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If you follow me on Instagram, you may remember me posting a piece of flourless chocolate cake while dining at The Capital Grille. After one bite, I was smitten with the rich, dense espresso infused chocolate cake.

When Shaina’s debut cookbook, Desserts in Jars arrived on my doorstep, I immediately honed in on page 35 – Flourless Chocolate Cakes, beautifully photographed in my favorite Weck jars. Shaina described her Flourless Chocolate Cakes as little brownies with crunchy tops and that’s exactly what they taste like. Pure chocolate perfection in an adorable glass jar.

[pinit] In you visit MBA on a regular basis, you know how much I love baking and presenting desserts in jars, so naturally, I was incredibly excited about Shaina’s cookbook. Desserts in Jars contains 50 gorgeous recipes including cakes, pies, puddings, frozen desserts and even a variety of mixes that are perfect for giving.


Shaina expertly walks you through the process of choosing, filling, baking and even adorning your jars with printable tags, so they’re ready for a casual backyard barbecue or a fancy holiday party. And after hanging out with Shaina in NYC, I must say, Desserts in Jars is an accurate representation of the awesomeness that is Shaina.

Flourless Chocolate Cakes

Ingredients:

Oil for greasing the jars
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 tablespoons (½ stick)unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, separated
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
fresh raspberries for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease fourteen 8-ounce jars. In a double boiler over simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

2. In a stand mixer, beat together the granulated sugar and egg yolks until thick and creamy. Mix ¼ cup of the melted chocolate and butter into the egg yolks. Continuing to mix, slowly pour the remaining melted chocolate mixture into the egg yolks until all is incorporated. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

3. Spoon 4 to 5 tablespoons of the cake batter into each greased jar. Place the jars 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops of the cakes start to crack. Remove from the oven and let the jars cool. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. If desired, garnish with fresh raspberries.

Notes:

- This recipe works well when cut in half.
- Jars seen in the photos are Weck Mini Mold Jars #976-165

Source: Desserts in Jars by Shaina Olmanson

All images and text ©

Follow Jamie on Instagram. We love to see what you're baking from MBA! Be sure to tag @jamiemba and use the hashtag #mbarecipes!

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474 Comments

  1. Linda says:

    Creme Brulee at a little streetside cafe in Paris…Yummy!

  2. denali says:

    Brazilian Papaya Cream at Texas de Brazil. I could have that every day. Twice a day.

  3. Donna says:

    Hmmm the best dessert…I would say is my best friends lemon cheese cake….OMG it is so delicious!!!!

  4. Michele Webb says:

    Oh.My.Goodness!! I JUST bought some lovely jars at our church rummage sale so I could make something with them…would LOVE to have this cookbook to be able to put them to use! The BEST dessert I have ever had and I make it often for special occasions is a Triple Chocolate Mousse Torte.

  5. Terri says:

    One of the best is a dessert cake from a local bakery which is a layer of Itaian Cheesecake, a layer of fudge frosting, a layer of dark chocolate cake with milk chocolate frosting. Liked it so much it is the cake we are having at my birthday celebration this weekend.

  6. Brett P says:

    Best dessert I’ve ever tasted? woo, that’s a tough question. I guess maybe I’d have to say it’s a dessert that, while maybe simple, I keep going back to. It’s served at this sushi bar I go to sometimes with friends, it’s basically a deep fried pound cake topped with green tea ice cream and smothered in whipped cream. It is way too good for its, and my, own good.

  7. Julie J says:

    The best dessert I have ever had was a flour less chocolate cake. I have an amazing recipe. I do like to try new ones, and plan on trying this one too, but so far, none have beat the one I found in a chocolate dessert cookbook ages ago.

  8. Liz says:

    I had this salted caramel something at a little cafe in Seattle a few years ago. It was insanely good. Thankfully, the salted caramel trend has provided me with many recipes to try!

  9. Charlotte Wilson says:

    The best dessert I’ve ever had are fresh strawberry packzis with fresh whipped cream made in a bakery here in Chicago called delightful Pastries. They are heavenly!