Death by Chocolate {or} The Cake That Nearly Killed Me

So our Gourmand Club is having a Murder Mystery party Saturday night, and I am bringing the dessert. In keeping with the theme (think Death by Chocolate) I decided on this flourless chocolate torte, so I did a trial run last weekend. Unfortunately, I used a 10" pan so it only came out about 3/4" tall, but I was basically pleased with it. And judging by the quick work the family made of it, they were pleased too.

So Wednesday night I made the party version using the proper sized pan. Preparing the pan is crucial; first you butter it, then line the bottom with parchment paper, butter that, and dust with cocoa powder. A springform pan is recommended, but I don't have an 8" springform pan, so wish me luck getting this baby out of here.

Next you slowly melt a pound of dark chocolate with two cubes of butter. You can use a double boiler, the microwave, or the preheating oven like I did. The important part is to do it slowly and stir often.

Then you beat the egg yolks with 3 tablespoons sugar until they are thick....

and mix them into the chocolate.

Then you wash that bowl, have a sip of wine, find your glasses, answer five questions, and proceed to beat the egg whites until almost stiff....

then fold them into the chocolate mixture half at a time.

Finally you pour it into the prepared pan and bake it at 300 degrees for 35 minutes.

And this is what it looks like. It needs to be chilled for at least 3 hours or up to a week. Then you heat the bottom and sides of the pan with a hot damp towel and quickly unmold it onto the serving plate. And finally serve it at room temperature with a garnish of....

meringue bones and blood (raspberry) sauce. Yum. I hope to share photos of the finished dessert on Sunday.