Thursday, January 12, 2012

Real Chocolate Cake with NO flour!


"This cake is some sort of wonderful!"


"Really, there is no flour in this cake?"


"This is the BEST chocolate cake ever, Mom!"


These are some of the comments I have heard from my flourless chocolate cake. Really, there is no flour. But there is a half a dozen eggs, lots and lots of butter, some Rapadura, and of course, chocolate! And the secret ingredient is baking soda.

The original recipe is from my Suzanne Somers’s, SOMERSIZE Desserts book and for years I have made it with artificial sweeteners (Splenda -yikes!) or Somersweet (which leaves a weird aftertaste - kind of like a metal, need to drink water right now, taste).


Since changing our outlook on Real Food vs. food made in a laboratory, I have found Rapadura. Rapadura and chocolate go together like peanut butter and jelly, like movies and popcorn, and well, like birthdays and cake! Rapadura is unrefined and unbleached whole cane sugar. Here is a quote from the back of the bag, "This deliciously pure unrefined sugar, prized for it's unique caramel flavor and grainy texture, retains a beautiful golden color and offers unmatched nutritional value because - unlike other sugars - it is not separated from the molasses stream during squeeze-dried processing." Basically what that means is, it still has nutritional value, unlike white sugar (or regular cane sugar, even organic!) which has been stripped of most, if not all, of it's nutritional value.


Even though Rapadura is processed to a certain degree, it still retains it's place in my kitchen to be used on special occasions and always to replace white or brown sugar. (Though I do use organic cane sugar to make kombucha, which I will blog about soon! Also for another blog post(s) I will share how Grade B Maple Syrup and Local Raw Honey are used in our home as well.)

Back to the cake....I should probably tell you right now, I am the kind of girl that doesn't really follow recipes. Sure the first time I make something I might, and usually for any baking projects I do just because the chemistry involved has already been figured out for me. *smile* So my recipes might not look like what the "other girls" might share with you.


First, preheat oven to 400 degrees. I melt one stick plus two Tablespoons butter in a heavy bottom pan, then I add one cup of Rapadura, and six, one ounce cubes of unsweetened baking chocolate. Stirring constantly, over medium heat, with a wooden spoon until smooth - not boiling! After this mixture is smooth, I remove from heat, stir in a Tablespoon of vanilla extract, and allow to cool slightly.

For the next step, I take six fresh eggs, at room temperature, or if you really want to do exactly as I did - just go out to the coop and collect them - crack the eggs into your mixer bowl and beat on high for about eight minutes. I used the whisk beater attachment and they doubled in volume. Then after the eight minutes, I added the secret ingredient a 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and beat again for 30 more seconds.

Now, I temper the eggs in the slightly cooled chocolate mixture by taking about a third of the egg mix and stirring it into the chocolate. Then I fold the egg/chocolate mix into the rest (2/3) of the eggs. (see picture on right)


After incorporating all the chocolate and eggs together (it should resemble brownie batter) I pour into a well buttered spring form pan. Put it into the preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes.

When 15 minutes are up, I take cake out of oven, and cool, in the pan, completely.  When completely cooled, - note here: I have been known to stick the cake pan in the freezer if it is not cooling fast enough for my schedule -- not straight from the oven, of course - I put on a cake plate or cake pedestal, (depends on how fancy I am feeling that day) and frost. Sometimes I slice horizontally for a layer cake with frosting in between or sometimes I just frost the top and sides without making it into a layer cake.  Either way, the results are delicious!

For the frosting, I take 3/4 cup of heavy cream, I use pasteurized cream as I am heating it anyway, in a heavy bottom pan, with two Tablespoons Rapadura over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until Rapadura has dissolved.  Then I add one and a half squares of unsweetened baking chocolate, which I have roughly chopped up already.  I stir to just barely melt the chocolate but remove from heat before it can boil and continue stirring until completely smooth. Next I add one teaspoon vanilla extract and a pinch of the secret ingredient, baking soda!  Making sure I stir thoroughly.  Now I cool the cream/chocolate mixture completely.  Again, if I am in a hurry, I will take and put a bowl of ice under the hot pan, and continue stirring until it has become the consistency of soft butter.

While the cream/chocolate mixture is cooling I whip two sticks of room temperature butter in my mixer bowl until nice and fluffy.  When light and fluffy I add the cooled chocolate and continue beating until creamy. Then I frost cooled cake and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Finally, Enjoy! And perhaps you too will hear one of my favorite quotes, as said by Mr. Simply Elegant 101, "Honey, this cake tastes like something you would be served in some fancy expensive restaurant."


Here is a recap of ingredients:  (you know, so it looks more like what you might be used to.)


For the Cake
1 stick plus 2 Tbsp. Butter
1 cup Rapadura
6, one ounce cubes unsweetened baking chocolate
6 large eggs at room temperature
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. baking soda

For the Frosting
2 sticks Butter at room temperature
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. Rapadura
1 1/2, one ounce cubes unsweetened baking chocolate
1 tsp vanilla extract


Until next time, thank you for stopping by and may you be richly blessed,
~Roxanne


This post is shared at Simple Lives Thursday and Fat Tuesday

1 comment:

  1. Yum! When I buy more eggs and butter I'll have to make this!

    ReplyDelete