February 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge #27: For the Love of Chocolate, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Valentino!

If you notice something, my posting of this month are are a lot of love, haha. February, the month of love and chocolate! But I love it anyway, both love and chocolate ^ ^, nothing else can make this world a happy place. The Daring Bakers February 2009 challenge is Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Valentino. The cake that is really easy to make but full of special thing "chocolate", yes, there is a lot of chocolate in this cake.

So, when the main ingredient is chocolate, use the best that you can find. The cake will taste the same as the chocolate that you use.
For this month, it's the first time for the Daring Bakers Challenge to make the ice cream, there are 2 recipe, but I choose the easy one "Wendy's Ice Cream Recipe Vanilla Philadelphia Style Recipe" it's the easiest recipe that you can find, because all you have to do is whisking the ingredients together, then let the ice cream maker work. You don't have to step into the kitchen to make any custard, so great!

I have to say that I really love this month challenge, and I want to say "Thank You" for the host, for the great recipe and that happiness that I got from this month's challenge.

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Makes about 16 (standard muffin size pan)

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams)	semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total)	unsalted butter
5	large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.


3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).


5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the cooled chocolate to the egg yolks.


7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.



8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes (if using large pan the baking time will be 25 minutes) until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Wendy's Ice Cream Recipe
Vanilla Philadelphia Style Recipe
Preparation Time: 5 minutes

2 cups (473 ml)	half and half (1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of whole, full fat milk)
1 cup (237 ml)	heavy cream
2/3 (128 grams) cup	sugar
	Dash of salt
1 (12 grams) tablespoon	vanilla

Mix all ingredients together (we do this in a plastic pitcher and mix with an emulsifier hand blender-whisking works too).
Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer
Mix in your ice cream maker as directed.

February 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge #27: For the Love of Chocolate, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Valentino!