Heart Shaped Flourless Chocolate Cake Towers with Caramel Filling

 

Don't worry, I didn't fall of the face of the planet. You were probably concerned that I was dead or something since it's been about five and half centuries since I posted last. Well, you aren't too far from the truth. Remember that horrible cold I was telling you I had last time? Well, the cool thing is, pretty much every time I get a cold lately, it ends up in my sinuses.


Yay for sinus infections!

Seriously though, this made the fork and the knife incidents look like nothing. Which they... ahem... WEREN'T.

But this. This was worse. The only thing that I can even compare it with was when I got my wisdom teeth out. ALL FIVE OF 'EM. And this was still worse. It was like my whole face was covered in wisdom teeth and somebody just came and ripped them all off. And then put a grenade up my nose. And stabbed a sword through my ear. And took away all the chocolate in the world.

Okay, so all the chocolate in the world isn't gone. And it's a good thing too. Sometimes the hope of chocolate in my future was the only thing pulling me away from the light at the end of the tunnel. Besides, there are always rice socks to keep me somewhat alive.

Um... what? You've never heard of a rice sock? Just take a dirty, old fresh, new sock, fill it with rice, tie the end in a knot, throw in in the microwave, and smash it onto your throbbing head. LIFE SAVER.



Anywho. About these towers of chocolate and caramel. I made them for Mom and Dad's anniversary, pre-sinus-infection. I made pretty much the same thing last year except it was caramel and heart shaped this time instead of raspberry and round. Mom seems to think this is the new tradition cause that day she was like, "Okay, so Dad and I will go on our date and then when we get back, you'll have our dessert ready."

Yes your majesty.



Just kidding it was fun. I hope it was fun for Mom and Dad too even though I thought the love-seat was a little crowded. Why don't they make those things bigger?

Guess what. This is gluten-freeeeeeee!!

Heart Shaped Flourless Chocolate Cake Towers with Caramel Filling

For the caramel filling:

1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 stick cold butter, chopped up

1/2 cup powdered sugar

In a medium sauce pan, combine the sugar and syrup. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula. Once it is caramel colored, add the butter and stir until the butter is melted. Add the cream and stir until it's all combined. Bring it back to the heat if you get clumps and stir it until they're dissolved. Add the salt and vanilla. Refrigerate overnight until it's pretty firm. Beat it with the cold butter until smooth and add powdered sugar.

For the flourless chocolate cake:

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
1/2 cup dutch process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup strong coffee

Preheat the oven to 350º.
Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper.
Melt the butter and then add the chocolate, whisking until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and sugar for about five minutes until they are very pale and about doubled in volume. Slowly add the vanilla and coffee. Then sift in the cocoa powder and salt and mix until smooth. Slowly add in the chocolate and butter mixture until smooth. Poor into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes or until the top has a thin crust, the edges are set, and a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached. Put it in the fridge if you want it to cool faster before you begin assembling.

Chocolate Ganache:

8 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1/3 heavy cream  (actually I used almond milk)

Melt together slowly in the microwave on low power and whisk until smooth.

Too Assemble:

Cut six heart shapes out of the cake with a heart-shaped cookie cutter. Frost the inside with the caramel filling, making two three layered towers. Pour the ganache over the top. 

You can smash all the spare pieces of the cake back together and frost them. That's what I did. :)

See you on Facebook. Bye.