Richest Chocolate Cake Ever: Recipe

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is the cake I make every V-Day for my baby, my greatest, my own personal Sanrio character. It's so rich I'm not even sure it qualifies as a "cake." There's no flour in it, no baking soda or other leavening, no milk. None of that whimpy stuff to get in the way of the pure chocolate.

The texture is somewhat like cheesecake... and the taste, whoah, the taste is like mainlining pure, unadulterated, pharmaceutical-grade chocolate.

The size is perfect for two. I bake it in a little creme brulee dish, but any small oven-proof dish will do.

(PS If you're single this Valentine's Day, I say make this cake for yourself anyway! Treat yourself! You deserve it for putting up with all the cheesey crap Hallmark & Co. crams down your throat this time of year! And, darn it, who needs love when there's chocolate cake like this??!!??)

Richest Chocolate Cake Ever

3.5 Ounces Highest-Quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
2 Tbsp butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp sugar powdered sugar

1. Melt the chocolate and butter together over VERY low heat or in a double boiler.

2. Butter your creme brulee dish and line the bottom with a piece of parchment cut into a circle.

3. Seperate the egg. Mix the yolk into the (slightly cooled) chocolate-butter mixture.

4. Beat the white until soft peaks form. Gently fold the white into the chocolate mixture. (I'm terrible at this, so if you screw it up don't worry: just mix it together as best you can and it will still come out fine).

5. Scrape the batter into your cake "pan" and place the small pan in a larger pan or baking dish. Pour some boiling water into the larger pan so it creeps halfway up the sides of the smaller dish. (This water "bath" helps keep the cake moist.)

6. Place your pans into the oven and bake for exactly 30 minutes.

7. Remove the cake and let cool completely. Refrigerate for several hours.

8. Slide a think knife around the edges and invert the cake pan. (It's so rich and dense it's not always easy to get out of the pan). Peel off the paper liner.

9. To decorate: You can go all out and do a ganache and nuts like in the picture but here's something that's easier and just as pretty. Find a piece of paper that's slightly larger than your cake. Cut out a heart that's slightly smaller than the cake. Lay the piece of paper on the cake, then sprinkle powdered sugar through a sieve so it completely fills the heart area. Very carefully lift the piece of paper. You should be left with powdered sugar in the shape of a heart. Yeah!

10. Store in the refrigerator, but remove an hour or two before serving. Serve with whipped cream, raspberries, strawberries, and/or white chocolate sauce.