Flourless Chocolate Birthday Cake

                 Birthday's are my favorite event of the year!!! Especially when it is my hubby's birthday. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. Also, I love feeding him. Making a special birthday cake that is just for him, fills me with joy. I am so corny right? Well, I can't help it. This is who I am, a corny baker, who loves to bake for her family. Speaking of which, this is where I got the idea for this recipe. My husband has a wonderful Aunt whose food is to DIE FOR! She passed over this recipe for Bete Noire, and I "reshi-fied" the cake with whatever ingredients I had handy. Ok!!! now less talking, more gawking at the delicious cake.  Review the recipe, drool over the pictuers and decide to make this for your chocolate desert wish. Decadent. Rich. Smooooottthhh...... and oh so fabulous!!!

P.S: Ganache goes beautifully with this cake, but I chose confectionar's sugar and Raspberries instead to decroate. Berry Nice!!!!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

adapted from: A Mingling of Tastes

2/3 cup sugar
2 tblsp. cocao powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 stick butter

8 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp orange peel

1/2 cup ground pistachio's ( I made mine by putting shelled ones in the food processor)

Garnish:

Confectionars Sugar

Raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the base of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, cut to fit the pan. Butter the parchment and the sides of the pan.

Coat the top of the parchment paper with butter, and add the ground pistachio's to make a small layer of nuts. Combine the sugar, orange peel, cocoa and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs with the vanilla and add to the bowl. Stir to combine. In medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the chocolate and whisk constantly until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add the chocolate to the sugar-egg mixture and whisk until completely combined. Batter should be thick and fairly smooth. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake will be firm and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely in pan. Garnish with Sugar and surround with raspberries.