Flourless Chocolate Cake

This is one of my favorite recipes. Its delicious and easy to make while drinking with friends. I love the combination of chocolate with chilis so this will be a spicy cake. If you don't like spicy, try different flavors such as almond extract, mint, or add some cadamom or cinnamon.

Flourless Chocolate Cake
Adapted from Dave Arnold's L'Academie De Cuisine Class
Serves 8

4 oz unsalted butter
8 oz bittersweet Chocolate, chopped

4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 T flour (you can leave it out to make it truly flourless but it adds a nice texture)
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat the over at 325F and coat the 9" cake pan with cooking spray and flour. If you want a nice presentation, you can cut a parchment paper round and grease the sides with butter.

Create a double boiler and melt the butter. Add the chocolate and melt together. Remove from the heat when combined. In your stand mixer (you can do this by hand or with a hand mixer of course). Combine you eggs, sugar, extract and salt. Whip on medium until they are frothy and have lightened in color, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the chocolate and butter mixture to the eggs and combine. Add the cayenne pepper and any other flavoring ingredients. The cayenne pepper will become much stronger after you've baked it so use it with caution. Add the flour.

Scrape into your pan and cook at 325F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove and cool.

If you want to have a nice preparation and aren't serving a pack of wolf-like sci fi fans, you can easily make it very pretty with very little work. I often slice it and then add a creme angles (which is great fun to flavor in different ways) on top. You can also thin some raspberry jelly with water over heat and add that. The easiest way to make a pretty cake it to sprinkle some confectioners sugar or cocoa mix over the top.