Daring Baker February Challenge - Chocolate Valentino Cake...Don't even bother trying to Resist This One!
Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 5:14PM 
There is absolutely no way that anyone should be allowed to make these. I have never ever ever tasted any chocolate cake so light yet rich in chocolate…well…ever. Classic recipes will always shine through!
The other amazing thing about this recipe – it was so gosh darn easy to make! I am a little peeved with myself for not getting to this challenge earlier so I could have added fruit and actually made the ice cream we were supposed to (I am appealing to the Daring Baker Grand Poohbah's to let me slide on that…pretty daring baker please… ;-) but I was busy being very pleased with myself which took about two days to get over. So grand master plans got scuppered (most grand master plans of mine tend to go pear shaped) and if you keep reading this blog I am sure another cunning plan will end up relegated to the archives or secretly deleted by its editor…ahh…that would be moi.
Back to the challenge. This is a recipe that belongs in everyone’s repertoire! No flour just eggs, chocolate and butter. That’s not the reason though. It’s like the roulade recipe I posted the other day (ahem…the one in The Island Packet) in that it is easy and would be a FAB “go to” dessert and Daring Baker I say…easier.
I decided to make several different shapes. So, I eeked out 6 hearts, twelve little bouchon (French for corks, but I’m calling them shots of chocolate cake) and a small (3x5) chocolate loaf. The original recipe calls for an 8inch spring form pan which I did not have…got a 9 and 10, but no 8...will tomorrow though!
I didn’t find anything tricky with this other than trying to figure out how many little shots of chocolate cake it would take me eating before I got sick…not sure there is any math equation that could determine that…so I better get started.
Huge thanks to our Daring Baker Hosts Wendy and Dharm…you picked a wonderful challenge!
The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.
February’s challenge is a Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Valentino, inspired by Malaysia’s “most flamboyant food ambassador”, Chef Wan. Recipe comes from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan
Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated
Pre heat oven to 375°F.
Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry). With the same beater beat the egg yolks together. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.
Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. Cool cake(s) on rack for 10 minutes then release.
Try not to eat all of it/them. That’s the only hard part of this whole recipe!
Note: If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet. My personal note: 140°F was not hot enough for my oven – I took them out at 150°F.
Notes from Dharm and Wendy on recipe comments in italics by me:
The recipe consists of 3 simple ingredients (so true) and how you interpret them is part of the challenge (I used silicon heart molds, bouchon molds and tiny loaf pan). The simplicity of this recipe gives credit to the ingredients much in the same way of French baguette. This recipe comes together very quickly with a hand mixer (took ½ hour tops). This is a very decadent cake that will sink a little as it cools but will still hold its shape. Very dense and fudgy cake that tastes divine (never a truer cake word spoken) -The top forms a light crust kind of like a brownie.
Look at these little wonderful cake bouchon shots of chocolatey yumminess
Reader Comments (2)
It was indeed an easy recipe which I loved. But the way in which each Daring Baker has made the cake there own is making for some fun blog reads. I did the small heart shapes, too, but the little shots you made in addition are such a great idea. Wonderful job you've done!
I love the little hearts. :) Great job on this month's challenge!