Saturday, July 11, 2009

Chocolate-Geek

If you like chocolate, and don't care about your health, this is the dessert for you!
The ingredients are as easy to remember as they are shocking. When people ask what's in it, they are usually taken aback.
  • 1 Pound Chocolate (I use semi-sweet chocolate chips)
  • 1 Pound of Butter (yeah, a whole package of the real thing)
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
That's it. 4 ingredients.
Here's how to put those crazy ingredients together:

Line bottom of 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper or wax paper (this is important if you don't want to have to use the bottom of the springform pan as the serving dish. It will not come off otherwise). Coat bottom and sides of pan with vegetable oil spray. Wrap outside of pan with a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent seepage (seepage is messy!).

In a double boiler, melt chocolate with butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. While chocolate is melting, crack eggs in a bowl and whisk until frothy.

When chocolate and butter are melted and combined, transfer to a bowl. Slowly whisk in sugar until dissolved, scraping sides of bowl. Slowly whisk in eggs until well combined. Mixture will be somewhat elastic.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Set pan in a larger baking pan. Add hot water to larger pan so that it comes 1 inch up sides of springform pan (this is important for even baking; you don't want the edges to overcook while the middle is undercooked).

Bake in preheated oven 50 to 70 minutes. When it is done, it will rise and feel somewhat firm in the center. It may also crack near the center like a cheesecake.

When done, carefully remove pans from oven. Remove springform pan from pan of water, then remove foil from springform pan. Cool on wire rack. When cool, refrigerate uncovered at least 8 hours or overnight (I've gotten by with just a couple hours in the fridge with OK results).

Do yourself and your guests a favor and serve this with some really good fresh ground coffee. It's extremely rich, and you will enjoy having something nice to sip on while you enjoy this desert.