For Chocolate Lovers - Flourless Chocolate Cake
When pairing wines with dessert, the rule of thumb is that the wine should be sweeter than the dessert. Desserts are often paired with late harvest wines such as Muscat, Vin Santo, Riesling and Semillon. The one exception to this rule is Cabernet Sauvignon which pairs very well with chocolate. Chocolate brings out extra nuisances in Cabernet. The key is Cabernet with good fruit character and chocolate that balances sweetness with bitter. Chocolates with greater than 60% cacao are recommended. Flourless chocolate cake goes well with Cabernet. Here is one of our favorites that pairs well with Vineyard {511} 2009 Diamond Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon.
PREP: 20 mins TOTAL TIME: 1 Hour 10 min SERVES: 8
Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus a little extra for pan- 8 ounces fine quality semi-sweet chocolate (not unsweetened) chopped into small pieces
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs
- Unsweetened cocoa powder or confectioners’ sugar for dusting
- Whipped cream and raspberries for topping, if desired
Directions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees with the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Line bottom with a round of wax or parchment paper and butter the paper.
- Place chocolate and butter in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until completely melted.
- Whisk in sugar, let cool for at leaset 5 minutes (so that the eggs don't curdle), and whisk in eggs.
- Pour batter into the buttered and papered pan, and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
- Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until the cake has formed a thin crust and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
- Test with a toothpick that comes out with a few crumbs, but not gooey.
- Cool completely on wire rack and then remove sides of pan.
- Dust cake with unsweetened cocoa powder or confectioners’ sugar.
- Serve with whipped cream and raspberries, if desired.