Good For All Cake

Gooey globs of chocolate ooze out from within these classic decadent cakes. Bittersweet Molten Cakes are one of Travis' favorites. Typically for his birthday we'll serve with a dollop of vanilla spiked whipped cream or raw milk ice cream and fresh raspberries.

Today I baked with a batch of Theo Chocolate 70% Dark Chocolate and Theo Jane Goodall 70% Dark Chocolate. These little lovelies are a throwback to my CCA days. I made the classic cakes as well as a gluten & dairy-free version. Both beckon for more chocolate.


While baking warm notes of cocoa, vanilla and berries permeate the air.
Perky from the hot oven these little darlings deflate much like a souffle with kisses of cooler kitchen air. The individual cakes pack a delightful cacao punch. Travis suggests drizzling with melted Theo Ivory Coast Dark Chocolate 75%.

I think I'll have to make an Ivory Coast ganache to properly test! My first testing without butter and pastry flour needs a bit of tweaking, but for now Travis' mom LOVES it! She is the true taste tester when it comes to gluten & dairy-free delicacies, as she has gluten and dairy intolerance. I think next time I'll use sweet rice flour or almond meal, rather than white rice flour as I found the texture a little gritty; More chocolate and less coconut oil or perhaps hazelnut or walnut oil, something that is a little more neutral so that the chocolate shines through.

What I ended up creating is a moist Bittersweet Coconut cake. These little cakes are the perfect dessert for a dinner party as all of the mixing and baking is done the day before. Although the scent is divine, don't you dare nibble the day before!

Letting the cakes cool to room temperature and storing overnight allows the flavors to marry; The bittersweet chocolate's true character develops and the rice flour's texture mellows. Once cool pop the cakes out of the ramekins (simply slide a butter knife around the outside of the cake and flip upside down) and cover with plastic wrap. Prior to serving whisk a little heavy-whipping cream with a drop of vanilla and a sprinkling of sugar. Depending on the season garnish with fresh raspberries or pomegranate seeds.

Bittersweet Coconut Cakes are "Good For All"! Jane Goodall created her own "Good For All" seal. Her stamp of approval for ethically produced products from the developing world. You can feel good about baking with this chocolate as it directly contributes to the Jane Goodall Institute's efforts to save chimpanzees, while promoting conservation in the tropical rainforest, benefiting cocoa farmers, and helping with world youth educational programs. Not only fashioned in an ethical manner, but also completely organic! All around good for all.

Tasting Notes:
DAY 1: Moist, light both in taste and texture. Gritty texture due to rice flour. A delicate cocoa flavor with coconut popping into the forefront.
DAY 2: Moist, a touch more dense and no more grit from the flour. Fruity notes of cocoa and coconut. Could use less coconut and more chocolate for next testing.

Good For All Cakes, Take 1:
Makes 1 dozen

Ingredients:
scant 1C coconut oil **Take 2: Try Walnut or Almond oil, possibly a little less, maybe 3/4C
6oz mixture of Theo 70% Dark & Jane Goodall Dark Chocolate, chopped **Take 2: Try 9oz
3oz sugar
small pinch of sea salt
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1 oz rice flour **Take 2 will be sweet rice flour or almond flour

Preparation:
Lightly oil 12 ramekins or one 12-cup muffin pan.

Place coconut oil and chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water (bain marie).
Stir with a heat resistant spatula until melted.

Meanwhile using an electric mixer, whip the eggs, yolks, salt and sugar until very thick, ribbon stage.
Add vanilla to the egg mixture and stir in the chocolate.
Sift and fold in the rice flour, being careful not to deflate the mixture.

Divide the batter into the prepared ramekins or muffin pan.
Pop into fridge for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for 10-14 minutes. You are aiming for a gooey center, so it's best to pull out a bit before you really think they are ready. However if you do over bake, it's not the end of the world, just drizzle with melted chocolate or whip up a bittersweet ganache and pool over top.

Remember let cool and serve the next day. Don't nibble, let the flavors marry and the texture mellow for one day prior to eating.

Enjoy & come back soon for a second take!