It's a new year and that means a new, incredible cake cookbook for the Cake Slice Baker's group - Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes by Aleksandra Crapanzano.
We're given three choices of cake and I chose the Flourless Chocolate and Red Wine Cake (or Gâteau au Chocolat au Vin Route sans Farine).
Only 5 ingredients, it indeed was very easy to make. A little technique is required, but she walks you through it successfully.
The result is a rich, almost fluffy, decadent chocolate dessert that's amazing!
I was skeptical of the red wine because I don't usually like desserts made with liquor. This is different, though. Just a touch of red wine flavor came through and definitely enhanced the cake. No substitutes for the wine.
You'll want to have some whipping cream on hand because it needs a barely sweet plop of whipped cream to cut the richness. Definitely serve small portions - trust me on that!
How to Make a Successful Flourless Cake:
- Quality Ingredients - a good red wine, one you would happily drink; good quality chocolate (Ghirardelli, Baker's); and fresh eggs.
- Be patient and follow instructions. Aleksandra's instructions are spot-on.
- When adding the melted chocolate to the batter, do so by hand - not the mixer. Fold it into the egg batter gently, but thoroughly, trying not to deflate the batter.
- Pay attention to baking times. You'll think it's not done, but it needs to be quite wiggly in the center and a little firmer around the edges. It will set up on cooling. Also, let it cool completely (about 2 hours) before serving.
The main issue I had was with the parchment paper that lined the pan. On a mission to get a good photo of a slice of the cake, I tried to cut it with a knife. That doesn't work!
You can't lift the cake off of the bottom of the pan or it will fall apart, so the parchment paper can't be peeled off. To serve, scoop the cake with a large spoon, taking care that you don't scoop up the parchment.
Not sure how to get around that problem except to exclude the parchment and just butter the bottom of the pan. I'll try that soon and let you know if it works OK.
We loved this easy Flourless Chocolate with Red Wine Cake. It's very rich and decadent and it would definitely be a great Valentine's Day treat. Or birthday, or anniversary, or....well you get it. Anytime would be great!
I'm looking forward to baking through Ms. Crapanzano's book. Stay tuned for the monthly selection and don't forget to check out the rest of the Cake Slice Bakers' selections (below the recipe)!
Flourless Chocolate and Red Wine Cake
Rich, smooth, decadent chocolate dessert. Don't forget the whipped cream!
Ingredients
- ¾ C red wine
- ¾ C (150g) granulated sugar
- 300 g dark chocolate (66-70% cacao)
- 11 tablespoon butter, unsalted
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- Whipped Cream: (optional, but recommended)
- 1 C heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon clear vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter the sides of a 9" springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
- Combine the wine and sugar in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir continuously as the mixture warms and the sugar is dissolved. Continue on low heat until the syrup begins to 'tremble' and remove it from the heat before it comes to a simmer. Set aside to cool.
- Prepare a double boiler and add the chocolate, butter, and half of the wine/sugar syrup until the chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- In a stand mixer, whisk the eggs for 2 minutes, then drizzle in the remaining wine syrup, pouring it slowly down the inside of the bowl to blend in (if still too warm). Continue whisking for 7 to 8 minutes until when lifting the whisk, there is a thick ribbon trail.
- Stir a big spoonful of the egg mousse into the melted chocolate (to blend and cool it down a little more). Then remove the bowl from the mixer stand and fold the remaining chocolate into the egg batter until there are almost no streaks remaining.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-28 minutes, or until the cake appears set around the edges, but is still wobbly and moussey in the very center. It will continue to set as it cools. Remove from the oven and leave on a cooling rack until absolutely room temperature before unmolding it.
- Prepare whipped cream: Pour 1 cup heavy whipping cream into a bowl, add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Whisk with a hand-held mixer for 1 to 2 minutes until the whipped cream is the consistency you desire.
- Scoop the cake out with a large spoon and top with whipped cream.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator, Let come to room temperature when serving later.
Notes
It wasn't specified, but I used bittersweet chocolate (Ghirardelli 60%). I thought it might make the cake too sweet, but it didn't!
Whipped cream is optional, but highly recommended. It cuts the richness of the cake and makes it perfect.
Don't try to peel the parchment paper off - the cake is too loose to do that. Just scoop the servings out with a big spoon.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 416Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 156mgSodium: 52mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 2gSugar: 17gProtein: 5g
Nutrition Values are Approximate
Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes by Aleksandra Crapanzano. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!
Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.
The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.
It is a new year and a new book - Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes - and our choices for January 2023 were ~
Apple and Calvados Cake from Normandy
Orange Blossom Honey Cake
Flourless Chocolate and Red Wine Cake
Wendy Klik
This looks absolutely luscious and Valentine's Day is right around the corner.
sblades
Thanks Wendy!
Karen's Kitchen Stories
I was thinking the same thing about the parchment. Your cake is beautiful and you captured the chocolatey color perfectly.
sblades
Thanks Karen!
Kimberly L. Darling
I had the same issue with the parchment paper and so also scooped it out. If you try it again without parchment paper, I would be interested in how it works.
sblades
I'll let you know Kimberly. It was funny because I was trying to slice it and kept thinking 'what have I done to this poor cake that I can't cut the bottom?' Then it came to me - parchment - duh. Next time, buttered bottom! 🙂