prep 20 min.

ready 1 hr.

serves 8

Today is Valentine’s Day, and it is my wife’s birthday. I made her heart-shaped cookies for Valentine’s Day, but I wanted to make her a special birthday cake, too. I found this recipe in Cook’s Illustrated. This is a modified version. Our good friends have gotten us a subscription to that magazine for years. It is an excellent cooking magazine. This recipe only involves three key ingredients: chocolate, eggs, and sugar. Plus, it is relatively simple to make. I added raspberries which will be my hint of red for Valentine’s Day. I purchased all the ingredients at Aldi. I started shopping there years ago specifically for their chocolate and have been hooked ever since.

Ingredients 

• 12 large eggs, cold

• 1.2 lb. dark (semisweet or bittersweet) chocolate, coarsely chopped

• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in. pieces

• 1 Tbs. powdered sugar

• 2 cups raspberries

Directions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the second from the bottom in your oven, and heat oven to 350 degrees. (I had to remove one rack to fit my large saute pan).

2. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.

3. Cut a piece of parchment paper, and place it in the bottom of a 10-inch spring-form pan. I sprayed the pan with cooking spray first. Grease the sides of the pan with butter. Line the pan with two layers of aluminum foil.

4. Attach a whisk attachment to a stand mixer, and beat all eggs on high for about 5 minutes or until the eggs double in size. It will look like a light froth.

5. Chop the chocolate into small pieces with a sharp knife. If you have a dog be careful when cutting to not drop any pieces on the floor since it is poisonous to dogs (especially dark chocolate). I  used a metal scraper to transfer the chocolate without spilling. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch slices. Using a medium-large microwave-safe bowl, begin to melt the chocolate in small batches for 30-second intervals. Stir between each interval and continue adding chocolate and butter until all is melted. You can use a double boiler for this, but I found it is much easier just to put it in the microwave. Licking the spoon at this point is pretty incredible!

6. Place the lined springform pan into a pan that is slightly larger. I used a large flat-sided saute pan which worked perfectly.

7. Fold 1/3 of the egg mixture into the bowl of melted chocolate, and stir with a rubber spatula until the egg is hardly visible. Repeat this process until all of the eggs have been folded in. Make sure you have a large enough bowl for all combined ingredients.

8. Pour the batter into the springform pan and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Smooth the top.

9. Pour the boiling water between the saute pan and the springform pan until it is about half way up the side of the springform pan. Make sure not to pour the water onto the batter.

10. Put the pan in the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes. The cake will rise slightly. The top will get slightly caramelized and will resemble the top of a brownie. Place an instant-read thermometer in the center of the cake to check the temperature. It should read 140 degrees. Remove the spring-form pan from the water bath and place on a wire rack to cool. Then, refrigerated the cake to let it set up. I found using two pairs of metal tongs worked very well to remove from the very hot pan.

11. Before serving, carefully remove the springform pan. Flip the cake over and remove the parchment. Flip again and place on a wax paper lined serving plate. Lightly dust the cake with powdered sugar. Add raspberries or berries of your choice.

Wow, this turned out well. What taste! Super rich with excellent flavor. I would make this again. Most importantly, my wife loved her birthday cake! Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated http://www.cooksillustrated.com/

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Flourless chocolate cake with raspberries

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword flourless chocolate cake

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 12 Lg. eggs cold
• 1.2 lb. chocolate semisweet or bittersweet coarsely chopped
• 2 1/2 sticks butter unsalted cut into 1/2 in. pieces
• 1 Tbs. sugar powdered
• 2 cups raspberries fresh

Instructions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the second from the bottom in your oven, and heat oven to 350 degrees. (I had to remove one rack to fit my large saute pan).

2. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.

3. Cut a piece of parchment paper, and place it in the bottom of a 10-inch spring-form pan. I sprayed the pan with cooking spray first. Grease the sides of the pan with butter. Line the pan with two layers of aluminum foil.

4. Attach a whisk attachment to a stand mixer, and beat all eggs on high for about 5 minutes or until the eggs double in size. It will look like a light froth.

5. Chop the chocolate into small pieces with a sharp knife. If you have a dog be careful when cutting to not drop any pieces on the floor since it is poisonous to dogs (especially dark chocolate). I used a metal scraper to transfer the chocolate without spilling. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch slices. Using a medium-large microwave-safe bowl, begin to melt the chocolate in small batches for 30-second intervals. Stir between each interval and continue adding chocolate and butter until all is melted. You can use a double boiler for this, but I found it is much easier just to put it in the microwave. Licking the spoon at this point is pretty incredible!

6. Place the lined springform pan into a pan that is slightly larger. I used a large flat-sided saute pan which worked perfectly.

7. Fold 1/3 of the egg mixture into the bowl of melted chocolate, and stir with a rubber spatula until the egg is hardly visible. Repeat this process until all of the eggs have been folded in. Make sure you have a large enough bowl for all combined ingredients.

8. Pour the batter into the springform pan and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Smooth the top.

9. Pour the boiling water between the saute pan and the springform pan until it is about half way up the side of the springform pan. Make sure not to pour the water onto the batter.

10. Put the pan in the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes. The cake will rise slightly. The top will get slightly caramelized and will resemble the top of a brownie. Place an instant-read thermometer in the center of the cake to check the temperature. It should read 140 degrees. Remove the spring-form pan from the water bath and place on a wire rack to cool. Then, refrigerated the cake to let it set up. I found using two pairs of metal tongs worked very well to remove from the very hot pan.

11. Before serving, carefully remove the springform pan. Flip the cake over and remove the parchment. Flip again and place on a wax paper lined serving plate. Lightly dust the cake with powdered sugar. Add raspberries or berries of your choice.

Recipe Notes

Wow, this turned out well. What taste! Super rich with excellent flavor. I would make this again. Most importantly, my wife loved her birthday cake! Enjoy!

prep 10 min.

ready 15 min.

serves 3

It is one of the coldest days of the year so far, and we had a craving for something besides soup for lunch. I decided to try a Thai cucumber salad which is super easy and fast and will bring the feelings of warmer weather! Give it a try. It is simple.

Ingredients

• 2 cucumbers (skin on)

• 3 green onions

• 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped

• 1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce

• 1 Tbs. white vinegar

• 1 Tbs. white sugar

• 1/4 tsp. sesame oil

• 1/4 tsp. sea salt

Directions

1. Slice the cucumbers very thin and place in a bowl. Slice the scallions and toss with the cucumber.

2. To make the dressing, whisk together in a small bowl, the sweet Thai chili sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and sea salt.

3. On a salad plate toss the cucumbers, scallions and dressing and top with crushed peanuts.

If you have left overs refrigerate and enjoy for later. This salad was super easy and a great simple lunch. It has a very nice flavor with the hint of sesame oil and the sweet tangy flavor of Thai Chili sauce. Enjoy!