This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe featured a perfect dessert for Valentine's Day: an incredibly rich, decadent, chocolate cake that is reminiscent of fudge. This cake is nearly flour-less (containing a scant 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour in the batter) and is given a flavor boost from the addition of bourbon. Booze and chocolate are a fantastic combination.
The best part about this recipe? It was the easiest cake I have ever made in my life. Paul and I stayed in for Valentine's Day (we were kind of forced to since Mr. Matthew had a stomach bug) and made a simple dinner of curried mussels. Paul handled the mussels while I worked on getting this cake into the oven so we could enjoy a slice for dessert. Mussels normally take less than 15 minutes to make, start to finish, and I had this cake sliding into the oven at the exact same time that Paul took the pot of mussels off the stove-top The batter is simply given a couple of good pulses in the food processor and then dumped into a greased, parchment lined cake pan and baked for 30 minutes. Voila! Warm from the oven, the cake develops a crackly, brownie-like crust that, once broken into, reveals a chocolaty interior akin to the molten center of a lava cake. I actually enjoyed the cake best after a 24-hour chill in the fridge, after which time it took on the texture of an excellent, perfectly smooth fudge. So delicious.
The recipe calls for the cake to be served with a white chocolate cream that is simply made by melting white chocolate in hot cream and then adding a generous dosage of more bourbon before heading to the fridge for a 24 hour rest. Paul and I made the cream and ended up whipping it slightly since we did not care for the texture of the cream right out of the refrigerator. However, the flavor really did complement the cake beautifully although honestly the cake was decadent enough without the extra garnish. Next time, I would probably just eat the cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to cut the richness a bit. Or some plain whipped cream and fresh raspberries.
Overall, I really enjoyed this recipe for its ease and simplicity. It would make an excellent, no-fuss dessert to impress some dinner guests. If you would like to give the recipe a try, head over to Cathy's Blog.
Your decadent cake looks marvelous! Kristine Mika
ReplyDeleteI too found that the white chocolate was a very good complement. It came out beautiful, no mess!
ReplyDeleteAgree with everything you've said about the cake!! The white chocolate sounded good but maybe with a lighter dessert!! This was one wicked cake!!
ReplyDeleteThis cake was so rich that it definitely needed the white chocolate (or something) to temper the sweet.
ReplyDeleteHope everyone is back to being healthy!
Your cake turned out perfectly! I agree that it was better after some time in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteIncredibly easy and wonderful! Who could ask for more? Your cake looks lovely.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photography. Your cake looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteWonderful pics! Your cake looks great. It really was a simple cake to make but is so good and decadent. I loved the sauce as well, but agree ice cream would be great with it too.
ReplyDeleteYour cake looks wonderful. I wish I had cooked mine longer. I had pudding cake.
ReplyDeleteYour cake is beautiful! And I do love mussels.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great photo- looks just like the one in the book. This one was a hit.
ReplyDeleteI agree, booze and chocolate are a great combo :) Congrats on a lovely cake!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! We loved this, too, but it is best served to a crowd. A tiny sliver is all I can manage at once!
ReplyDeleteThis looks so good I'm tempted to try it!
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