A Sweet and Crumby Instant Replay because sometimes Life happens.
Have you ever fallen…
crazily in love?
down, way down, with no glimpse of the sky?
literally, into a mud puddle, or down a flight of stairs or simply between the cracks?…
This devastatingly rich, chocolate cake, too, has fallen, but it was designed to fall. Cakes are one of those few things that can be meant to fall. Unlike people, this cake falls perfectly into a rich and soulful plate of splendor.
Its sunkeness was planned and executed, not a shock. Maybe that’s the crux of a bad fall…the catch us off guard and pull the ground out from under us kind of thing. Ones that sneak up on us from out of nowhere just may be the worst of all.
Falling, though awful, may give us a chance to grow. After all, everyone falls, but it’s how we pull ourselves back up that says so much about who we are now and who we are becoming.
When we fall, if there’s a hand there, a good strong hand that can pull hard and lift us up from the ground, carefully wash our wounds and stick on bandaids, then maybe falling has its place. A place that can actually make us feel quite secure as ironic as that sounds.
But maybe falling isn’t only about the one who falls. Falling might just also be about those around after the fall. Those from the places you least suspect who dive in and glue the broken pieces together. Falling might just give someone a chance to be a hero.
Like this balsamic cherry sauce…
Yeah, the cake would have been fine on its own after it fell; it is made from ridiculously good chocolate after all. But for once, the sauce, the beautiful glistening dark balsamic cherry sauce, gets to be the hero as it oozes between the cracks and glosses over any wounds.
Fallen Chocolate Cake with Balsamic Cherry Sauce
Adapted from Cooking Light (yes, friends it only has 262 calories and 6.6g. of fat!)
Serves 12
1/2 c. shelled pistachios
cooking spray
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar divided
1/4 c. water
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, best quality you can get your hands on.
1/4 t. sea salt
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa, the better the chocolate the better your cake…trust me.
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 t. vanilla extract
optional: 1/8 t. almond extract (I did not use it and liked it the way it was)
4 large egg whites (yes 4, not a type-o)
Balsamic Cherry Sauce
Inspired by Cooking Light (the original sauce calls for red wine instead of water…I think port would be magnificent, but I chose to use water and balsamic vinegar in a very small quantity and it was lovely)
2/3 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. water
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 lb frozen dark, pitted cherries
For the Cake: Spray a 9 inch spring-form pan amply with cooking spray, then cut a perfectly fitted circle out of parchment paper to line the bottom (I trace around my pan and then cut the paper). Spray the parchment as well, now that it’s on the pan.
Put the pistachios in a food processor and whir to oblivion, leaving a fine crumb of pistachios. Gently press your pistachios into the bottom of the pan, on top of the parchment.
To make the batter, in a medium saucepan combine 1 c. of the sugar, and the water and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat; stir in bittersweet chocolate and salt. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Add cocoa, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add the 3 whole eggs, individually, whisking in between each egg addition. Stir in extracts.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk, put in the four egg whites and beat first on medium then on high until stiff peaks form. As the peaks are beginning to form, gradually add the 1/4 c. of sugar one tablespoon at a time.
Once the stiff peaks form, fold 1/4 of the eggwhite mixture into the chocolate mixture and repeat until all of the egg whites are incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out nearly clean. You will have some batter on the toothpick since this cake is meant to have a texture that is a cross between a flourless cake and a touch pudding-y.
Cool to room temperature; run a kinfe around the outside edge and remove from the pan, gently upside down onto a wire rack. Peel off the parchment paper and invert again onto a serving plate so it is now right side up.
While the cake is cooling, make the sauce. Combine the sugar, water and balsamic vinegar in a medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add the cherries and bring to a boil, reducing the heat once it boils and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the mixture reduces to about two cups. The sauce can be used to ladle over each slice of cake upon serving.
July 17, 2013 at 1:28 pm
Ooh what an interesting recipe, i might have to give it a go as its made my mouth water! 🙂
July 19, 2013 at 8:47 am
Thanks for stopping by and for the nice comment.
July 17, 2013 at 1:35 pm
Sooo… I’m one of the few without a food processor. Does the pistachio bottom make a huge difference? The rest I might be able to pull off 🙂 My teaching theme today was “…and a cherry on top” so this is perfect!
July 17, 2013 at 3:11 pm
The pistachio crust is excellent but I don’t see any reason in the world you can’t leave it off. And it will still be divine!
July 17, 2013 at 1:39 pm
I have fallen crazy in love now 😉
This looks ridiculously perfect 😀
Cheers
CCU
P.S I will not be commenting for around 4 weeks to prepare for my exams – see you in a month 🙂
July 17, 2013 at 2:13 pm
Oh wow, I don’t know how I missed seeing these in Cooking Light, but your version makes me want to dive in and taste it. Gosh, just the mere sound of balsamic dark cherries and chocolate together is divine. 🙂
July 19, 2013 at 8:48 am
It truly is decadent and amazing. Thanks Betsy! 🙂
July 17, 2013 at 2:30 pm
Looks decadent!
July 19, 2013 at 8:48 am
Thank you Colline!
July 17, 2013 at 4:00 pm
This chocolate cake with balsamic cherry looks scrumptious…I love the combination of chocolate and cherries.
Thanks for this awesome recipe and hope you are enjoying your Summer 🙂
July 19, 2013 at 8:49 am
I hope you are enjoying your summer as well Juliana. This cake is a great one for company. Not too difficult to make but makes a big splash.
July 17, 2013 at 6:23 pm
I’ve fallen for this dessert!
July 19, 2013 at 8:49 am
You and me both Greg!
July 17, 2013 at 7:13 pm
Oh, what a decadent cake!
July 19, 2013 at 8:49 am
Thank you!
July 17, 2013 at 8:09 pm
Now I’m fallen, fallen fast again… this is one lovely and quirky cake. The name alone is so emotional and captivating to my senses. Too bad I’m on a diet.
July 19, 2013 at 8:50 am
It is from Cooking Light…there’s that. 😉
July 17, 2013 at 9:20 pm
Love the balsamic cherry sauce! It would be great to top with ice cream too.
July 19, 2013 at 8:50 am
Oooooh what a great idea Angie.
July 17, 2013 at 10:32 pm
What a great recipe! I love the balsamic cherry sauce and felt immediately in love with it 🙂
July 19, 2013 at 8:51 am
Thank you for the nice compliment!
July 18, 2013 at 1:23 am
Looks nice! Great post!
July 19, 2013 at 8:51 am
Thank you!
July 18, 2013 at 10:02 am
An intoxicating post! I’m not sure what I enjoy the most, your lyrical description or the irresistible Chocolate Cake with Dark Cherry Sauce!
July 19, 2013 at 8:52 am
That is quite a compliment coming from one of my favorite writers on the blogosphere. Thanks Deb.
July 18, 2013 at 10:29 am
this looks amazing!! good thing I have a bag of cherries in my fridge 🙂
July 19, 2013 at 8:52 am
You are a lucky girl then…let me know how it goes!
July 19, 2013 at 5:35 am
Yes, falling can be the best thing that’s happened to us.
That’s one heck of a beautiful cake, thanks for sharing!
July 19, 2013 at 8:53 am
Thank you for reading and commenting. What a nice compliment.
July 19, 2013 at 1:04 pm
I love the combination of chocolate and cherries and this looks super yummy! I could eat the picture!
July 19, 2013 at 4:06 pm
It looks delicious! What other fruits do you think this would work with?
July 19, 2013 at 10:26 pm
Raspberries would be divine or strawberries. Thank you for you nice comment.
July 20, 2013 at 5:29 pm
Miss A would be head over heels for this dessert (well, she’s usually head over heels because that’s her natural state of being – literally upside down regularly), but she will LOVE this. I don’t know if you remember – but she is a NUT about balsamic and especially so when it’s combined with chocolate. Hope you’re having a fabulous summer Geni!
July 22, 2013 at 1:19 am
You are back!!!
July 24, 2013 at 12:45 pm
i don’t know what i like most about this cake because everything is fantastic- from the cherries to the pistachio crust and the moist chocolate cake itself- it is all to much for me to handle- not to much for me to eat:))) LOL!
August 11, 2013 at 1:45 am
Wow I missed coming here, after a long vacation here I am back again looking at all those nice baked goodies! look at that cake it looks so moist. Mmmmmmm
August 16, 2013 at 9:31 am
Oh, is my fella gonna LOOOOOVE this one! Thanks!
August 22, 2013 at 5:27 am
YUM!! I am drooling just looking at the photos!!!
August 31, 2013 at 8:29 pm
wow! this looks delicious! the crust looks great too! thanks for sharing!
October 15, 2013 at 3:10 pm
Oh my goodness! This is amazing! Looks divine!