CATHERINE TIDD
About the Recipe
As I fessed up to in the introduction...I stole this recipe from One Dish Kitchen (https://onedishkitchen.com) for a very simple reason: I'm not much of a baker.
But I did want something sweet for one, so I found an AMAZING selection of desserts on this website: https://onedishkitchen.com/cooking-for-one-recipes/dessert/
This flourless cake is extremely rich - a couple of bites were enough for me. But I know I'll be walking by and taking bites the rest of the day.
Ingredients
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 ½ teaspoons vegetable oil or canola oil
1 large egg
1 egg white
1 ½ teaspoons cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
â…› teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar , plus ¼ teaspoon for dusting the top of the cake
whipped cream (optional)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly butter a 5x7-inch baking dish, a 5x5-inch baking dish, or a 4x6-inch baking dish, and set the dish aside.
Combine chocolate chips, butter, and oil in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water and heat, stirring often, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and set it aside to cool. Pro Tip:Â A bowl placed over a pot of simmering water is called a double boiler. This method of melting chocolate is my preferred method because it allows you to watch the chocolate melt over a period of time. The steam from the barely simmering water causes the chocolate to melt without burning. Adding oil and butter to the chocolate helps the chocolate to melt more smoothly.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Gradually whisk into the cooled melted chocolate. Set the bowl aside.
In another small bowl, beat the egg white and sugar together until stiff peaks form.Pro Tip:Â Stiff peaks are formed when you lift up your beater and you see a nice peak that stands straight up in the bowl.
Fold the whipped egg white into the chocolate mixture.
Pour the batter into the buttered baking dish and sprinkle the top with ¼ teaspoon of sugar. Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet.
Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes.Pro Tip:Â The cake will rise while baking but since the cake doesn't contain any gluten there is no structure to keep the cake rising once it comes out of the oven. So as the cake cools and the air bubbles contract you will notice that the cake will sink back. The top may crack slightly but this is normal and you can see some cracks in the cake in the photographs that accompany the recipe.
Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy the cake as-is, or add a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
What I'm Watching
I seriously hesitate to put this here, but I got completely sucked into From Scratch on Netflix. The reason for my hesitancy is because I haven't cried that hard in a long time. My widow friends were getting updates on how many tissues I'd gone through. It's a beautiful love story, but I'm giving you a trigger warning - it can be difficult to watch.
