Another Flourless Chocolate Cake

I have to preface the recipe to this cake by telling you that hidden in the directions for this cake is an opportunity to burn the calories you'll take in by eating it. That's right. All you have to do is break your electric mixer, and you're on to calorie-burning heaven. It takes a lot of upper arm stamina to beat egg whites into stiff, foamy peaks by hand, and to beat egg yolks and sugar into a "light cream," so I'm confident that I can now eat at least one extra piece of cake with absolutely no guilt. This is a naturally gluten-free recipe for flourless chocolate cake - and it's a much simpler recipe than the one I posted here back in July. Not that that one wasn't heavenly, but if you're looking for a slightly quicker recipe, this might be a better option for you. The process reminded me a lot of the one for the pavlova I made, which was like a big macaroon/meringue, and while this cake was described as being "rich and dense," I found it to be refreshingly lighter that I had imagined. The flavors are not as complex as they are in other chocolate cakes that I've had, but this would still be a good cake to serve to company. It's a nice, solid recipe. It would be even more delicious and elegant-looking with a ganache topping drizzled over the top, or with a caramel or coffee-flavored drizzle. Feel free to improvise! **Update: I made this one again last week, and this time, I lined the bottom of the spring-form pan with sweet cherries and sprinkled them with brown sugar, and then poured the batter over it and baked for about 40 - 50 minutes, until a toothpick came out clean. When it was cooled, I drizzled a dark chocolate ganache and caramelized almond slivers over the top. See additions to recipe below.


Light Flourless Chocolate Cake

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I used the Belgian chocolate from Trader Joe's)
3 tbsp. strong coffee
6 eggs, separated
2/3 cup + 6 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup almond flour (you can substitute hazelnut flour)
powdered sugar to top (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spray a springform pan with olive oil or grease with shortening.

Brew a small cup of coffee and chop the 6 oz. chocolate. Place them in a bowl together and heat in the microwave for about 1 - 1 1/2 minutes until fully melted. Remove from the microwave and set aside to cool.

Separate the eggs into two bowls. Using an electric mixer (if you have one) or a whisk, beat the egg whites until they start to foam. Add the 6 tbsp. sugar in and beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks. Or until your arm feels like it will fall off. Set aside.

In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the 2/3 cups sugar until a light and creamy mixture forms. Add the salt and cooled chocolate, and then using a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the mixture until well-mixed. Fold the almond flour in gently. Pour into the pan and bake for 30 - 38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. I had to bake mine for about 38 minutes, and it was perfectly moist inside when it was done.

Let cool completely in spring-form pan on a wire rack before removing the sides of the pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, or a combination of powdered sugar and cocoa powder, or drizzle with caramel or a ganache topping and caramelized almonds (see below). Chill until ready to serve.

Optional Toppings:

Dairy-free Ganache Topping

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I used Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bittersweet Chocolate)
1/2 - 3/4 cup vanilla soy or hemp milk, heated

Chop the chocolate into small chunks (so it will be easier for it to melt). Heat the soy or hemp milk in the microwave, and when it is hot enough, pour over the chocolate. Stir well, making sure to break up any lumps. Drizzle immediately over the cake and then top with caramelized almonds, if desired.

Caramelized Almond Slivers

1 cup slivered almonds
3 - 4 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Spread
3 - 4 tbsp. brown sugar

Melt the buttery spread in a pan, then add the brown sugar and mix well. Add the almonds. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often. The brown sugar and buttery spread will start to get thick and bubble; continue to stir, but be very careful because it will burn quickly at this stage. Continue to heat for 1 - 3 more minutes, then remove from heat and spread out on a sheet of parchment paper or a plate to let cool. Break into smaller pieces once cooled, if desired.

German Hazelnut Jam Cookies (Engelsaugen)

Can I just say that I heart Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix? Everything I've used it in has turned out with a wonderful texture that has been a close imitation of a gluten-containing version. These cookies are ones that I made with my roommate Janina when I lived in Germany. It was a marathon of Christmas cookie baking that year - we made batch after batch, ending up with countless kinds of cookies. We stumbled across this recipe totally by chance as we were looking at websites with recipes, and they turned out to be so heavenly and wonderful that they instantly become a favorite. They're dangerous to keep around - you'll find that you've lost count of how many you've popped into your mouth without thinking about it. So tonight, I tacked a conversion to gluten-free, and they actually turned out to be almost indiscernible from the original. This is partly because so much of the texture and flavor of the cookies comes from the ground hazelnuts, but also partly because of the wonderful properties of Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix. I make these cookies using my own homemade raspberry jam. I've tried using store-bought jams, and they just never taste the same. Raspberry is by far the most wonderful flavor to use with these; they complement the hazelnuts beautifully. But I have found that any other dark berry jams work well too, as does apricot jam. If you do use jam from a store, try to buy the least processed kind you can - you will want the extra flavor and fruit texture for these.


Hazelnut Jam "Angel Eye" Cookies (Engelsaugen)

1 cup Pamela's Baking Mix (plus a few tbsp. if the dough is too wet)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Dash of salt
1 package of vanilla sugar (German ingredient available at int'l markets) OR 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup hazelnuts, finely ground in a food processor
7 tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Spread, chilled
1 egg yolk
Powdered sugar to sprinkle on top
Raspberry, Apricot, or another dark berry jam

Combine the baking mix, sugar, salt, vanilla sugar and ground hazelnuts in a bowl. Cut the butter into pieces and add it and the egg yolk to the dry ingredients. Cut the butter and egg into the dry ingredients with a pie cutter or knives, and then, when the butter is in smaller pieces, use your hands to knead it and form it into a ball of dough. Cool in the refrigerator for 60 minutes. Take out the dough and remove by tablespoons, using your hands to form into a small ball, and then use your thumb or the handle of a wooden spoon to create a dent in the top. Bake at 300 degrees for 12-18 minutes or until relatively firm, and remove carefully to a cooling rack. I found that after baking for 18 minutes, the cookies would cool into slightly crunchy cookies. If you prefer chewier ones, bake for less time (~15 min.) but let them sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two after removing from the oven to let them firm a bit before removing to the cooling rack. When cooled, fill each cookie with jam and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Store in airtight containers, preferably refrigerated. If you are not going to serve these right away, either freeze part of the dough or freeze the cookies themselves to preserve the texture.