Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup sweet butter
½ cup water
1 tsp. instant espresso coffee
1 teaspoon rum extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons strawberry preserves
18 - 1 ounce squares Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Squares
6 eggs
Powdered sugar for garnish
1 pint fresh strawberries

Preheat oven 300 degrees:

Butter two 8 inch baking dishes.

In a small saucepan over medium heat combine water, sugar and espresso coffee and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Add rum extract and vanilla extract to this and set this aside.

In a double boiler melt the chocolate squares. Pour the chocolate into a bowl and cut pieces of the butter into the chocolate. Beat the chocolate and butter mixture with an electric mixer adding the hot sugar water and the eggs one at a time.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Have a pan larger than the cake pan ready. Put the cake pan into the larger pan and fill the pan with boiling water halfway up the sides of the cake pan.

Bake the cake in a water bath at 300 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.

Remove from oven and chill in the refrigerator overnight in the pans.

To unmold, dip the bottom of the cake pans into hot water for about 10 seconds and invert onto the serving platter. Spread the strawberry preserves over the first cake and top with the second layer.

Garnish with the fresh strawberries and powdered sugar.

This is a rich and decadent dessert worthy of any holiday!

Enjoy!