Red Wine Flourless Chocolate Cake with Goat Cheese Whipped Cream and Roasted Strawberries
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As I was planning my February “month of chocolate” recipes, I knew that I wanted whatever recipe I shared this week to feel Valentine’s-y. As I started brainstorming recipes and ideas, I started thinking about just what Valentine’s Day actually feels like—is it fancy dinners at high-end steakhouses or pizza ordered in while watching movies on the couch? Is Valentine’s only meant for couples or for singles with great friends? I couldn’t develop a recipe that felt perfect for the holiday of love until I figured out what exactly this holiday is to me. As I thought through it, I think it’s all of these things and maybe more.
This year, Martin and I are celebrating 7 years of marriage and 10 years of dating (neither of which I feel old enough for, but that’s besides the point). We’ve never been ones to save fancy date nights for special holidays, and honestly, most of our favorite dinners have been shared with friends. Our first Valentine’s Day together, Martin packed a cute little picnic and we sat by a lake for an entire afternoon, talking and munching on Cape Cod chips. We’ve had grand plans of making gnocchi for Valentine’s Day, only for them to turn out mediocre at best, and most years, we end up celebrating Valentine’s Day on a day other than the 14th. This past year has been my favorite year of marriage. Work was the busiest as its ever been for Martin and I moved to Tennessee for four months to work in a restaurant, and even though being apart doesn’t sound super romantic, it was because it meant that we were pushing each other to pursue our dreams. We had the opportunity to walk alongside each other as we explored new challenges and opportunities. As I think about Valentine’s Day, I think that’s what we really celebrate. We celebrate those consistent relationships in our life, the ones that push us into new adventures, and the ones that walk beside us in the day to day. We celebrate the people that we love spending time with, at fancy dinners or in sweats on the couch. And when I think about a dessert fitting of the holiday, I think it should be something that sums all of that up—something as rich and special as those people in our lives, while still feeling comfortable and everyday.
In my opinion, flourless chocolate cake is the best dessert around. It’s thick and fudgy, and feels indulgent and decadent, but it’s fairly easy to put together and bakes up in one little layer—super approachable. I added red wine to the batter for an extra splash of luxury, roasted a bunch of strawberries and heaped mounds of goat cheese whipped cream on top. So however you celebrate (or don’t celebrate) Valentine’s Day this year, leave some room for cake.
Red Wine Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 12 oz (340 g) dark chocolate pieces
- 1 1/2 sticks (165 g) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 lb fresh strawberries, green tops removed
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp red wine
- 2.25 oz (65 g) goat cheese, softened
- 1 cup (8 oz) heavy cream
- 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
- splash of vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325° F. Grease a 9” springform pan and line the bottom with a parchment paper round.
- Fill a medium-large saucepan with about 2” of water. Place chocolate and butter in a large, heatproof bowl that fits snugly on top of the saucepan. Turn to medium-hight heat and melt chocolate and butter until smooth and homogenous. When completely melted, remove from heat.
- While the chocolate and butter mixture is still hot, whisk in brown sugar. Let cool until temperature reaches a warm, room temp.
- When mixture is slightly cooled, add egg yolks, vanilla, salt, and red wine. Whisk to combine. Sift in cocoa powder and whisk once more until mixture is homogenous. Set aside.
- Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and begin mixing on medium-low speed until whites become frothy. Increase mixer speed to medium and stream in granulated sugar. When all of the sugar is added, increase mixer speed to high and whip until a medium-soft, silky meringue forms. The meringue is ready when you can pull the whip attachment from the bowl and the peak holds it’s general shape, but the top falls over on itself.
- Place half of the meringue into the bowl with the chocolate and gently fold to combine. When mostly combined, add the rest of the meringue and continue folding until the mixture is all one color and no meringue streaks remain.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, until top is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Remove from the oven and all to cool in the pan for at least an hour.
- To yield the cleanest slices, remove ring after 1 hour and transfer cake to the fridge for a bit, preferably overnight, until cake is completely set up.
- Preheat oven to 350° F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Cut strawberries into halves or quarters, depending on the size of your berries. You want the pieces to be fairly large because they will get smaller as they roast. I did a mixture of halved and quartered berries. Place berries in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together syrup, olive oil, and salt. Pour mixture over the berries and toss to coat.
- Spread berries into an even layer on the baking sheet and roast for about 40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until soft and fragrant.
- Remove from oven and return to mixing bowl. Pour red wine over the warm berries and fold gently with a rubber spatula to coat. Set aside until you are ready to use.
- Place the goat cheese in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-speed for 30 seconds or so, until goat cheese is soft and broken up.
- Add heavy cream to the goat cheese and continue to mix on medium-low speed until the mixture begins to thicken slightly. (Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl regularly to ensure that all the goat cheese gets combined and isn’t clumpy).
- When the cream begins to thicken slightly, add powdered sugar and vanilla and increase mixer speed to medium-high. Whip until soft peaks form.
Notes:
to assemble: Spread fresh whipped cream over the top of the cooled cake. Spoon roasted berries and wine sauce on top. This is definitely best enjoyed with a big glass of a bold and jammy glass of red wine.
