Lauren’s Decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake

adapted from a Betty Crocker recipe: kitchen tested 

Makes 12

Ingredients

• 12 oz bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped

• 3-4 oz bars

• 3/4 cup butter, cut in pieces

• 1 cup sugar

• 6 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup Hershey’s natural cocoa or Hershey’s special dark cocoa

• 1 tsp espresso powder

Cooking Directions

• In a 2-quart saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring constantly.

• Remove from heat; pour into a large bowl. Stir in sugar until blended.

• Stir in eggs, one at a time; stir in vanilla. Stir in cocoa and espresso powder until well blended. Pour into pan.

• Bake, 26-30 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean from the center.

• After baking, cool for 10 minutes, run a knife along the side of the pan to loosen the cake.

• Turn upside down carefully so the cake is on the rack. Remove pan and turn upside down onto another rack, and flip cake right side up. Cool completely for about 1 hour.

• Place the cake right side up on the serving platter when ready to serve. Cut into wedges using a sharp knife, and clean the knife blade after each cut. (Store, loosely covered in the refrigerator)

**this recipe is named for a work colleague who asked me to make it for her. Depending on your stove, this recipe could take up to an hour to cook thoroughly. I substituted a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract because I didn’t have any vanilla. I decorated it with almond toffee crumbles. Besides the chocolate the recipe called for, I used the chocolate I got as Christmas gifts. I melted it down in the microwave.**