Tuesday, August 3, 2010

A little butter wont hurt you, says the chocolate torte

"A little butter won't hurt you," was Julia Child's famous mantra.


"This is so bad for you," remarked my daughter as she dropped another stick of butter in with the melted chocolate. ` Kirsten has taken to doing all the celebratory desserts in this house. There are worse things in life than having your daughter become a baking queen. We will all gain weight until classes begin in the fall. As I said, there are worse things.

But if you believe no celebration is complete with a bite of chocolate, this is your cake. Serve it with some fresh raspberries to up your health quotient. But do serve it.
`
Moist and delicate. Elegant and simple. Creamy, dense and rich, it has a way of making everyone at the dinner table feel warm, snuggly and loved. And that's why you bake, isn't it?
`
For ease, bake this cake the day before. The buttery-chocolatey mixture needs time to set completely. After glazing, it again needs time to set.
`
Flourless Chocolate Cake adapted from Williams Sonoma - serves 10
10 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup butter cut into pieces (plus extra for greasing)
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt 3 large egg whites - room temperature
cocoa powder for dusting
`
Chocolate Glaze
1/2 cup butter cut into pieces
8 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Flourless Chocolate Torte Preparation
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease bottom of 8-inch round cake pan and line it with parchment paper. (Yes, do line it).
`
In the top of a double boiler over simmering water combine chocolate and the butter. Melt and whisk to blend. Set aside.
`
In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla and salt until pale and very thick. Gradually pour in chocolate mixture. Beat till well blended.
`
In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until medium peaks forms. In thirds, fold egg white mixture into chocolate mixture. Fold until no streaks remain.
`
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake about 35 minutes - until sides puff up a bit and toothpick inserted comes out moist but not liquid. Cool for 30 minutes.
`
To invert cake: Run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake. Hold a plate over the cooled cake and invert it onto a flat plate. Remove parchment paper Cool completely. You may then cover and refrigerate until cold - at least 4 hours or overnight.


Chocolate Glaze Preparation
Combine 1/2 cup butter and chopped bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Whisk till blended. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup. Stir until stunningly glossy. Put cold cake on a wire rack over a large sheet of wax paper or baking pan (to catch spills). Slowly pour glaze over the center of the cake. It will spread over the surface and drop down the sides. Help the glaze along with a spatula if it does not cooperate. Refrigerate until firm. About two hours.


To serve: Garnish with raspberries.
Note: While it does have several steps, this is a very easy cake. Trust me. When the cake isn't easy, Kirsten threatens the batter with the garbage can. She never threatened this cake once.

It's not your daily fare. But it brings a touch of class and a chocolate embrace to the end of a gracious meal.


No, it's not Italian. Does it matter?

47 comments:

Jan said...

So decadent! Looks great!
It makes me sad that baking leads to weight gain... oh well! We won't dwell!

Unknown said...

it is just to elegant! The picture shows how creamy and wonderful this must feel in your mouth, too!

Anonymous said...

it is stunning, beautiful, elegant and don't know what else. great job :)

janet said...

I don't think I'd threaten anything this chocolatey and delicious looking either!

We Are Not Martha said...

Oh my, I agree! A little butter won't kill you, but it sure can make you happy :)

This looks awesome!

Sues

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

I can't wait to show this to my baking queen! I'll think of some reason we need to celebrate this Saturday night....oh yeah, back to school!

Megan @ Foodalution said...

Hello Claudia - sending you a blog award! Drink a glass of wine and eat a piece of that FAB Flourless Chocolate cake Award on my home page!
foodie love from Wisconsin! Miss Megan

Ciao Chow Linda said...

OMG - My hips are spreading just looking at this. It's gotta be super delicious.

Carol Egbert said...

Chocolate cake looks divine. Have you ever put a dash of cayenne pepper in your chocolate cake? It really makes a showstopper on the cake.

Charlotte said...

Shame on you. Now, I'm craving this beautiful chocolate cake! Where's Marie Antoinette when I need her to go to the blogland bakery for me?

Kim said...

I love this!! That creamy and smooth chocolate glaze over top the dense fudgy cake. I'd be in total heaven with a slice (or two) of this cake. This is my kind of dessert!

P.S. I like that your daughter threatens her food. I've been known to do the same- LOL!

FOODESSA said...

If I wasn't so generously 'plumpette' on the hips...I would certainly make this my daily fare!
Love flourless chocolate cakes. I can't wait to share mine with you one day...lots of almonds.
I will have to give this one a try so that I can fully appreciate your post ;o)) Tough life.

Ciao for now,
Claudia

Justin said...

i'm less worried about a little butter and more worried i'd eat that entire cake myself

Magic of Spice said...

Looks so wonderful...very pretty cake

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

ok now you went and did it, I licked the screen can you imagine that? omg you better be smiling because not too many desserts do that to me, but you got me on this one! wowow!

Anonymous said...

This looks so rich and delicious! Can I just eat this for dinner? :)

Nancy said...

Wow that cake looks delicious and decadent! I would love to eat right now :)

Torviewtoronto said...

this looks colourful and delicious

chow and chatter said...

oh wow this looks AMAZING

Monet said...

A little butter is good for everyone! What a delight to have a daughter that loves to bake...I hope that I can be as lucky one day! I love flourless chocolate cakes, and I'm sure this was a delicious rendition.

3 hungry tummies said...

No a little butter won't hurt at all! I can easily eat a few slices of that and run it off later lol Looks absolutely to die for!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Save a piece for me. It sounds incredible. How nice to have a daughter with whom you can share your kitchen. I'll bet it's fun. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

A SPICY PERSPECTIVE said...

This looks like trouble! I love that your daughter has become the family baker. I have high hopes for my little suis chefs!

Claudia said...

Thanks for the comments! I passed them on to Kirsten - who is pleased other people threaten their desserts, (Although she pointed out that she hasn't threatened a dessert in months). Needless to say, this cake is not "real life" in our home. A once a month treat.

Unknown said...

Sometimes bad things are good. :) Bravo to Kirsten! It's a beautiful dessert.

Barbara GF said...

Something this divine and rich knows no nationality, Claudia. I could use a piece right now! And chocolate just gets better with fresh raspberries. :)

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

I'm not much of a baker, but this is gorgeous Claudia. We're eating more and more dark chocolate. Now it is good for you !
Sam

easy-salad-recipe.com said...

Yum!

OysterCulture said...

Sounds and looks amazing. If you don't take the opportunity to enjoy the good things in life, you only regret it.

I don't plan on regretting it =)

Jen_from_NJ said...

I also have a daughter that loves to bake. Isn't it dangerous? The cake is just gorgeous!

Alison said...

I'm addicted to chocolate. Not the super sweet, more like ooey gooey... and probably your cake!!! Lookes awesome!

~Prairie Story ...care of Alison Zulyniak

Proud Italian Cook said...

Can I borrow your daughter for a couple of days, I promise to give her back!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I think Kristen has a future as a pastry chef! This dessert looks so rich and fudgy and GOOD! I have no will power, so I am glad it is only a picture on my computer screen or it would have been devoured by now..lol!

Fresh Local and Best said...

I saw the picture and got excited because I have been looking for a good flourless chocolate cake recipe, and then I read the first sentence, and changed my mind. I then proceeded to hope that this was NOT flourless chocolate cake, which is my favorite simple dessert! The heck with it, I'm going to make it anyway!

Julia Child also said that "If you're afraid of butter use cream." :-)

Julie said...

So yummy looking...definitely worth the risk :)

Gera@SweetsFoodsBlog said...

Haha so funny buttery dialog and really the chocolate will pass super with it!

The glaze preparation is like dark gold, just gorgeous!!

Cheers,

Gera

Reeni said...

My dreams are made of cakes just like this! How positively delicious! And really gorgeous.

Velva said...

I smiled reading this post. Julia was right, "a little butter won't hurt you" and the statement things can be worse... I would kick back and totally enjoy this chocolate dream, and never give it a second thought.

I think it is really neat that you are developing a "baking queen" in your family. Yes, it could much worse (smile).

Christo Gonzales said...

holy moly claudia - is there any chocolate left - that baby looks dense!

joe@italyville said...

it doesn't matter to me and neither does the butter! looks amazing!

Koci said...

This cake looks so rich and delicious! I've been really craving chocolate for the past few days, so this is perfect!

Andra said...

Oh there are much worse things for you than a luscious made-from-scratch chocolate torte! I would definitely spend my calories on this one. It looks outstanding!

denise @ quickies on the dinner table said...

If you're gonna do something wrong, do it right ;) I'd say this is the perfect way to stray off the virtuous path! De-light-ful!!!

Angie's Recipes said...

I should not have read this at this time! That chocolatey slice have me completely crave for some sweets now!

My Little Space said...

OMG, this is just so addictive!Claudia, you're killing with this. Wish I was there. I want a bite too! yummm..... Enjoy & have a nice day.
Cheers, kristy

Viagra Online Without Prescription said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
megan said...

This definitly gets a thumbs up from me. :)