Mmmm, caaaaaaaake. Even better, mmmmmmm caaaaaaake that does not involve running to the grocery store!
Join me in celebrating a beautiful cake made with things in your fridge and cupboard that will knock the socks off your eating companions. Fudgy, but not too fudgy. Rich but not too rich. Not overly sweet. This is the one that is just right.
Flourless Chocolate Meringue Cake
Yield: 6 - 8 servings
Ingredients
Cake:
⅔ cup dark chocolate chopped
⅓ cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs room temperature
1/3 cup dutch process cocoa sifted if lumpy
Chocolate Swirled Meringue:
3 egg whites
⅔ cup granulated sugar
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
⅓ cup dark chocolate chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 325. Butter and lightly dust a pie pan with cocoa. Tap to even distribute, and then shake out any extra.
In a bowl, melt together butter and chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. When the wafers are almost all melted, remove from heat and stir until mixture is smooth.
Whisk in the sugar, salt and vanilla.
Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Add the cocoa and mix. Pour batter into prepared pie pan and bake for 16 minutes.
When you have about 10 minutes left on the baking time for the cake, begin whipping the egg whites in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. When whites are frothy, add the sugar in a slow and steady stream.
Turn mixer to high, add the salt and vanilla. Let it whisk until thick and glossy and you have stiff peaks, toward the end add the vinegar and cornstarch.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between every 30 seconds. While the chocolate is still melty but cool, pour it into one side of the meringue, with a spatula, fold it in in 3-4 big folds, leaving big streaks of chocolate.
Remove the cake from the oven and raise oven temperature to 350 F.
Gently dollop the meringue onto the cake. If you need to spread it a bit, do so very cautiously so as not to overmix the chocolate. Return cake to oven and bake for another 22 minutes.
Let cool and serve at room temperature. The meringue will droop just a bit, but ... its presence will still be most delicious. Enjoy!
Comments