hold their shape. Add the remaining 2 Tb of sugar and whisk the egg whites on high speed until they hold soft peaks.

Stir one-fourth of the egg white into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the rest of the beaten egg whites. Fold only until there are no visible streaks of egg white. Do not overfold!

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and then sprinkle the top with the cocoa ribs. Bake the cake until it feels like it is just barely set in the center, about 25 minutes.It should not feel too firm.

Let the cake cool in the pan, covered with a clean dishtowel, on a rack, until it is completely cool.

Run a knife around the sides of the cake to loosen, then release the sides of the pan and dust the cake with powdered sugar if you like.

Serves 6-8. This cake is best served the day that it is made, but will keep for up to two days at room temperature.

To really gild the lily, add a scoop of cherry almond sorbetto to each slice of cake, and enjoy with a 1970 port if you happen to have one kicking around in your wine collection.
Cherry Almond Sorbetto
So easy, and SO GOOD!

1/2 cup  fresh orange juice (from 1 large navel orange)
1 lb  frozen pitted dark cherries (Bing)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract

Combine all the ingredients in food processor or blender and run until almost smooth, just leaving some of the fruit texture.
Transfer the mixture to a freezer container, cover & freeze for at least 4 hours or up to 4 days.

Summer's Bounty: Fruit (& Vegetable) Desserts

We were gifted last week with the bounty from a friend's garden. Happily, it sent me into a frenzy of recipe experimentation, with some nods & some nays (mostly nods). As the intelligent individual that I am, it only makes sense to me to start with dessert. Here's what we've got to work with- strawberries, rhubarb, peaches and zucchini. And here's what we got-
Strawberry Cake
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
A Martha Stewart recipe via Smitten Kitchen which I "improved" with the addition of some almond extract and ground toasted almonds that I had laying around (festering as the Daddy would say.) They added a pleasing texture and taste complexity to the cake. I found the strawberries on top to be visually unappealing, but the baking melted them into a jammy consistency which was a quite nice finale for the top of the cake. I am tempted to try it with blueberries, which might look a little more attractive after baking.This is one of those desserts that is good for breakfast, lunch, or dinner- if you have any left.

6 Tb butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pie plate

1 1/2 c  all-purpose flour 

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp table salt

1 c plus 2 Tb granulated sugar

1/2 t almond extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1/2 c milk

1 c ground toasted almonds

1 lb. strawberries, hulled and halved

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and flour a  9- or 10-inch springform or cake pan.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. (The butter & sugar may get stuck repeatedly on the sides of your bowl. If this occurs- it's very annoying! - move on to adding the egg mixture, and beat until fluffy then.) Mix in the egg, almond extract, and vanilla, beat well. Add the dry mixture alternately with the milk, mixing until just smooth. Fold in the ground almonds.

Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Arrange the strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the berries.

Bake the cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake the cake until it is golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 minutes to 60 minutes. (Gooey strawberries on the tester are a given.) If the cake hasn't browned much on top but is baked through, brown it under the broiler, watching like a hawk to make sure that it doesn't burn!

Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a rack. Unlatch the sides of the springform pan and unmold the cake. Cool completely on the rack, then use a cake spatula to loosen it from the pan bottom and slide onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges to serve. Serves 6-8.

Stewed Rhubarb & Berries

Trust me, for better or worse,
I don't look like her!

(adapted from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten- she uses a combination of strawberries & raspberries; I went for 100% strawberries and skipped the addition of Grand Marnier.)

This is an Ina Garten recipe.  I have scrupulously ignored her cookbooks, which I realize are idolized by millions of fans, for two silly reasons- one, when I was in the hospital after surgery in 2006 the old lady who was my roommate told me that I looked like her; and two, because her recipes always looked too simple! But, as a novice rhubarb cooker, in this case simplicity was a good idea. I love the contrast between the citrus and berry flavors, but I'm not quite sure what happened to the rhubarb. I enjoyed this for breakfast topped with a spoonful of labneh, thickened yogurt cheese.

2 lbs fresh rhubarb, cut into 3/4" pieces
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2/3 c water
2 pints strawberries, hulled and cut in thick slices
1/3 c freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 c freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)

Put the rhubarb in a 2 quart saucepan, along with the salt, sugar, and the 2/3 cup water. bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is tender and starts to fall apart. Remove from the heat and stir in the strawberries and citrus juices. Serve warm or cold with some sort of white dairy accompaniment (yogurt, whipped cream, ice cream, etc.)

My rhubarb was a little green- but it tastes better than it looks.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake (adapted from the King Arthur's Flour.com recipe)
Our number one zucchini cake is the Zucchini Orange Cake with a fresh oj glaze, but I was in the mood for chocolate...... Using cocoa instead of bar chocolate means that the chocolate flavor here is not as intense as in my brownies, chocolate chunk cookies, etc, so I recommend a higher proportion of nuts and chocolate chips to guarantee lots of melted chocolate and crunchy nut goodness in every bite!

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, plus more to grease your pans
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream, buttermilk, or yogurt (I used nonfat Greek yogurt)
2 1/2 cups flour, plus a little more for dusitng the pans
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons espresso powder, optional but it deepens the chocolate flavor (you can use finely ground coffee beans)
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Generously butter and flour either a 9" x 13" pan, two 9" round cake pans or three 8"x4" loaf pans.

Cocoa can be lumpy,
so it's a good idea to take the time to sift the dry ingredients.

In a medium size bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, use a mixer to beat the butter, oil, and sugar, until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, ground coffee, and the eggs (one at a time).

Stir in the sour cream, buttermilk, or yogurt alternately with the flour mixture. (I did this part by hand.)
Fold in the zucchini, nuts, and chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan(s). if using more than one pan, fill them about 2/3 - 3/4 full.

Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, for a rectangular pan, 45-50 minutes (at least) for loaf pans; until the top springs back lightly when touched, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out coated with crumbs, not gooey batter. Because of the varying dampness of the zucchini, be patient and bake the cakes until they are absolutely done (but not overbaked.) Mine took 75 minutes(!) in loaf pans.

Let the cakes cool in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, and then turn out of the pans onto the rack to  cool completely.

Roasted Peaches with Amaretti Crumble 

(adapted from a recipe by Cindy Mushet in Bon Appetit, August 2009) I have wanted to try a recipe like this for decades. I seemed to recall seeing it in one of the Marcella Hazan tomes, but a cursory search was unsuccessful, so I resorted to you-know-where.

These got mixed reviews. While quick and easy to throw together, they seemed a little blah, striking too few flavor notes and had a low crumble to fruit ratio for my in-house unbiased taste tester. (Not the Picky Eater, but sometimes just as picky.) I liked them with my new favorite dairy product, (again) full-fat labneh, but decided that they really did need a third contrasting dairy flavor, albeit nothing too sweet. In my researches, I discovered that David Lebovitz has a recipe for Peach & Amaretti Crisp both on Epicurious.com and in his cookbook Ready for Dessert, which I will try as soon as some dessert storage opens up and we each lose five pounds.

 

6 amaretti cookies (Italian macaroons)
3 Tb whole almonds
2 Tb unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 Tb sugar
4 Tb chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus more to butter the baking dish
3 firm but ripe large peaches, rinsed, wiped clean of fuzz, halved, pitted (make sure they are a freestone variety- no one tells you that!)
Vanilla ice cream or another white dairy accompaniment (see Rhubarb above)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Combine the cookies, almonds, flour, and sugar in a food processor. Using on/off turns, process until the cookies and almonds are coarsely chopped. Add  the chilled butter to processor. Using on/off turns, process the topping mixture until moist clumps form.

You could just stop here and snack on the topping.

My grandmother's (vintage) melon baller.

Use a melon baller to gently deepen and enlarge the pit cavity in each peach half. Place them, cut side up, in the prepared dish. Push a generous amount of the topping into the pit cavity of each peach half. Spread more over the surface (about 2 generous tablespoons for each), mounding the topping and pressing lightly to adhere it to the surface of the peach, leaving a 1/4-inch plain border.

Bake the peaches until tender when pierced with knife and the topping is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve with scoop of vanilla ice cream or dairy accompaniment of choice alongside.