by Donna Cain
Gluten Free Chocolate CakeWe have been busy bees in our test kitchen at the Captain Freeman with our summer menu finalized. This year I hired a private chef to help me refine our menu as I felt last year’s menu was a little heavy on the carbs. I knew the main items I wanted to serve and wanted feedback on the food course pairings. I have always appreciated a good meal when you feel satisfied, not overly full and trying new items that you would not have at home. This year’s menu is full of our tried and true, such as apricot scones, wild blueberry pancakes and Croissant Sunday along with some new items such as Lobster Benedict, Smoothies and Simple Lime Syrup for our fruit. Each course is thoughtfully paired to give a healthy, flavorful and memorable breakfast.
We have also been testing new afternoon repast delights. Today’s Decadent Chocolate Cake is really good and for all of our gluten free readers, it also uses Gluten Free Flour.
Lobster Benedict- 1 pound plus 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into chunks
- 10 Tablespoons (1¼ stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon Gluten Free Flour (you can also substitute regular flour)
- 1½ Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant ground coffee granules
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 extra large eggs, at room temperature, separated
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease an 8 inch spring form pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a speparate bowl combine the flour, coffee granules, sugar and salt.
- Separate your egg whites and yolks. Beat your egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Place the 1 pound of chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over simmering water. I uses a metal bowl over my saucepan. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted. Off the heat immediately stir in the butter and the flour mixture with a rubber spatula. Whisk in the egg yolks. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Scrape your mixed batter into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for 15 minutes - exactly. (be sure your oven temperature is accurate) turn your oven off and leave the cake in the oven, leaving the door slightly ajar. Allow the cake to cool in the oven for 1 hour. The cake will sink in the middle.
- Carefully release the sides of the pan and slide the cake onto your serving platter. Place the 3 ounces of chocolate and the heavy cream into your heatproof pan, set over a pan of simmering water and heat just until the chocolate melts. Add a drop of cream if the mixture is too thick. pour the chocolate over the sunken part of the cake, leaving the edges unfrosted.
