Winning Hearts and Minds Cake

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A dear friend from college introduced me to this cake a few years ago. And through introduced, I mean, she made it, I freaked out, and I remembered the details of it forevermore.

Yes, this is a flourless chocolate cake, but it's also one of the more decadent, rich, delicious, and filling desserts I've ever had. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when Taylor and I were deep in the throes of the Great British Bake Off and realized we desperately needed to bake something. 

I realized we had all the necessary ingredients - a few bars of good quality dark chocolate, butter, eggs, and though we didn't have traditional sugar we improvised, and my new and improved recipe was born. I hope you enjoy it and see how it winds the hearts and minds of those you love.

Ingredients:

  • 7 ounces of good quality dark chocolate (usually about 2 bars). I love Theo chocolates and even subconsciously named my puppy after the brand. 
  • 7 ounces of butter
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup of coconut sugar
  • 1 TBSP almond flour (or other gluten free flower of choice). 
  • Optional - berry of choice. 

Process:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and butter an 8-inch round cake or tart pan. 
  2. Chop the chocolate (pro tip from Orangette - a bread knife is doubly helpful for getting the job done), and melt it gently with the butter in a double boiler or directly in a pan - being careful not to burn either ingredient. 
  3. Add the sugar to the chocolate butter mixture, stirring well, then set aside to cool for about 5-10 minutes. You want a gritty mixture at this point.
  4. Make sure the batter has cooled a bit and add eggs one at a time, incorporating the egg after each addition. Then add the TBSP of almond flour.
  5. The mixture should look shiny. Pour mixture into your cake pan and then (optional) decorate with raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries, placing them into the cake one at a time. 
  6. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. You're looking for only a very slight jiggle in the center of the cake. I like things a little more on the raw and ooey side, so 20-22 minutes seems to be the magic number for our oven.
  7. Cool if you dare and enjoy! 

This recipe is adapted from the original Winning Hearts and Minds cake from Orangette.