Daring Bakers Challenge – Chocolate Valentino and Ice Cream

February’s challenge is a Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Valentino, inspired by Malaysia’s “most flamboyant food ambassador”, Chef Wan. Recipe comes from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan. Thanks to Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef for hosting this challenge.

This month’s challenge was certainly that for vegans as the recipe for this flourless cake was merely chocolate, butter, and 5 eggs! I had a difficult time deciding between a Fran Costigan nearly raw recipe or a recipe from the fabulous Gluten Free Goddess and many times vegan chef, Karina. She quite timely posted her recipe for Vegan Flourless Chocolate Cake. I decided the real challenge was in the baking, so I chose Karina’s recipe.

The most important ingredient was the chocolate, of course. I happened to have on hand my favorite baking chocolate, Scharffenberger 99% Cacoa. This particular box was so incredibly delicious. It had a nice subtle spicy note to it.

I made a half recipe and filled three 4-inch tart pans. I wanted to use my 6-inch heart pan (the appropriate pan for a Valentino cake), but I couldn’t find it anywhere. There are two of those somewhere in my house….

I waited for them to bake. I waited and waited and waited. I checked them at 45 minutes, and then every 5 or 10 minutes until they had baked almost an hour and 10 minutes. It was so funny when I would stick a toothpick in and they would deflate, and when I pulled the toothpick back out, they would poof up again! They are supposed to collapse once they’re done, so I wasn’t concerned. Anyway, I lost patience at 70 minutes and pulled them out. The top seemed almost overdone, and I wasn’t real sure the middle was good. I let them cool, and they properly sunk.

After they completely cooled, I cut a piece out to see what I had. I set one tart on a heart plate.

It looks a little weird.

I stuck the cutout piece back in and hoped a few more hours in the fridge would help my Valentino set up properly. I went on to the next component of the challenge, homemade ice cream! Making ice cream in February – I think that’s a first for me.

I made a vanilla ice cream with silken tofu. Although I can’t eat it and I really don’t like the flavor even if I could eat it, I have 2 fabulous vanilla extracts and made Very Vanilla Ice Cream.

This was our dessert for last Sunday’s dinner. I served it to Chase and his girlfriend on the pretty heart plate.

And they shared Valentino Cake and Very Vanilla Ice Cream for Two.

I got no complaints, only yummy noises, especially for the ice cream. I guess ice cream in February is a good thing.

btw, Chocolate Covered Katie is giving away a case of Jocolat Larabars! Enter here.