Choclate Cake Day and a Flourless Torte

Today is National Chocolate Cake Day. One of my absolute favorite Foodie Days. When it comes to family pot luck parties, in addition to some creative appetizers, I’m also the Dessert Queen. My family has their quirks, likes and dislikes, but no food allergies.

That is until recently. We have two kinds of family gathering. New Years, Memorial Day, 4th of July and the like, are gathering that includes close friends who are very much like family. Only Holy-Days such as Easter and Christmas typically don’t include friends. That is now that we are back in California. When we lived in Nevada, friends were family for all the holidays. Most people who call Las Vegas home are transplants from someplace else. Friends are your only nearby family. But that’s a subject for another day.

My youngest sister has a best friend who is very much like family. They take vacations together, their children have grown up together. It’s a beautiful, close relationship. Over the years, we’ve all grown close. Her friend had been suffering for a long time from some sort of ailment, and now they finally know why. Her body cannot process gluten. It is amazing how one simple food allergy can impact so much of your life. She almost never eats out with her boys at fast food restaurants anymore because there is no way of knowing what is and is not gluten-free. Fillers are so prominent in the processed food industry and she feels it’s just not worth the risk. The rest of us have been very supportive, searching for ways to include her in the pot luck festivities without endangering her health.

I think where she has felt the most left out is the dessert table. There are cookies and cupcakes and pies galore. Most of which are forbidden fruits as far as she is concerned. It is with my sister’s best friend in mind that I give you an amazingly sinful Chocolate Torte that contains no flour. Flourless tortes are dense, some people don’t care for them. I think they are like chewy brownies, intense in flavor. So I present to you a dessert to honor National Chocolate Cake Day made with a great deal of love for a very special lady.

Flourless Chocolate Torte with Chocolate Ganache
Flourless Torte
12 oz Semi-sweet Chocolate
16 tablespoons (1 cup) Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 tablespoon Instant Coffee Granules
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup Water
Pinch Salt
6 Eggs

Heat oven to 350-degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Spray entire pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Chop chocolate, place in a large bowl. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, bring butter, sugar, instant coffee, cocoa powder, water and a pinch of salt to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Pour the hot mixture over the chopped chocolate; let stand for 30 seconds undisturbed. Whisk until smooth; let cool slightly. Whisk in the eggs until blended.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Place in the heated oven to bake for 40 minutes or until cake tester inserted into the center comes out nearly clean. Let cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 30 minutes.

Loosen the sides of the cake; invert onto the cooling rack. Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours. Torte must be will chilled for Ganache.

Ganache
8 oz Semi-sweet Chocolate
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
Fresh Raspberries for garnish

Chop chocolate; place in a microwave-safe bowl. Add cream; microwave at half-power for 60 seconds. Stir thoroughly. In 30-second intervals at reduced power, continue to melt the chocolate until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Place 2/3-cup of the Ganache into a large bowl. With a hand-held electric mixer on high, beat Ganache until thickened and lightened in color.

Spread the whipped Ganache over the top of the chilled torte. Return to the refrigerator to chill for another 5 minutes or so, until the Ganache has set.

Re-warm remaining Ganache for 30 seconds in the microwave at 50% power in the microwave. Pour around the edge of the torte, allowing some of the Ganache to drip down the sides. Chill to set drips. Garnish with fresh raspberries and enjoy.

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 A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me