Chocolate Pecan "Cake"

Over the years I've saved many recipes in emails. They have accumulated over the years, and now the time has come to start actually cooking some of them and deleting the ones that I don't think I'll ever want to make again. And unfortunately, this recipe falls into that category. I don't remember where I found this online so no link to the original site.

The impetus for making this recipe was that we accidentally left chocolate chips in the car in 100+ degree heat on a road trip, and when we reached home we had a bag of chocolate goo.

Nana José’s Chocolate Pecan Cake

Adapted from Patricia Jinich

Time: 50 minutes

FOR THE CAKE:

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or pareve margarine

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 cup pecans

6 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

Dash of salt

FOR THE GARNISH:

3 tablespoons grated piloncillo sugar or brown sugar

Finely grated zest of 1 lime

Juice of 2 limes (about 1/4 cup juice)

1 pint strawberries, washed, hulled and halved

1 pint blackberries, washed

Lightly sweetened whipped cream, optional.

1. For cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease with 1 tablespoon butter.

2. Using a double boiler or pan over simmering water, melt together chocolate and remaining 1/4 cup butter. Set aside to cool.

3. Using a blender, chop pecans finely. Add eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt and melted chocolate mixture, blending until smooth. Pour batter into pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes; cake should be moist but not wet. Allow to cool completely.

4. For the garnish: In a large mixing bowl, combine piloncillo or brown sugar, lime zest and lime juice. Add strawberries and blackberries, and toss gently. Just before serving, toss again and spoon on top of cake. If desired, serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

My notes:
1. I followed the recipe for the most part. The only difference was the chocolate that had melted was semisweet, not bittersweet, so I reduced the amount of sugar. I did not opt to garnish this, but I don't think it would have changed my opinion of the recipe.

2. The resulting "cake" is not a cake. It is perhaps cake-like when it is first removed from the oven, but after it has been chilled, it is more "brownie" like-- but not really. It doesn't have the same smoothness as a brownie (understandably, as there's only 1 stick of butter). It's flourless, but not the best flourless cake I have had. Still, the DH, has made his way through it :)


Some photos:

Fudgy looking right?