Chocolate "Beast" Flourless Cake

Incredibly dense and barely an inch tall, this chocolate cake is a ‘beast’ that looks simply sweet. Be sure to serve some whipped cream or ice cream to offset the rich rich rich chocolate!

(Start the day before you plan to serve)

Cake:

1 c water

¾ c sugar

9 T unsalted butter, diced

18 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

6 large eggs, whisked

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 10 inch springform pan, line pan with a disc of parchment also buttered. Wrap 3 layers of aluminum foil around pan to waterproof it.

Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes and remove from heat.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, add chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk in sugar syrup, cool slightly (about 3 minutes).

Slowly add in eggs until well blended into the still warm (but not hot) chocolate. (Be sure to have let the chocolate mixture cool for 10 minutes or so, or your eggs will scramble).

Pour batter into prepared pan. Place cake pan (wrapped in foil) into a large roasting pan and add enough water to come halfway up sides of pan.

Bake at 350F 50 minutes or until the center no longer moves when gently shaken. Remove from the water bath. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack.

Pour ganache over the cooled cake while still in the pan. (See below).

Ganache:

1 c heavy cream

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Bring whipping cream to a simmer in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and whisk until smooth and glossy. Pour over cooled cake. Refrigerate cake in the pan (remove aluminum foil) until ganache is set, about 2 hours.

Serving suggestion: Top with freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and/or your favorite berries.