mexican chocolate cake

"she's a nice girl, you'll like her". uh oh. "she has a really good sense of humour". hey-zeuus, better run for your life, my friend. on the other hand, however, this is a really simple cake to throw together and can be done in under 20 minutes, total kitchen time. this almost flourless mexican chocolate cake is an adaptation of a classic french recipe that came together while i was living in mexico, where mexican chocolate is cheap and can be found in any little tienda on the corner. the flavor is not that deep, debauched, heart-of-darkness, pornographic chocolate experience, but rather something a bit lighter, a little cinnamon-y, sweet but not intense. interesting. as for texture, depending on whether i want something more or less cake-y i add an extra tablespoon of flour to the batter (i usually prefer the extra flour). much like a souffle, the beautiful arcing lift achieved while in the hot oven collapses into a mass of slightly concave, elephantine-like folds of sagging skin rippling across the top once it cools. i distrust things that are too beautiful, too perfect, so i am completely at home sprinkling a little powdered sugar over the top and digging in. but for all you shallow, i mean, more visual people out there, a frosting would probably work better. someday i'm going to work on this recipe and actually make it pretty-pretty. but not today.

mexican chocolate cake
3 eggs
3 tablets mexican chocolate (200 grams)
1/2 stick butter (that's 1/4 cup, i think)
1-2 tablespoons flour (1 T. makes it dense, 2 T. more cake-like)

this is a very simple cake that needs no additional sugar since the mexican chocolate tablets already are sufficiently sweet. melt chocolate and butter together and set aside to cool. once cooled, mix with egg yolks and flour. in a seperate bowl beat egg whites until stiff and gently fold in chocolate mixture. pour into 1 round cake pan (greased and floured, or better yet, covered with parchment paper on the bottom) and bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes. remove from oven and watch fall.