Let’s talk desserts! Flourless Chocolate Cake and yes…it’s Gluten Free

See this photo below? If you are a chocoholic, be prepared to have your world rocked! It defies words.



Desserts don’t have to be an issue if you are eliminating wheat and/or gluten from your diet. We can still have the occasional bowl of ice cream, a baked peach (OMG they are heaven!) or a dish of strawberries and blueberries. We don’t have dessert every night so this has been the least challenging area in our routine. As for cakes and pies, c’mon….they are great but you shouldn’t have them every night. You know I’m right!

But…if you have the urge for a dense piece of chocolate cake, why not try flourless chocolate cake? It’s AH-mazing. So decadently rich it’s similar to a brownie. We topped it with the last of the Cool Whip I the fridge and a few strawberries from our garden. The berries from the garden are incredibly sweet – so different from store bought berries. I guess we need to plant another raised bed of those…..and some blueberries too.

Here it is just out of the oven.




It's recommended to use a 7-inch tart pan. (if it has crimped edges and a removable bottom the cake will have fluted edges) If you don't have that type pan use a cheesecake springform pan. I lined mine with parchment paper and it was a breeze to remove the baked cake.

Ingredients:

6 1-ounce squares coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

For Glaze:
2 1-ounce squares coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate squares
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoon milk OR light coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons Agave syrup OR honey
1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the 7-inch tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray. (I used the 7-inch springform pan.) Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray the paper.

Melt 6 ounces of chopped chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until chocolate and butter are melted and smooth.

Add sugar and salt and reduce heat to low. Cook while stirring for about one minute, until sugar starts to dissolve. Remove pan from heat.

Now whisk in eggs, one at a time. The mixture will look smooth and glossy. Use a mesh hand sieve to sift cocoa into mixture. This prevents lumps. Whisk until the cake batter is smooth.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes. The center of the cake should be just firm to the touch, but be careful to not overbake the cake or it will be dry.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert the cake on a plate.

To prepare the glaze, melt 2 ounces of chopped chocolate and 1 1/2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in the same saucepan you used to make the cake. When melted and smooth, remove the pan from heat. Add milk and Agave syrup OR honey and vanilla and stir until smooth and glossy. Let the glaze cool for about 3 minutes before pouring it on the cake.

Pour all of the glaze in the middle of the cake. Use a rubber spatula to spread the glaze evenly over the cake.

Coming up is another update on our Healthy Living Project and more Nigel Slater recipes!

I am sharing this with Beth Fish's Weekend Cooking Series.



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