This Valentine Cake Is Made With Love And Chocolate
I’ve always thought Valentine’s Day arrives just in time.
After weeks of holiday lights, decorations, and rich foods, we flip the switch to January’s healthy eating, décor returned to the attic, rooms that seem bare, and resumption of our daily activities.
Frankly, the month feels a bit lackluster to me, though I’m cheered by lights glowing in the mountains because it’s magical against the snow.
Valentine’s Day anticipation feels like a much-needed boost during winter. Red ribbons, heart-shaped cookies, Valentine wreaths on doors — they lift my spirits.
It seems everyone smiles as they wish each other “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
I bake and decorate heart-shaped cookies for friends and ship raspberry-filled Linzer Tarts or sugar cookies sprinkled with pink sugar to my mother.
For my sweetheart of 40-plus years, I plan a romantic dinner in front of the hearth. Listening to the fire crackle, sipping wine, and enjoying a sumptuous, multi-course meal is our idea of a perfect celebration.
Dinner always concludes with a decadent dessert designed to capture his heart, and this year it’s Chocolate Mocha Flourless Cake with Chocolate Ganache.
The ingredients for this simple, one-bowl cake are gently whisked together and require no electric mixer. Garnished with chocolate ganache — a glossy icing made by pouring heated cream over chocolate and gently whisking until the chocolate melts — this impressive cake has no flour, so it’s gluten-free.
Cocoa replaces flour, and eggs provide needed rise as the cake bakes. For an everyday dessert, skip the ganache and top with berries or a dollop of whipped cream, but for Valentine’s Day the intense flavor and glossy appearance of chocolate ganache is unforgettable.
Chocolate Mocha Flourless Cake with Chocolate Ganache
CAKE:
Ingredients:
1 cup dark chocolate morsels
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons espresso powder
3 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
½ cup Dutch-process cocoa
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan or springform pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate morsels and butter in a large microwave-safe mixing bowl at 50% power for 2 to 2 ½ minutes, or until the butter is melted and the chocolate is soft. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Whisk in sugar, salt, and espresso powder. Gently whisk in eggs one at a time and stir in vanilla. Sift cocoa powder onto the batter and gently whisk until it is thoroughly combined.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake 35 minutes or until the top has formed a thin crust and an instant-read thermometer reads 200 degrees. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the cake upside down on the rack and cool completely. When cool, flip the cake right side up onto a serving plate and garnish with chocolate ganache.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
Ingredients:
1 cup dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate morsels
½ cup heavy cream
Directions:
Place chocolate morsels in a medium mixing bowl. Pour the cream into a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and whisk slowly and gently to melt the chocolate. When the ganache is smooth, spoon it onto the cake and smooth it over the sides with an offset spatula until the cake is completely covered. If desired, garnish cake with white sugar glaze hearts while the ganache is still soft.
WHITE SUGAR GLAZE:
Ingredients:
¼ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ teaspoons milk
Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and milk until it is smooth. Pour the glaze into a decorator bag fitted with a small plain tube or pour it into a small plastic zipper bag and snip a tiny hole in one corner. Squeeze drops of glaze onto the cake and draw a sharp knife through each drop to form a heart.
Yield: One cake
