Thursday Recipe - Baked Fudge

Warning! This recipe is so incredibly rich and decadant, you'll get fat just smelling it. It only makes one 9 - 10 inch cake layer, but it will serve 12-16 people. It's better than cheesecake, mostly because it's chocolate and doesn't have cheese in it.

And for those of you that are looking for gluten-free, this recipe is. You can also do dairy-free if you use a good quality margarine. But it isn't fat-free, not even close. And don't, for the love of Pete, try to make it sugar-free. If you're going to destroy your diet, do it with panache and style.

Baked Fudge, aka Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 c. butter or margarine
6 large eggs, separated
1/2 c. sugar, divided
2 t. vanilla extract (or 1 t. almond)

Melt chocolate chips and butter together over low heat, stirring until smooth. Set aside.

Heat oven  to 350°. Spray one 9" or 10" springform pan. (You can use regular cake pans but it will be harder to get the cake out in one piece.)

Beat egg yolks and 1/4 c. sugar until very thick and lemon colored, at least 3 minutes. Fold in melted chocolate mixture and vanilla.

In another bowl, beat egg whites and remaining 1/4 c. sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined. Spoon into cake pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan. Put it on a large plate, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least six hours.

It's supposed to fall and get really dense. If you really want to, you can top it with whipped cream and a cherry. Or even drizzle caramel over the top.

Darn it! I just drooled all over myself just thinking about this cake. Now I have to make one.