From Denny: A flourless chocolate cake is always awesome. How about kicking it up a notch by adding rich dark expresso to it? Then pile on some wonderful berries to finish. Skip the usual Christmas suspects of fruitcakes soaked in bourbon for the past year, go chocolate! :)If you don't have time to fit this into your holiday plans, keep it in mind for New Year's or Valentine's! I know I will! Guess I have a lot of chocolate on my brain as I just finished making 84 cookies today for some of my husband's accounts who requested them - and by the time I'm finished it will be around 400. Nothing like last minute requests to slow down your posting! :)
Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake with berries
From: Chef Jim Nuetzi, Capital Grill
INGREDIENTS
• 1 lb. Guittard semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 lb. Unsalted butter, diced
• 1 C. Freshly-brewed espresso
• 1 C. Golden brown sugar
• 8 Eggs, beaten to blend
• Bath of hot water
• Fresh raspberries For garnish
Raspberry sauce
• 1 1/2 lbs. Raspberries
• 1/4 lb. Sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom of a 9-inch diameter cake pan with 2 inch high sides with parchment. Place all chocolate in large bowl.
Bring butter, espresso and sugar to boil in medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar.
Add chocolate; whisk until smooth and cool slightly.
Whip eggs till blended. Stir eggs into chocolate mixture until blended. Do not whip.
Pour batter into prepared pans. Place cake pan in roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.
Bake until center of cake is set and tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 45 minutes.
Remove pans from water and chill cake overnight.
Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Using oven mitts, hold pan bottom over low heat for 15 seconds, warming slightly to release cake. Place platter over pan. Hold pan and platter together tightly and invert. Lift off cake pan, peel off parchment and dust top of each cake with cocoa powder.
Cut cake into ten slices and garnish with fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce.
Raspberry sauce:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the raspberries, sugar and salt.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Combine all ingredients in a blender, puree, and pour through a strainer.
*** THANKS for visiting and have a great holiday!
