Flourless Chocolate Cake

MHS: This recipe was part of the Culinary Arts course (Spring 2012)

Yield: one 8-inch cake

Prep Time: 45 minutes or less

Ingredients

4    ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)

½  C butter

¾ C sugar

3    large eggs

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

additional cocoa powder or powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F and butter an 8-inch round or square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper and butter the paper (or coat lightly with non-stick cooking spray).

Chop chocolate into small pieces. Using a double boiler, melt chocolate with butter, stirring until smooth.

Remove from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk well– by hand or using an electric mixer. Sift cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk vigorously for 3-5 minutes (or beat on high speed 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer.

Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.

Dust cake with additional cocoa powder or powdered sugar to serve.
Or...use a biscuit cutter to cut out individual sized servings (or bake it in a square/rectangular pan and slice smaller squares with a knife). Dust with powdered sugar or top with whipped cream and fresh berries.

Cake keeps, after being cooled completely, in an airtight container, 1 week.


JULY 2017 Update:
Here's another flourless chocolate cake...that I think I like better. It's a bit denser (NOT a fluffy cake, but neither recipe is). but it has better 'structure' and richer flavor.