Midnight Snack Series: Flourless Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

Note: What follows is a rather long post, and a three part recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce and Whipped Cream. All made from scratch. A first for my kitchen.

I've noticed that I have two approaches to baking. One method starts when I sit down and weigh out what skills, limitations, and tools I have to start a new project. The other approach is purely spontaneous. Occasionally I will have an urge to try baking something--just because it sounds fun. In fact, this method is the reason I started baking in the first place. It produced my baklava, my pumpkin pie, and my eclairs.

So when Will and I were craving something rich and chocolately, I thought to peruse my favorite recipe sites. Martha hit gold--flourless chocolate cake! Recently we went to Bistro Aix in the Marina and had the most decadent flourless cake with a rich chocolate sauce on top. And since I've had a recent foodie crush on Alton Brown (well, his recipes), I decided to seek out his assistance.

Using the search words "Alton Brown Flourless Cake," I stumbled upon this amazing idea from Curly Girl Kitchen. A flourless chocolate cake with salted caramel sauce. Bingo! So I decided to use Martha's recipe, with Curly Girl Kitchen's fabulous salted caramel sauce. Ok, so Alton didn't supply the recipe this time, but at least he pointed me in the right direction with my computer's search parameters!

Oh Alton. You and I share a thirst for knowledge and caramel.

So after baking bread and tackling my proofing phobia, I found a recipe that would help me take on my other two great fears--meringue (or rather, in this case, folding in egg whites!), and making a candy that normally requires a candy thermometer. And I can admit it wasn't the smoothest evening of baking.

I was mostly focused on the caramel. I had never worked with corn syrup before and, more importantly, I do not own a candy thermometer. Sorry Alton (ps: do watch his video, at least to see the steps of caramel production)! The only thing that made me feel I could do this was the fact that the recipe I had picked did not specify a thermometer, and gave me handy time approximations. So I tried it.

And I am not ashamed to admit that I screwed up the first batch royally. Anyone like super-burnt caramel sauce? My main mistake was that I didn't watch the pot religiously. They say a watched pot never boils, but I can tell you that an unmanned pot can boil over!

if your caramel is this dark, it's burnt.

If this is your first time cooking caramel, err on the side of "underdone." It will continue to boil when removed from the heat--even as you add the cream. Once it turns from amber to brown, it's toast. Yet I'm happy to say I learned by trial and error, and the second batch actually turned out quite yummy! Perhaps it's time to tackle that Caramel Chocolate Popcorn...

Here are the steps for the caramel, courtesy of Curly Girl Kitchen:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:
In a large saucepan combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup. Dissolve the mixture over low heat, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar is dissolved, turn the heat up to medium/high.

Let the mixture boil, without stirring, until the sugar becomes an amber color (5-10 minutes). Do not let the mixture burn!

Remove from the heat and pour in the cream--it will bubble up. Stir vigorously, incorporating the cream. Return to the stove and stir over low heat to dissolve any leftover lumps. Stir in the butter one piece at a time.

Finally stir in the salt and vanilla until all ingredients are incorporated. Remove from the stove and let set. Can be refrigerated for up to one month.

mmm...

Next I tackled the flourless cake. Simple ingredients, but the cake was more difficult than I had anticipated. Looks like I need more practice folding egg whites.. The cake took longer to cook than the directions specified, and there were a few areas of the cake that didn't mix together all the way. Those areas were just meringue. I had to ditch about half the cake, but what survived was actually really tasty!

dense and light at the same time...an unusual paradox

Here is the recipe, courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup fine granulated sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bottom and sides of a springform pan.

Melt the butter and the chocolate in a large saucepan on or bowl (either on the stovetop or the microwave). All the ingredients will eventually end up in this bowl. Let cool slightly, then whisk in the egg yolks.

Use a stand mixer to beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating till glossy stiff peaks form.

Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

Pour batter into the springform pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake 45-50 minutes (for me, 55-60), until the cake pulls away from the sides and the center is set. Cool completely on a wire rack before removing the sides of the pan. 

Finally I made some homemade whipped cream.

Here's a recipe adapted from Alton Brown:

Combine 2 tablespoons of sugar, vanilla, and heavy whipping cream. Whisk together until the cream reaches stiff peaks. This can also be done with a stand or hand-held mixer.

Finally all three elements were complete. I really did have to stand back from the project in order to see what I had accomplished. I was prepared for adequate. Yet I specifically waited for Will to come home before I tasted all of the pieces together. It was worth the wait.

Never before has the phrase "death by chocolate" seemed so fitting. Whipped Cream, Salted Caramel, Chocolate Cake--I've eaten decadent desserts before, but this one...dare I say...takes the cake. Will and I split this gorgeous piece and practically passed out afterwards. Now I would say that my patience and hard work had paid off. Successful spontaneity in the kitchen! Although I still need to improve my technique, I am proud of the tasty treat I prepared. Looking forward to making it again.

Happy Snacking!

Antonia