Recipe question of the day: What do you recommend for a flourless chocolate cake recipe?
There are many versions of this gluten free recipe. Some are more crispy or silky, "fall" or hold there shape, are firmer or souffle-like, with interiors that are slightly moist or molten. Those that I like the best have a crispy exterior with a soft dense interior. The following recipes strike a nice balance of flavor and texture. Always use the best ingredients that you can. This is especially important for the chocolate. A deep, rich chocolate flavor requires a high quality chocolate of at least a 70% cocoa solid.
An informative video, good recipe, and nice plating for a Flourless Chocolate Cake can be found at the How2Heroes.com web site. How2Heroes.com is an informative site with many videos from professional chefs for home cooks and bakers. Be sure to sign up for their newsletter.
Additional Tips for this recipe:
1. A tart or cake pan with a removable bottom (like a springform pan) can be used instead of the freestanding ring. Alternately, a regular cake pan cake be used, but it is trickier to remove the cooled cake. It may be easier to cut slices and remove them from the pan one at a time. (Inverting the cake onto a flat plate, then re-inverting it onto a display play may crush the delicate crust.)
2. If you only have one mixing bowl, beat the whites with some of the sugar first, as described in the recipe. Then you can beat the yolks without cleaning the bowl. If you do it the other way around, thoroughly clean the bowl to remove any trace of the egg yolk mixture. (The remaining fat content of the yolks will keep the whites from fully whipping to a high volume.)
3. The inside of the cake ring/pan can be coated with oil and sugar, as shown in the video/recipe, or coated with butter and dusted with cocoa powder. The cocoa blends into the surface of the cake and adds additional flavor.
4. Don't over beat the egg whites. (In the video they are almost too over-beaten and dry. This makes it hard to fold into the batter evenly without leaving white streaks and lumps.)
5. It is natural for the this type of flourless chocolate cake to "fall." The edges are nice and crispy, and the middle is soft and moist. Yumm!!
6. Make the same day you are serving if possible. If you make it a day ahead the flavor will still be wonderful, but the crispy edges will soften. Still delicious.
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze is found on the Whole Foods web site. This is a firmer cake that does not fall as much. The rich chocolate glaze provides a beautiful lustrous presentation with an additional flavor and texture element.
For another delicious ganache covered cake, try the Queen Mother Cake, found on Saveur.com.
Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake can be made in a blender! Find it at Healthy Blender Recipes. From the About page: "... recipes are wheat-free, gluten-free, refined sugar free and vegetarian. The majority of the recipes are vegan, dairy-free, and soy-free." The Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake is vegetarian, soy free and gluten free. Special ingredients include fair trade coffee, ground hazelnut meal, and agave nectar. The picture alone makes me want to get the blender out.
Related articles online:
Pie Pans vs. Tart Pans at finecooking.com.
Springform pan, definitionn at whatscookingamerica.net
I hate spending time (sometimes weeks!) trying to find ingredients. Here are some hard to find items related to this article from Amazon.com:
There are many versions of this gluten free recipe. Some are more crispy or silky, "fall" or hold there shape, are firmer or souffle-like, with interiors that are slightly moist or molten. Those that I like the best have a crispy exterior with a soft dense interior. The following recipes strike a nice balance of flavor and texture. Always use the best ingredients that you can. This is especially important for the chocolate. A deep, rich chocolate flavor requires a high quality chocolate of at least a 70% cocoa solid.
An informative video, good recipe, and nice plating for a Flourless Chocolate Cake can be found at the How2Heroes.com web site. How2Heroes.com is an informative site with many videos from professional chefs for home cooks and bakers. Be sure to sign up for their newsletter.Additional Tips for this recipe:
1. A tart or cake pan with a removable bottom (like a springform pan) can be used instead of the freestanding ring. Alternately, a regular cake pan cake be used, but it is trickier to remove the cooled cake. It may be easier to cut slices and remove them from the pan one at a time. (Inverting the cake onto a flat plate, then re-inverting it onto a display play may crush the delicate crust.)
2. If you only have one mixing bowl, beat the whites with some of the sugar first, as described in the recipe. Then you can beat the yolks without cleaning the bowl. If you do it the other way around, thoroughly clean the bowl to remove any trace of the egg yolk mixture. (The remaining fat content of the yolks will keep the whites from fully whipping to a high volume.)
3. The inside of the cake ring/pan can be coated with oil and sugar, as shown in the video/recipe, or coated with butter and dusted with cocoa powder. The cocoa blends into the surface of the cake and adds additional flavor.
4. Don't over beat the egg whites. (In the video they are almost too over-beaten and dry. This makes it hard to fold into the batter evenly without leaving white streaks and lumps.)
5. It is natural for the this type of flourless chocolate cake to "fall." The edges are nice and crispy, and the middle is soft and moist. Yumm!!
6. Make the same day you are serving if possible. If you make it a day ahead the flavor will still be wonderful, but the crispy edges will soften. Still delicious.
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze is found on the Whole Foods web site. This is a firmer cake that does not fall as much. The rich chocolate glaze provides a beautiful lustrous presentation with an additional flavor and texture element.For another delicious ganache covered cake, try the Queen Mother Cake, found on Saveur.com.
Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake can be made in a blender! Find it at Healthy Blender Recipes. From the About page: "... recipes are wheat-free, gluten-free, refined sugar free and vegetarian. The majority of the recipes are vegan, dairy-free, and soy-free." The Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake is vegetarian, soy free and gluten free. Special ingredients include fair trade coffee, ground hazelnut meal, and agave nectar. The picture alone makes me want to get the blender out.
Related articles online:
Pie Pans vs. Tart Pans at finecooking.com.
Springform pan, definitionn at whatscookingamerica.net
I hate spending time (sometimes weeks!) trying to find ingredients. Here are some hard to find items related to this article from Amazon.com:
- Kaiser Bakeware Basic Tinplate Nested Springform Pans, Set of 3
- Norpro Silicone 9 Inch Springform Pan with Glass Base
- Bob's Red Mill All-Natural Hazelnut Meal/Flour, 14-Ounce Packages (Pack of 4)
- Cafe Altura Organic Coffee, Sumatran Dark Roast, Whole Bean, 32-Ounce Bag
- Madhava Agave Nectar 100% Pure Organic Sweetener, Amber 11.75 fl oz (333 g)
Dark 85% Chocolate Organic (10 Bars) 3.50 Ounces
Dark 85% Chocolate Organic (10 Bars) 3.50 Ounces
- Dagoba Organic Chocolate Bars, Eclipse, 2-Ounce Bars (Pack of 12)
No comments:
Post a Comment