This is based on a recipe from Alfred Portale’s Gotham Bar and Grill Cookbook
Here’s the scaled down mini cake recipe. It makes two rich cakes and I think the best way to serve them is one cake per two people…Valentine’s style! But feel free to ignore this and just make the original recipe for 12.
Miniature Warm Chocolate Cakes
4 oz high-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 ounces high-quality unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee
1 large eggs plus 2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg
3 T. sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter insides of 2 mini (3 inch) springform pans and line bottoms with circles of parchment paper.
Melt chocolate with coffee in a double boiler or bowl set over simmering water.
Whisk sugar and egg together in a metal stand-mixer bowl. Set the mixer bowl over a saucepan of simmering, not boiling, water, and whisk until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved – make sure not to cook the mixture! Return to stand and beat at medium speed until light and almost tripled in volume, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and continue beating another 2 minutes.
In chilled bowl, beat cream just past the soft-peak stage. Fold a quarter of egg mixture into chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold chocolate mixture back into remaining egg mixture. Fold in whipped cream. Transfer to prepared pans, smooth top, and tap filled pans lightly on work surface a few times to settle any air pockets.
Place pans in larger (I used a 9 inch) baking pan. Add enough hot water to baking pan to come halfway up sides of cake pans. Bake 30 minutes. Open oven door 30 seconds to release any excess moisture that builds in oven. Continue baking until center of cake feels somewhat firm when pressed lightly with your fingers, another 15-20 minutes. Remove cakes from oven and let cool at room temperature (note, if baking the larger cakes you cool them in the closed oven for two hours).
Run a warm knife around inside of pans, and carefully remove from pans. Transfer to refrigerator and chill until very firm. Wrap in plastic wrap and keep chilled until ready to serve
Remove cakes from refrigerator and return to room temperature. At least 1 hour before serving, preheat oven to its lowest setting. If you have just used the oven, turn it off. Unwrap cakes and set on oven proof serving plates. Warm them in the oven for about 20-30 minutes or until they are warm throughout.
Makes 2 cakes, serves 2 to 4
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Funny you made this as this morning I was going to suggest Emeril’s recipe that is on today’s ABC site. http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=6868399 It’s his flourless chocolate cake. It looks like it would be easily scalable. Emeril makes a killer chocolate cheesecake with fresh raspberries too. It’s in one of his books.
I love flourless cake when it is made right it is incredible – Your recipe looks so yummy.
Lovely cake!!
We’re thinking along the same lines here! I’ve already got a flourless chocolate cake recipe lined up for tomorrow, but I’ll have to save this one for the next time. I’m doing pretty much the same thing — cutting a regular recipe down by half and using two small springform pans. (The pans I have measure 4 1/2 inches across but aren’t very tall.)
I feel like the addition of coffee must really make it. I might just make this. And yes Anna you have to go to Gotham—their weekday lunch deal is great in case you’re pressed for time.
dangerously delicious
Who said chocolate is better than sex? Okay, that person is flipping mad!…but, sex and this dessert…THIS would take me to the moon and back again!!
YUM!!
Theresa B.–possibly TMI!
Anna, Stinkin’ Yum! This kind of cake, Kevin does like! Is the middle gooey, or is it all baked but served war?. Can’t tell from the picture. Will have to try this one, but it won’t be tomorrow.
Louise, thanks for the link to Emeril’s cake. His recipes are usually very good.
Cathy and Veggiegirl, this is one that really stood out from the rest.
Lisa, let me know how your recipe turns out.
Jason, I used regular brewed coffee so the coffee flavor was very subtle. I do need to try Gotham! Every time I go to New York, someone recommends it. For some reason, I just haven’t made it there yet.
Katrina, I wouldn’t describe the center as gooey. It’s kind of like a warm chocolate truffle in cake form.
I’m gonna save this one for Passover, looks perfect. I am always searching for a great flourless chocolate cake.
Off-the-charts good sounds right up my alley. I’m a huge fan of any chocolate dessert–the less flour, the better. I can’t wait to try these! (And I’ll remember your advice to use a warm knife!)
This looks soooo great!!! I love the flour-less part of it especially! I can just imagine how rich and lovely this is!
How long would you bake these in individual ramekins? I have some heart shape ones I want to use.
Karen, it’s hard to say. My total bake time for the 3 inch cheesecake pans was about 48 minutes, but they are made of metal and have a larger open surface area. If I were experimenting with ramekins I would probably bake for 25 minutes, open the oven for 30 seconds as the recipe instructs, then cook for another 12 minutes. Luckily, it’s fairly easy to tell when they’re done. The chocolate starts to really smell and the center firms up.
Oh man does this look good. I love this kind of cake and this looks like a fantastic version. Thanks for providing a small-batch version!