Flourless Chocolate Cake

It's Teacher Appreciation Week at Johanna's school. Naturally, I agonized; the new peanut butter cookies I'm developing, (next post!) mini - breakfast cheesecakes? I've been eying this flourless chocolate cake recipe in Gourmet Cookbook for a while, after my friend Kate brought it to my attention. The recipe calls for making it in a springform pan, but since I'm baking for 30+ teachers, aides, staff, librarians and such, it had the potential for a big messy scene, where 10 people got a piece and 20 didn't. So, I thought I'd try little muffin cups and pray it wasn't a disaster. Hurray! It worked perfectly; 41 cute lil' bites, instead of one big cake. (p.s. Top Secret tip: this is spectacularly delicious, but incredibly easy. This is a perfect "company" cake, or to bring to a party!)



Flourless Chocolate Cake

from The Gourmet Cookbook

serves 10-12 in full-sized slices, makes about 40 mini-cupcake bites

8 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened) coarsely chopped
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus additional for dusting

Special Equipment: a 10" (26 centimeter) springform pan, or paper muffin cups and 2 muffin pans

1. Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 F. If using the springform, butter it, lie with parchment paper, and butter the paper. If using muffin cups, place them in your muffin tins. You can cook in batches if you have more batter than muffin tins.

2. Melt chocolate with butter in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth.

3. Remove bowl from heat, and whisk in sugar.

4. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition.

5. Sift the cocoa powder over the chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined.

6. Pour the batter into the pan, or spoon into the muffin cups.

7. Bake until top has formed a thin crust and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs adhering to it, 30-40 minutes for the big cake. Mini-muffins took about 15 minutes, so larger muffins would probably take 20-25.

8. Cool cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove the side of the pan. Invert the cake onto a plate and reinvert onto rack to cool completely. Dust cake with cocoa powder just before serving.