Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes

 

Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes, small rustic looking discs of pure indulgence – quick to make and usually gone in a flash.

So this is the second Sophie Dahl recipe adaptation in a row on the blog. I know I should’ve posted it at least a few days earlier for folks who might want to make it for Valentine’s Day.

Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes are fairly easy to put together and don’t require a lot of time to make. However,  these cakes are not picture perfect pretty little rounds – they are very rustic looking, cracked and even broken in places. Their beauty lies in imperfection.

And obviously, no one has to wait for Valentine’s Day to make these Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes. I make these at times just to brighten up an otherwise regular meal. It’s a lovely dessert to make for gluten intolerant family or friends.

I would describe the texture of these cakes somewhere between a fudgy brownie and a softened bar of chocolate. I might try making these with white chocolate one day, which is my favourite type of chocolate.

Good dark chocolate works best here but if you’re not a fan then semisweet is fine. If you must use milk chocolate, do a 50/50 with dark chocolate otherwise your Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes may become overly sweet and lack the depth that dark chocolate imparts.

Sour cream or crème fraîche provides a slightly tart and refreshing contrast. You can use plain whipped cream to top these as well if you wish plus a bit of fresh fruit or edible flowers to garnish. I used rose petals and leaves from a home grown rose plant to crown my Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes.

 

Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes

 

Recipe Type: Dessert    Author: Alice In Eatland

Prep Time: 10 Minutes    Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Resting Time: 2 – 4 Hours   Total Time: 2 – 4 Hours

Serves: 2

 

Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes – discs of deep dark chocolate goodness topped with contrasting tart crème fraîche. A rich & decadent dessert. Gluten free.

 

INGREDIENTS

• Butter to grease ramekins
• Cocoa powder to dust ramekins
• 75 grams chocolate (dark, semisweet or half dark chocolate + half milk chocolate), broken into pieces
• 60 grams salted butter
• 60 grams caster / superfine sugar
• 1 medium egg
• 1/4 teaspoon instant coffee powder dissolved in 1/4 teaspoon boiling water
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
• Sour cream, crème fraîche or whipped cream to serve
• Fresh fruit (strawberries, cherries, blueberries, kiwi etc) or fresh edible unsprayed flowers to decorate

 

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F.
2. Line 2 ramekins (each 4″ in diameter) with foil. Each piece of foil should be big enough to be easily pressed onto the bottom and all the way up the sides of each ramekin.
3. Butter the foil and sprinkle with cocoa powder, shaking and turning the ramekins round until the bottoms and sides are coated with cocoa. Shake off any excess cocoa.
4. Place the broken chocolate pieces and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave uncovered, stopping and stirring every 10 seconds until both are almost melted. Stir thoroughly for the final melting of the chocolate. The mixture should be uniform and smooth.
5. Put the sugar, the egg, the cooled coffee that had been dissolved in the boiling water and the vanilla in a bowl and beat until thick and pale.
6. Fold in the melted chocolate and butter mixture with a spatula or spoon.
7. Pour the mixture equally into the prepared ramekins and bake 20-30 minutes.
8. The tops of the cakes will rise flat and look crusty. Keep an eye on them and the cakes are done as soon as you see the risen tops deflate slightly.
9. You should also be able to smell a very chocolatey aroma in your kitchen – that’s your Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes telling you they are ready.
10. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack. The centres of the cakes will begin to collapse right after removal from the oven, with a crater forming in the cracked centre. The sides will also cool imperfect. That is the beauty of these.
11. Let cool to room temperature and then place ramekins in the fridge for 2 – 4 hours or even overnight. You want them to be thoroughly cool.
12. When ready to serve, carefully lift out the cakes using the foil lining. Gently peel away the foil and place cakes on serving plates. Don’t worry if the sides are cracked or even a bit broken in places.
13. Top with a few dollops of whipped cream, sour cream or crème fraîche in the craters in the centre.
14. Decorate with your choice of fresh fruit or edible flowers. Or both.