I Made It: Flourless Chocolate Cake {+ Haven’s Kitchen Cooking School & Williams-Sonoma Stainless Steel Tool Set Giveaway}

This post is in partnership with Artisan Books. All opinions herein are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

Psst – make sure you don’t miss the giveaway details at the bottom of this post!

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I have a bit of a confession. Although the Hungry Blonde blog and Instagram is full of food creations by yours truly, I’m not exactly the most confident gal in the kitchen. Most of what I make is just for myself, so when it comes to cooking/baking for others I start to question if I’m actually talented in those areas. Other than the recipes passed down from my mom and information I find on blogs & Pinterest, I’ve never actually been taught anything in the kitchen.

…Until now. The Haven’s Kitchen Cooking School cookbook has seriously opened my eyes to how do-able classic cooking techniques actually are.

You can read the full introduction of the book here! (excerpted from The Haven’s Kitchen Cooking School by Alison Cayne/Artisan Books. Copyright © 2017. Photographs by Con Poulos)

About the Book

Alison Cayne takes the essential skills gleaned from her popular cooking school classes at Haven’s Kitchen into her first comprehensive teaching cookbook, The Haven’s Kitchen Cooking School.

The Haven’s Kitchen Cooking School includes 100 delicious recipes carefully chosen by Cayne and her expert staff with food inspired by global cuisine and a modern sensibility of how we like to eat today.

Each of the book’s nine chapters revolves around a key lesson taught through a collection of recipes to ensure that readers are not simply memorizing a canon of tried-and-true instructions; they are learning how to cook for a lifetime.

About the Author

Alison Cayne is the owner of Haven’s Kitchen, a cooking school, café, and event space in New York City. Cayne started Haven’s Kitchen as a place to inspire and educate people about food and sustainability issues. She serves on the boards of Edible Schoolyard NYC and the Food and Environment Reporting Network and has been featured in such publications as the New York Times, Vogue, Elle, Domino, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, and Goop. She has a master’s in food studies from New York University, where she is now an adjunct professor. Cayne lives in New York City with her five children.

Cayne equips home cooks with fundamental building blocks they need to feel confident and at ease in the kitchen. Those skills include:

• How to Get Over Your Fear of Frying
• How to Pick & Cut Herbs
• How to Make Stock
• How to Stock Your Refrigerator & Pantry
• How to Boil Eggs
• How to Make an Omelet
• How to Make Dressing
• How to Filet a Cooked Fish
• How to Roast Garlic
• How to Make Stock
• How to Make & Store Sauces
• How to Assemble a Galette
• Knife Cuts: Slice, Dice, Julienne, Oblique, Brunoise, Chiffonade, Supreme
• How to Cook Vegetables: Blanche, Braise, Sautée, Roast & Grill
• How to Cook Proteins: Poach, Roast, Steam, Broil, & Stew

In other words, The Haven’s Kitchen Cooking School covers ALL the bases. Some of these lessons I didn’t even realize I needed, and then when I read them I was like ooooh, that’s good.

I’m so excited that Artisan Books was kind enough to let me share one of the recipes from the book (yay!). There were so many delicious ones to choose from, but when I saw the photos of this Flourless Chocolate Cake (To Commit To Memory), it was kind of a no-brainer.

Even though I pride myself on being a pretty decent baker, I must admit that the whole flourless (soufflé-like) aspect of this cake intimidated me. But, I trusted the recipe and followed the directions exactly, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised and proud of myself for how great it turned out. Here’s how to make it!

Flourless Chocolate Cake (To Commit To Memory)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 pound plus 6 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa or more), chopped
• 5 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup almond meal (optional)
• fine sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter the sides of a 9-inch round cake pan and press a 9-inch round of parchment paper onto the bottom. Alternatively, butter eight 6-ounce ramekins to make individual cakes.
2. In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir continually until the chocolate has melted. Set aside to cool.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a mixing bowl if musing a handheld mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed until pale yellow and doubled in volume, about 3 minutes.
4. Using a silicone spatula, fold the melted cooked chocolate mixture into the whipped eggs in three stages so that the chocolate doesn’t sink to the bottom and the batter remains nicely aerated.
5. Fold in the almond meal, if using, and a small pinch of salt, and then pour into the prepared cake pan or ramekins. If using a cake pan, set it on an even surface and give it a quick spin, which will cause the batter to climb up the sides of the pan and bake more evenly.
6. Bake until the top is set and dry to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes for the 9-inch cake or 10 to 15 minutes for the ramekins.
7. Let cool in the plan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Do I even have to say it? I think the ooey gooey chocolate center speaks for itself…

I was a little concerned at first when I made the batter because it was so liquid-y, but I trusted the process and – based on the photos in the cookbook – it seems to have turned out perfectly. It sure did taste like it did, at least 😉

    

GIVEAWAY

Get your hands on dozens more amazing recipes + cooking lessons by entering to win my Haven’s Kitchen Cooking School giveaway on THIS INSTAGRAM POST. Along with the cookbook, one lucky winner will also receive a Williams-Sonoma stainless steel tool-set!

Once again – head to this Instagram post to enter. 

If you want to get your copy of The Haven’s Kitchen Cooking School ASAP, you can purchase it in hard copy or digital on Amazon. You can also follow Haven’s Kitchen on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook or follow Artisan Books on Twitter and Instagram.

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If you try this recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cake I’d love to see how yours turned out! Be sure to tag me on Instagram @Hungry.Blonde 🙂