Coffee cake date.

After I’ve been on holiday I always miss to cook and bake. Although there was  a kitchen I could have used, I just don’t feel this comfortable as in my own. Half of the things I need are missing and making a mess makes me happier when I’m the only one it could bother. (Besides my boyfriend but he has to put up with me – that’s just how it works.) So I wanted to bake a cake very badly but forgot to buy butter. My first thoughts: Me? Forgetting about butter?! What’s wrong with me?! My second thoughts: A cake without butter? Does this exists?! I was in doubt but after some research (nothing can stop me after I put my mind to something) I made this delicious chocolate cake which dough is almost the same as for a macaroon. Bound to be good? You betcha!

All you need is:
– 2 egg whites
– 100 g ground almonds
– 50 g corn starch
– 150 g castor sugar
– 225 g dark chocolate
– 4 egg yolks
– 4 Tbsp powder sugar
– 2 tsp instant coffee powder
– 4 Tbsp sweat cream

Preheat the oven to 160 ° C. Beat the egg whites until stiff and add the castor sugar, almonds and corn starch. Combine slowly and carefully. Grease a 20 cm baking tray (mine was 24 cm and the cake became very thin. With a smaller one it will be a bit higher) and pour the mixture in. Spread evenly. Bake for 15 mins in the oven.

Meanwhile melt the chocolate (don’t let it get over 30° C!). While the chocolate cools a little, combine the sweat cream and instant coffee in a mug and mix well until the coffee is completely dissolved. Add the coffee cream, powder sugar and egg yolks to the molten chocolate and mix by hand until well combined.

Take the cake out of the oven and add the chocolate mixture on top. Don’t worry when the chocolate mixture will sit on top of the egg white dough. After baking it all together, it will sink in and look just as mine. Just make sure that you don’t spread the chocolate mixture to the very edge of the baking tray. Put the tin back into the oven and bake for another 20 mins.

Friends of mine just became a baby and this is the cake I brought them as a congratulation gift. With one piece missing because – of course – I had to try first if it is any good.

Never bring a cake that you’ve never tried before. Rule No. 1!

However it’s even better than it looks. Rich and full of chocolate. Not too sweet. This is going to be a coffee date favourite from now on.
Serve slightly warm with some beaten cream.

Now. Carry on!