Valentine’s Chocolate

Flourless Chile Chocolate Cake

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of dark chocolate, and my friends know it. So when I was recently gifted a box of Swiss chocolate from a longtime friend visiting from Geneva, I did the natural thing: I hid it. I could say it was under the guise of recipe research, but who would I be kidding?

My preferred chocolate is very dark with little bling. However, with that said, I do from time to time like to mess with my chocolate. My favorite embellishments are almonds, sea salt and chili. None of these additions detract from the richness of the chocolate, nor do they add any cloying sweetness. Rather they seem to amplify the deep chocolate flavor, while tickling the taste buds and hitting a few always-welcome umami notes.

Aztec Chocolate Bark

So for a little Valentines Day present, I have for you not one but two recipes with a version of spiced up chocolate. After all, there’s nothing wrong with spicing anything up around Valentine’s Day. The first recipe is for Aztec Chocolate Bark which you can find in a column I wrote for The Weiser Kitchen on Swiss chocolate (of course). And since love and chocolate go hand in hand with abundance (or at least they should), I will share with you below this recipe for Chile Spiced Flourless Chocolate Cake. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Flourless Chile-Chocolate Cake
Serves 10 to 12

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 6 pieces
12 ounces dark (70%) chocolate, finely chopped
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Powder sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not come in contact with the water, stirring occasionally. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the melted chocolate, vanilla, chili powder, cinnamon, salt and cayenne. Stir to combine. Pour into the prepared springform. Bake until the cake is set and the top begins to crack, about 40 minutes. (The center will still be moist.) Cool completely on a rack. Remove the side of the pan and transfer to a serving plate. (Cake may be made up to one day in advance. Cover and refrigerate.) Serve sprinkled with powder sugar before serving.