Flourless mocha cake. Flourless because I just couldn’t bear flour in my chocolate today. My body has been blabbering chocolate rants all day. Sleep depravity combined with stress does weird things to you.

Yet another assignment-stress creation. Flashback to undergrad days when I first started baking. I think baking has always been a sort of stress-buster for me. Whenever I am stressed, angry or sad, I have always resorted to baking. It’s therapeutic and always calms me down. And chocolate never lets me down.

And this is why I have been told so many times that I will make the perfect wife. When mad with hubby, I am more likely to kill him with overfeeding, rather than starving him like any good wife should :D

I am a lazy cook and there is no method to my madness. I would find the easiest possible way to do the most complex dishes simply because I couldn’t bother. This is one of those I think, but more likely, I baked this on a whim. No recipes, no guidance. Pure gut and my craving for chocolate. And guess what, it worked!

Fortunately I have a pretty good short term memory. Just enough to remember what I put in which amounts.

Flourless mocha cake. Firm and crisp crust, deliciously gooey in the middle. All you need is a chocolate craving and 15 mins on your hands.

Ingredients

  • 400g cooking chocolate (80%-50%)
  • 200g sugar
  • 150g butter
  • 3 tablespoons instant coffee (you can go stronger or lighter as you like)
  • 200ml milk
  • Cocoa powder 4 tablespoons
  • 4 large eggs

Method

  • Melt the butter and chocolate in a pan along with the milk. (Usually one is always advised to double boil, but I just don’t bother)
  • Add to it the sugar, coffee and cocoa powder. Stir vigorously so that neither the coffee nor the chocolate powder will form clots. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • Beat the eggs in a bowl separately. Add to it the chocolate mixture. Beat until mixed well.
  • Oil and line a baking dish. I just used a pyrex and coated it with cooking spray because I couldn’t bother lining. Besides, the mixture is too watery and the pyrex will be more helpful in sliding the cake out once its done rather than a lined baking tray.
  • Bake for about 1hr in moderate temperature or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake does not come out too watery. (rather gluggy)
  • Turn the cake out and sprinkle it over with some icing sugar and dig in!
If you are not a coffee fan, you can omit the coffee altogether. All the more chocolate for you!
Serve this with a dollop of cream or ice cream and even some sliced strawberries. The creaminess of the ice cream would complement the dark strength of the chocolate and the coffee while the strawberry will add a certain tartness to the dish, cutting through all that mouth-coating richness. I tried this with some good ol Sri Lankan woodapple jam and let me tell you, it’s just out of this earth!
Writing about it just made me want another piece. Must get another piece before Father Dearest gobbles it all up. He was last seen with chocolate smears all around his mouth with a goofy grin plastered across his face!
And look who popped in to say hello while I was shooting!

Photography – Jayani C. Senanayake. Copying, downloading these images and using them in any which way is strictly prohibited.