Fleur de Sel Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce!

This chocolate cake concludes any meal on a rich note. A delightful salted caramel topping poured over the top and out onto your plate, this is a little piece of heaven that will leave your guests begging for another invite!!



JJ's Fleur de Sel Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

• 14 1⁄2 tbsp. European-style high-butterfat butter
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 7 oz. quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small
     pieces
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 5 eggs, at room temperature, separated
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
•  Confectioners' sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9" Spring form pan with 1/2 tbsp. of the butter, dust with 1 tbsp. of the flour, tapping out excess, and set aside. Cut remaining butter into small pieces. Melt butter and chocolate together in a medium bowl set over a pot of simmering water over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Remove bowl from heat and stir in sugar, then the remaining flour, then the egg yolks, stirring until well combined. Set aside to let cool briefly.
2. Meanwhile, beat egg whites in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 2–3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites at a time into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into prepared pie pan.

3. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with some moist crumbs still attached (cake will rise and top will crack as it bakes, then collapse on itself as it cools), 30 minutes. Transfer cake to a wire rack to let cool briefly. Serve warm or at room temperature,

Salted Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 tablespoon fleur de sel (or any other flaky sea salt)

Directions:

1. Add the sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a heavy saucepan, with a capacity of at least 2 or 3 quarts. Heat the sugar over medium-high heat, whisking it as it begins to melt. You'll see that the sugar will begin to form clumps, but that's okay. Just keep whisking and as it continues to cook, they will melt back down.Stop whisking once all of the sugar has melted, and swirl the pan occasionally while the sugar cooks.

2. Continue cooking until the sugar has reached a deep amber color. It should look almost a reddish-brown, and have a slight toasted aroma. This is the point where caramel can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds, so keep a close eye. If you are using an instant-read thermometer, cook the sugar until it reaches 350 degrees F.

3. As soon as the caramel reaches 350 degrees, add the butter all at once. Be careful, as the caramel will bubble up when the butter is added. Whisk the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour the cream into the caramel. Again, be careful because the mixture will once again bubble up ferociously.
Whisk until all of the cream has been incorporated and you have a smooth sauce. Add the fleur de sel and whisk to incorporate. This is delightful over ice cream or even over fresh berries!

I need to apologize for the lack of final pictures. I made this for a large party I had on Memorial day. I was socializing and having my favorite beverage with friends and did not get some of the pictures I should have! By the time I thought of it, the cake was GONE!!! I took this one with my Iphone and the next day was horrified that I had not taken a final picture with my camera!! Even Wee Bear commented, "every crumb of the cake was gone in minutes!"

 I am on my way to Seattle for the Summer! I can hardly wait to celebrate my son's Birthday with a hike and his favorite dinner with family! My Mother's Birthday is coming up next week and we have planned a big family barbeque on her veranda, she will  be 93! Sweet One will be baking something exciting for the kiddo's and I am making by request New York Cheesecake for Mom!

  Echinopsis 'Flying Saucer ' in my back yard garden. 

This beautiful cactus waited to start it's opening until the eve of Memorial Day, and was fully open on Memorial Day. It only blooms for 24 hours and always starts it's opening in the evening.

Cheers!
JJ

P.S.-  On another note, "Sew whats cooking with Joan" is going to move to posting two days a week, starting June 1. I have contemplated this for a few month's, and have decided with Summer family trips, lot's of babies about to be born, I will have less time for writing. Wee Bear and I are taking "Baby CPR" classes and I have cancelled all my golf tournaments through December in preparation for our grand children's birth. Also, I need to be "On Call", as I have been honored with the request from my darling daughter to support her and hubby in the delivery room. I am so excited , I can hardly contain myself!!

 

 Amy is going to start writing more healthy recipes and I will continue to write with what moves me in the sewing, crafting, recipe, hiking or event area. Thank you to our loyal followers who number over 20,000, on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, e-mail and Goggle!! We are still growing! Thank you!  If you would like to follow choose any of the options, and our Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sew-Whats-Cooking-With-Joan/181543315321355   You can click on "Like" at the top and receive every post on your Facebook page!