THE ONE CUP CAKE – flourless chocolate cherry hazelnut cake

by:

June 14, 2020

We all need recipes we can easily memorize, cause power is out, there is a pandemic, our phones and our computers are out of batteries, but our oven is working and we need to eat a sweet treat. OK exagerration, but you know the day is coming when you are in a cabin and recpetion is bad and you want to bake. This is the memorized cake recipe, as in not a cup cake, but a one cup cake.
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon coffee extract (optional)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans) you choose the nut for you
  • 1 cup dried cherries (cranberries, raisings, mango) you choose your dried fruits 
  • 6 eggs, separated
  •  
Instructions
  1. In a metal bowl over slightly simmering water, melt chocolate with butter. Remove from heat, stir in the coco powder. Let cool slightly. Stir in the coffee extract, if using. If you are in a hurry, you can just whisk in the eggs and the sugar straight in the melted chocolate mix. If you have the time and are so inclined, you can first whip the egg whites until nice and stiff, set aside*. Then in the same bowl, whip the yolks with the sugar, until nice and fluffy and light yellow.
  2. Then slowly stir the yolks, into the cooled chocolate mix, and then fold in the whipped egg whites. (If the chocolate mix is too hot, you are making scrambled eggs, and we don’t want that). Then stir in the nuts and the cherries.
  3. Pour the whole shebang into a greased cake pan, and into a 350 degree oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until just done.
  4. To garnish: dust with some powdered sugar, and serve with some creme fraiche whipped cream, and fresh cherries (if available).
  5. And yes, you could omit the cherries and the hazelnut if you wanted a straight on flourless cake. But Why? Why, would you? Dried cherries, nuts, chocolate, so super yummy.
  6. *chef Helene, special tip.
  7. Always, whip the whites first, set aside.
  8. Then in the same bowl, you can whip the yolks. No washing, between whipping needed. Every recipe I have ever read, says to do the opposite. Whip yolks first. Bad move, because the requires that you clean and dry your bowl before you then can whip your whites (a bowl with egg yolk residue will prevent the whites from whipping stiff).
  9. I don’t know about you, but here on the farm, I got other stuff to do, than washing a bowl between the yolks and the whites, when it’s all heading into the same pot.

Photo and Food Styling by Mimi Newman