Recently a friend gave me a few packages of instant coffee. I am normally not a big fan of drinking instant but have had good luck in cooking and baking with it. I came across a recipe that looked intriguing to me. I have never made a flourless cake before. I experimented by adding the instant coffee and found a perfect marriage of coffee and chocolate! My family loved it. They said it tasted more like brownies than cake but they still enjoyed it very much! It is very rich and very decadent. Enjoy.
Flourless coffee chocolate cake
Four ounces of dark chocolate (bars or chips)
Four ounces of caramel chips
One stick of butter (real butter - not margarine)
3/4 cup of sugar
Three large eggs
Three tablespoons of instant coffee powder (or very very finely ground coffee)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
For the frosting:
Two ounces of dark chocolate
Two ounces of caramel chips
One tablespoon instant coffee powder (or very very finely ground coffee)
1 1/2 tablespoons butter (real butter not margarine)
1 1/2 teaspoons cream
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put parchment paper in the bottom of a seven inch tart pan or springform pan (a glass dish of the same size can be used as a substitute). Spray the pan with the paper inside and the sides of the pan.
Melt the chocolate, caramel chips and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until all are melted (being careful not to burn). Once melted add the sugar and salt. Cook for a minute until the sugar has started to melt. Remove pan from heat and add eggs one at a time (whisking immediately). The mixture will look very smooth.
Add coffee and cocoa slowly to keep lumps from forming (continue whisking until coffee and cocoa have been fully added to mixture). Pour batter into baking dish. Save the pan you made the mixture in for the frosting. Cook for at least 25 minutes (top of cake will be firm to touch. Do not overcook). Cool cake for at least fifteen minutes then invert cake on a plate. Then make the frosting.
Frosting: Use the same pan you used to make the cake mix. Add chocolate, caramel chips, coffee and butter. Cook at medium heat until melted. Take off the heat and add the cream, honey, vanilla and almond extract. Stir until smooth. Let sit for three minutes.
Pour frosting over center of cake and smooth with spatula all over the cake. Try to restrain from eating it there and then. ;)