Thursday, November 12, 2015

Decadent Flourless Chocolate Torte

When sugar, chocolate and egg come together, it's hard to imagine it becoming a cake without a flour. My amazement is in the gluten free, the slop that looks too runny to become a solid-but does upon baking. If you love gluten free treats and you love being pleasantly surprised in the kitchen, you will die over this scrumptious gluten free chocolate torte-complete with decadent, fudgy centre, crispy, crackly top and lavish deckings of thick cream and strawberries. It's indulgent and chic-the type of food that is impressive in its simplicity. Of course if you're like me and need embellishment, a pile of strawberries and cream in the middle could never go astray...and some edible gold dust is a beautiful enhancement on it's own, especially if this torte is gracing your Christmas table.
There's often  a "healthy" gritty consistency of most gluten free things I have eaten-but not this one. It doesn't contain any unusual ingredients and isn't particularly healthy. But even people with gluten intolerance need naughty, wickedly decadent desserts sometimes-I am certain of that!
By the way, I recently went for a week without dairy. My breastfed son came out in a nasty allergy looking rash, and we thought it might have been a cows milk protein intolerance. The test results came back negative, but I'd already taken myself off dairy in anticipation, and in desperation to get dairy out of my system for his sake. Did you know it takes 2 weeks for dairy to completely leave your system?
I tell you, once you start reading labels, you will never look at anything the same again! I even found dairy products listed in the tomato based pasta sauce in the pantry.
I lost 5 kg that week.
My diet consisted of ice. It was one of the only "solids" I could be sure was dairy free.
Okay, there was some fruit as well.
But little else.
I jest-but honestly, when the results for my son came back negative for that intolerance, I embraced dairy again like it was a long, long lost child of mine. How funny it is that my life revolved so much around it, and I had no idea. What foods are a staple in your pantry? I've got a feeling this torte is about to become one of mine! I have a few of those pretty glass pastry domes that don't get much use, after all...It would be wasteful not to have a torte or two not residing in them at least once a week.

Ps. I picked up that beautiful tea towel with hand crocheted trim and matching oven mitt in a lace shop in Richmond, Tasmania. Isn't it divine?


 DECADENT FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE TORTE (Adapted from Simply Delicious)

6 eggs
100g white sugar
100g brown sugar
300g dark chocolate
1 tbsp instant coffee

Optional garnishes:
100g strawberries, sliced
3 tbsp thick dollop cream
edible gold shimmer dust

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 27cm round springform cake tin (or 2 x 13cm round springform tins like I used)
Whisk together the eggs and sugar with an electric beater until light and creamy, approximately 5 minutes. Place chocolate in a microwave proof bowl and heat  gently until melted, stopping and stirring a few times to avoid burning. Pour the melted chocolate slowly into the egg mixture, whisking continuously to combine. Fold in the coffee granules.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin, and bake for 25 minutes. The top of the torte should feel firm to the touch, and will have risen slightly.
Cool before decorating and serving.

Serves 10-12



Torte at time of serving.