If there’s one thing I appreciate, it’s a good dessert. If you’ve been around for a while, I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now. Chocolate is my go-to and probably always will be because of the insane things you can do with it and the fact that I pretty much always have it in my house.
For some reason, I feel more relaxed when my fridge is somewhat empty (but it drives my hubby crazy). Maybe it’s because I don’t feel paralyzed by options: Open the fridge, grab the one thing on the shelf. Eat that. Pretty simple. Plus, our old-school fridge has too many hidden nooks for stuff to get forgotten and rotten. I get ticked enough when I go to the grocery store and pay more than I wanted to. Then to turn around a few days (*weeks) later and throw it away? Aaarrrgh.
Chocolate, however is the lucky one that’s always welcome! And conveniently, doesn’t get lost or forgotten.
This flourless cake is sweetened only with honey. When my hubby cleans up his diet, mine also does by default because I really don’t want to eat a whole dessert on my own. Not to mention all the dirty looks Nick would give to me as I’m happily munching away…
Baking this sweet dessert in a vintage springform pan is the ultimate in romance. The pan was larger than the original recipe called for, so the cake is quite a bit thinner.
I’d recommend refrigerating the cake for at least a few hours before serving. As it cools, the cake increases in density, becoming almost truffle-like. Topping with a fluffy cloud of whipping cream (the real stuff only, please!) and berries lightens it up considerably. The cream and berries take a flourless cake which are notorious for being rich and transform it to something that is substantial but feels somewhat wispy.
Flourless Chocolate Honey Cake with Berries and Whipped Cream
Adapted from Lauren’s Latest
Yield: 8 servings
Flourless Chocolate Honey Cake
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 large eggs
1/2 cup honey
Heaping 1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
1 cup whipping cream
Scant tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups seasonal berries (I used blackberries, blueberries, and pomegranate arils)
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round springform or cake pan.
Place a small pot over medium high heat with about an inch of water in the bottom. Bring to a simmer. Lower heat if necessary to keep it from madly boiling.
Put chopped chocolate and pieces of butter in a heatproof bowl and set over simmering water. Stir with a wooden spoon until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
Stir in eggs, one at a time, beating until fully combined. Add honey, cocoa powder, and vanilla, stirring until uniform in color and smooth in texture.
Pour into buttered pan and bake for 20 minutes or until middle is set when you gently shake it.
Place pan on a cooling rack and allow to come to room temperature before topping with whipped cream.
For the topping:
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer with whisk attachment, beat whipping cream until it forms soft peaks (how to determine when you have soft peaks). The whipping cream will not be as glossy as that picture shows.
Add the tablespoon of honey and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Continue to beat until you have medium peaks.
Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until cake cools.
Once cake has cooled to room temperature or cooler, spoon the whipped cream over the cake and spread over the surface, leaving a 1-inch border.
Cover with berries and serve.
Leftovers will keep covered in the refrigerator for a few days.
Source: afinninthekitchen.com (defunct blog)
