I am beginning to think that there should be an international holiday in the month of February dedicated to chocolate. If you support World Chocolate Day in February, raise your hand.
I’d raise mine, unfortunately both of them are currently filled with chocolate as that’s all I seem to be doing lately … stuffing my mouth with chocolate!
You can imagine then how happy I was that the little baking group that Lisa and I started in November chose to make a flourless chocolate cake for February’s baking challenge.
This time around, Lisa, Brilynn, Peabody, Helen, Veronica, Jenny and I have been joined by Mary, Tanna and Hester. Peabody’s suggestion to bake flourless chocolate cake was chosen as the winning challenge for the month. For a recipe, we turned to Tish Boyle’s amazing The Cake Book, which has an entire section devoted to flourless chocolate cakes. We chose one called Chocolate Intensity.
There was a time when I was intimidated when it came to these types of cake. The lack of flour worried me. How could something without flour be stable enough to work with? I’ve made a few of these cakes in recent years and have learned that there’s nothing to worry about. In fact, I think that a great flourless chocolate cake recipe is a must in every home cook’s repertoire.
This particular recipe is a dream. It’s made of chocolate, butter, coffee, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and a bit of salt. You melt the butter with the coffee and the sugar and then pour the hot mixture over the chocolate. After a few minutes you’re left with a thick chocolate mixture, to which you add well-beaten eggs. A touch of vanilla and salt and you’re cake is ready for the oven.
Covered in a gorgeous chocolate glaze, this cake is most definitely intense. It’s a jolt of chocolate satisfaction. I used espresso in the cake and somehow I think it served to add a little bit more oomph. The texture was soft, bordering on creamy. And it looked gorgeous. It was almost a shame to cut into it.
Almost.
Ciao!
Check out the posts of my bakers-in-crime:
Brilynn: Would You Sponsor Someone Who Makes Cake Like This?
Peabody: We Are At It Again …
Lisa: Death by Chocolate
Helene: Chocolate Intensity…Heaven
Jenny: Chocolate!
Veronica: Chocolate Intensity
Mary: Chocolate Intensity
Tanna: Must Love Chocolate
56 comments
hester
Gorgeous! Love the lacy heart on top! I am going to be so inspired by all of you when I can finally make mine…
Brilynn
I love seeing how each of us chooses to decorate their respective cakes. You might think it odd that I, of all people, love your heart design, but maybe it’s because I know that soon afterwards it was stabbed into, cut open and eaten… Muahahaha
Jen
Your cake looks divine!
Cris
So intense, so rich, so beautiful!!! To me Chocolate Day is Easter, then I get to eat all I can in one weekend!
Tanna
Inspired you must be. How totally appropriate…a heart!
Lovely!!
Laurie
WOW! Gorgeous cake, love the heart stencil and the ganache just dripping off the edge, YUM!
Maria
Wow, you really turned this cake into a masterpiece! It looks heavenly!
carolyn
World Chocolate Day in Feb sounds good and March and April and…..
Patricia Scarpin
Can I get that cake to go?? Express delivery to Brazil, please?
It looks fantastic, Ivonne!
Lisa (Homesick Texan)
Wow, wow, wow! My hand is raised high! Is it too early to be craving chocolate? After looking at this, I think not!
Kate
Looks like a big pool of chocolate and i just wanna dive right into it – mouth first .Beautiful presentation.
rachel
Beautiful! I love seeing all of your takes on the same thing…
Lydia
My hand’s up for World Chocolate Day!
Monika Korngut
I raise my hand for a chocolate holiday!! I think in February it should be a must. I must admit I have been lazy and instead making chocolate cake I have dipped a spoon to my Nutella jar! How I love it. But after reading your post and seeing those pics I think I’m do to make a delicious and not so nutritious dessert.
Your pictures covey the richness of that cake, amazing.
All the best,
Monika Korngut
cupcakechick
I too love seeing each of your artistic takes on the same recipe. Your cake is gorgeous. I must try this.
Kat
Make mine World Chocolate Year! Your cake looks so decadent!
Lisa
GORGEOUS! As I knew it would be.. even if you had to sacrifice sleep for it. hehe
HAR! At Bril’s comment.
I am so glad you suggested this book and that we agreed on this recipe.. I couldn’t imagine a better chocolate flourless cake EVER.
Bruno
Oh wow Ivonne, what a chocolate lover’s dream! Yes, I would support World Chocolate Day in a heartbeat!!
Helen
My post is up, finally!
Your cake is simply gorgeous….I am seduced…again…stop that!
Pasticciera
That is definitely my kind of dessert!!!!!
Nazca
How much chocolate do you have to buy in order to still have some left over to put in the cake?
Meeta
This cake is going to be my doom. I am seeing it everywhere today. You girls are such a tease. Ivonne after fighting you off with my own fork at Brilynn’s I am now ready for a huge piece of this one. Fork ready – hec who needs the fork …. give me cake NOW!!!
Mary
I love the heart stencil Ivonne! I love flourless choc cakes but it’s strange that they are defined by what is missing as opposed to what is in the cake.
connie
i recently made one too! the chocolate is just so perfect, the star of the show! and it was great for my wheat-allergy friend
rowena @ Rubber Slippers
Serendipitous that I should just receive a FW in my email on the various dessert personalities. This is what it said:
CHOCOLATE ON CHOCOLATE — Sexy. Always ready to give and receive. Very creative, adventurous, ambitious, and passionate. You can appear to have a cold exterior but are warm on the inside. Not afraid to take chances. Will not settle for anything average in life. Love to laugh.
Oh my!
gilly
Hi Ivonne!
Absolutely gorgeous work (as usual) and very inspiring – I love the finishing touches!
peabody
Oh you made yours so pretty!!!!
Jenny
My goodness yours looks gorgeous! Wonder if there is enough time in the day for me to make another one?
Sonya
You have much more creativity and inspiration than I do in all of my 10 fingers. It looks fabulous. Did it taste as good as it looks?
sher
Oh my!! That looks so fabulous! I love the way you decorated it. I love these projects that your group does!
bea at La tartine gourmande
You are certainly a team of bakers in crime. I would join in with my 2 chocolaty hands
Great cake!
Veron
My … that’s creative…so impressed
!
rob
Beautiful, Ivonne. Gorgeous chocolate aside, I love the pattern you made with icing sugar. I’m looking at your description of the recipe, and the eggs minus flour makes me think this is more like a baked pudding than a cake. I’m sure the texture is luscious.
Jeanna
It sure is gorgeous. You make it sound so easy.
Chris
Looks devine! Your pictures are stunning and most inspiring.
Britt-Arnhild
I linked to your blog in my Blue Café yesterday…..and posted a chocolate fondue:-)
Susan from Food "Blogga"
Oh, I love the way you made those little whips of ganache along the edge of the cake. Simply gorgeous!
Elle
What a beautiful cake! It sounds like the coffee might have been a bit more pronounced than expected, but dense, light, and intense chocolate is hard to beat. I love the heart stencil you did.
Rosa
A mindblowing cake! I could kill to eat a small slice of it ;-P!!!
Your decorations a very skilfull…
Deb
Your blog makes me wish we had winterery weather here (SoCal) so I’d stay inside and bake my heart out. You inspire with your beautiful creations!
valentina
This is divine!! The first time I tried a flourless chocolate cake recipe it was one by Pierre Herme and it was fantastic. I went to heaven and back ( reluctantly). I especially loved the way you decorated the cake.Gorgeous!!
Callipygia
It is fun to see the differences in everyone’s cake. The varied appearances really change the perception too. Your “reckless” splashes of chocolate underscore the idea of intensity!
joey
That cake is sweet on so many levels Yvonne! From its sweet design and decor to its sweet taste
I love flourless cakes and I like making them more then fluffy cakes because it just seems easier to me…and I don’t have that light a hand, heehee 
Can’t wait to see what you guys cook up next!
Ellie
Gorgeous! That is one stunning cake – the chocolate swirls on top and the icing sugar pattern are just too sweet
ParisBreakfasts
What month isn’t chocolate month?
Chocolate has taken over out lives.
Chocolate is big brother and big sister…
Chocolate, you are LOVED everyday in some houses.
Bron
aahhhh this is a nightmare for one who is cutting back on sweets!
You have created a masterpiece here Ivonne, amazing! GORGEOUS!
Anita
Bravo, Ivonne!
You should really open up your own patisserie, that is so beautiful!
Dolores
I’m hooked — I’ve now participated in your bakeoffs (albeit a week or two too late, after I’ve read everyone’s stories and drooled over their pictures). Can I crash your party in March?
Sil (Bs As)
Wow…what a team!! I raise both hands too!!congrats for the cake and the blog, have you noticed how many comments??!!! Glad for you!
Jann
This is so beautiful-
Monique
I wouldn’t cut into this cake, no, it’s so pretty! Although… if someone cuts it and gives me a piece, I’d eat it with no complaints!
jenny
oh my my my, that cake is utterly divine. think i will have to forget my plans for the day and turn to baking!
(it is a rainy day, afterall) thanks for all the links and info…i love chocolate!
Barbara
Cream Puff,
You are MIA. Hope all is well with you. Just concerned.
Runner NYC
I’m on the World Chocolate Day bandwagon, but, please – if you’re going to make World Chocolate Day in February, put it at the beginning of the month! I give up chocolate for Lent every year and could not bear to miss it!!
BlogDolci
Great photo and nice ideas.
Bye
Giulio
http://dolcitalia.net/blogdolci/
Cindy
Again, beautiful !