Dive into chocolate, the ultimate chocolate flourless cake with raspberry sauce and vanilla bean whipped cream

My sister is a serious chocoholic, the follow cake has been baked for her the last few years, it is not for the faint of heart, it's the kind of cake that gets you going to a meeting the next day. All the work of this cake is the quality of ingredients, it really is, buying great Belgium chocolate, European style butter, vanilla beans, (you're going to think I've lost it again) frozen raspberries that's where it's heart really lies.

To start, buy lots of chocolate, 10 ounces of around 60% cocoa (semi-sweet), and 2 ounces of 72% cocoa (bitter sweet). I actually just bought a 3 oz. chocolate bar for the 72% at the checkout, I was with my mother, and she asked was that it, all the chocolate I needed? I then directed her attention to the bottom of the basket where I had one of those over a pound bars.

Make sure everything is room temp before you start, and get the kettle boiling.

This is a food processor cake, (I love them, so easy, so quick) this is pretty much the only thing I ever make in my granddaddy food processor, (well this and clementine cake) it's so old, but this cake doesn't fit in the mini, the large processor has some exterior damage, so all the photos will close ups to hide the  shame of the broken handle, and the fact that my hand is kind of holding the whole thing together, whenever the motor is on.

Grid the chocolate, instant espresso, and sugar in the processor til finely ground, around 30 sec. Making the world's most amazing cocoa powder, fight the urge to set some aside for rainy days.

Pour some of the boiled water into the measuring cup to heat it, then throw out the water, and fill 3/4 of a cup. If the measuring cup is glass the outside needs to be dry. (Physics lesson for the day, glass breaks when their is two temperature of liquid on either side of glass. I can go into this further if you are really interested, but it does have to do with glass really being a liquid)

Run the machine again, and pour in the hot water, everything will melt in around 10 seconds, and you'll end up with great chocolate sauce, stop the machine and fight the urge to scoop some out.

Add the butter and start the machine, another 15 sec.

Slice open a vanilla bean, think Y-incision, don't cut through and scrap out the insides with a knife.

Now I know, there's more bean in the cream and two vanilla beans in one recipe sounds like well around $24, but that's grocery store one bean in a jar brain. Think internet brain, vanilla beans online (click here for vanilla beans and other gourmet foodstuffs) there it's much more affordable, you get so many more beans, and pay far less for each, plus they are often of better quality, and fresher. Hold on to the bean, you can make the vanilla sugar thing (that I have never actually done) I just stick it in the raspberry sauce.

Add the eggs, and vanilla seeds, and mix again around 15 seconds. Done,

Oil and paper, if you have paper, a 12 in pan, fill with batter and bake at 350 for 55 to 60 minutes.

It wont be quite done, not too chocolate sauce, but not quite cake.
It's so pretty right all puffy and light, souffle like, don't get used to it, it wont last. It will fall, and you may not like it's looks for a day, but soon enough you'll see the beauty in it.

Let cool completely, overnight is best.

Raspberry sauce

Place a defrosted (or not) bag of raspberries in a small saucepan. on medium heat I prefer frozen raspberries to fresh, in California all raspberries are picked far too unripened, which is great for snacking, but not that great for baking. Add sugar and the empty vanilla pod. You can take it off  the stove when the sugar is dissolved, but I was doing dishes and it started to boil a little, and got that jam foam look on it, but it was just fine, perhaps a little thicker.

Strain the sauce, or don't I've done both versions, I like both, really is up to you.

Place in a jar and refrigerate. I serve this cold.

Vanilla Bean Whipped cream

I love that name, years ago I figured out that whipped cream with a little vanilla gets eaten, and the plain stuff discarded. Evil plan, always add vanilla.

Place whipping cream in mixer, add powdered sugar, start to get everything blended.

Slice open and scrape seeds out of vanilla bean,

add to cream and start mixing. Stop when starting to foam and taste, you may want to add a little sugar.

I like cream on the firm side, which can be dangerous, so I tend to stand there and watch it turn. When the cream starts to pull away from the edge, it's getting close. Then only real way to tell is to stop it many times during this stage.

Serve cake at room temp, with chilled cream and sauce. Dark chocolate heaven.

Ingredients:

Flourless chocolate cake
10 oz. 60% cocoa chocolate
2 oz. 72% cocoa chocolate
1 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
1 1/2 c sugar
12 oz. butter, room temp
6 eggs
vanilla bean (or 1 tbsp vanilla extract)

Raspberry Sauce
12 oz frozen raspberry
1/3 c sugar
vanilla bean pod

Vanilla bean whipped cream
1 c cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)