A Chocolate Cake Three Years in the Making!

How best to explain my absence?

There isn't enough HTML code to explain the last three years!  Suffice to say my liver and my recipe book are a lot more used than they were.

Back to the business of getting wasted in the kitchen and sobering up to relate my revelations to you on the golden tablets that are Blogger.

Now, about this chocolate cake that may or may not be the perfect companion to a snifter of Brandy. (It is...)

This recipe combines two of my favorite things! The first being copious amounts of chocolate and the second is the opportunity to beat the shit outta some eggs!

Here are the ingredients:

• 4 Eggs (separated) 
• 200 g's sugar (1 cup)
• 200 g's of the best chocolate you can afford (about 1 bag)
• 200 g's butter.  Mmmm, butter. (2 sticks, minus 2 tablespoons)
• A shot of liquor (for the recipe, I swear!)

That's all!  No flour, no milk, nothing standing in the way of you and a chocolate coma.  This cake is also perfect for people who are allergic to gluten!  Now, pour yourself the libation of your choice and let's start baking.  But first...

Check this out...

An easy kitchen craft that's a hoot(ers) for the whole family!
Take a razor and cut the knees off the little native on the side of the box.  Cut a window flap where she is holding the butter on the front.  Glue those knobby knockers under your window, and open up to reveal some naughty native nipples!

Now, back to baking!  Pre-heat the oven to a scorching 375* f, and grease and flour an 8 inch springform pan.  Be generous with the grease and flour, this is not a cake you want sticking to the sides of the pan.  Also, for extra measure you can put some parchment down on the bottom of the pan to ensure it doesn't stick.

Over a double boiler melt the chocolate gently and incorporate the butter slowly, one tablespoon at a time to insure an even mixture.  Now is a good time to add an ounce or two of your favorite liquor to the mix.  I suggest a coffee liquor, or even a dram of brandy.  Add an ounce or two of liquor to yourself too, you deserve it!

In a separate bowl combine 1/2 cup sugar with the egg yolks and whisk until they are a pale yellow and ribbony.  Now beat those egg whites until you get soft peaks.  At this point sprinkle the other 1/2 cup of sugar onto the egg whites and continue to beat until you get stiff peaks.  All that work!  I need a drink, so do you!

Don't take too long, those eggs won't stay stiff forever.  Use a wooden spoon, not a whisk for these next steps.  Take your melted chocolate mixture and slowly add it to the egg yolks.  Now take a spoonful of your egg whites and incorporate it into the chocolate mixture.  Remember to fold, not beat.  You don't want to lose any of those hard-earned air pockets.  Now fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites.  Once it is fluffy and incorporated put that batter into your greased springform.  Because it's greased it should just slide right in.  Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Let bake for 50 minutes.  Remove from the oven and immediately run a knife around the edge then let it sit to cool.  While it's cooling the top will cave in and crack into wonderful valleys and cracks.  Remove from pan, dust with powdered sugar and serve when still warm!

So rich! So thick!  Like the perfect boyfriend!