Serious Chocolate for Two

Sometimes, you just want to be nice.  I got out of work early on New Year’s Eve and even though we don’t really celebrate it, I thought it would at least be fun to share a nice dessert with my husband.  I started flipping through cookbooks and asking him what he might like.  It didn’t go well.  Everything I suggested he was not overly interested in.  Then he asked for pudding, but I didn’t have any milk. He specifically said no cookies – he was all cookie-ed out from Christmas. I started checking ingredients and I just didn’t actually have all that much. No cream cheese, no sour cream, only 2 eggs, the aforementioned no milk, and accompanying no cream or half and half. I found interesting things that sounded good to me that didn’t need any of those things and he said no thanks.

Things were going downhill fast. I just wanted to make him something nice for dessert and he just wanted me to stop asking him about desserts while he was doing Sudoku.  I suggested molten chocolate cakes and he said that just sounded like an uncooked cake. I said fine, I’m taking a nap. And I did.

When I woke up, I was still determined to have dessert. I decided to stop consulting him and start consulting the master of few ingredients – Abby Dodge.

I flipped through Desserts 4 Today with laser focus on the ingredient lists. I came across Chocolate Decadence for a Crowd and thought we are not a crowd, but I do have chocolate, butter, confectioner’s sugar and those 2 eggs.  The recipe called for 4 eggs. Perfect! I would make Chocolate Decadence for Not a Crowd!  And then because it was a holiday, I did indeed gussy it up.  I added rum, and then I made a sauce. And then just because, whipped cream.

Oh, and he liked it, dammit. In fact, we quite literally licked our plates – serious slurping and ingesting of every last crumb.  It was kind of disgusting really, but I had to tell you that anyway.  I knew he wanted dessert.

I apologize for the pictures – they just don’t really do this insanely good dessert justice. And that is definitely raspberry sauce – not blood it is swimming in.  I never said I was a food stylist!

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Adapted from Abby Dodge’s Chocolate Decadence for a Crowd from Desserts 4 Today

Serves 2 – 4

5 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate (I used Scharffen Berger 62%)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar

2 large eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons rum (I used Captain Morgan’s)

1 cup frozen raspberries

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter a small baking pan – I used a 4-inch round Corningware casserole/ramekin. Line the bottom with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate and butter in microwave, and stir until smooth and melted. Stir in rum and set aside.  Beat the eggs and confectioner’s sugar at medium-high speed until very thick, about 3 minutes. Gradually pour in chocolate mixture, beating at low speed until blended.  Pour into the baking dish and spread evenly.

Bake for 40 minutes or until puffed – a toothpick inserted in the middle should not come out clean – there should be sticky crumbs. Cool for an hour on a rack and then run a knife around the edge before turning out onto another plate and chiling.

Meanwhile, make the raspberry sauce.  Combine raspberries and granulated sugar with 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until berries are very soft, about 15 minutes.  Strain through a fine-mesh seive to remove seeds and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve cake with raspberry sauce and whipped cream and don’t resist licking the plate.