Fallen Chocolate Cake

Just in time for Valentine's Day, this is a perfectly imperfect flourless chocolate cake. As it rises, a crispy crust forms on top, then it falls and the results are delicious. We use the solar oven to melt our chocolate as well as to bake the cake. Adapted for solar cooking from Bon Appetit.

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 8–10

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1” pieces, plus more, room temperature, for pan
• ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided, plus more for pan
• 10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (61%–72% cacao), coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 6 large eggs
• 2 tablespoon natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Place solar oven in the sun to preheat. Lightly butter a 9 inch springform pan and dust with sugar, tapping out any excess.

Combine chocolate, oil, and ½ cup butter in your graniteware pot. Place covered pot in the Solavore Sport until all ingredients are beginning to melt (about 10 minutes). Remove from the oven and stir slowly until ingredients are combined and chocolate is thoroughly melted. 

Separate 4 eggs, placing whites and yolks in separate medium bowls. Add cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, ¼ cup sugar, and remaining 2 eggs to bowl with yolks and whisk until mixture is smooth. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into chocolate mixture, blending well.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until frothy. With mixer running, gradually beat in ½ cup sugar; beat until firm peaks form.

Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture in 2 additions, folding just until incorporated between additions. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar.

Bake in the solar oven until top is starting to crack and cake is pulling away from edge of pan. Ours baked for 1.5 hours. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan (cake will collapse in the center and crack further as it cools).

Remove from springform pan and dust with powdered sugar if you choose to. This cake is delicious served with ice cream or whipped cream.

Butternut Squash Spice Cake

Featuring cardamom, ginger, star anise, cinnamon and bourbon, this is a lovely cake for the holidays. The original recipe is found on sunset.com, the only adjustment we made for the solar oven is the baking time.

Ingredients

CAKE

2 cups cake flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or sifted regular whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground star anise (grind in a clean coffee grinder) or ground allspice
1 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup coconut palm sugar* or packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup bourbon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger
2 3/4 cups coarsely shredded butternut squash

FROSTING

3/4 cup salted butter, softened
12 ounces (1 1/2 large pkgs.) cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup toasted* unsweetened flaked (also called shaved) coconut

Preparation

1. Make cake: Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 3 round graniteware pots (Three pots will require two solar ovens, if you are baking in one solar oven, divide the batter between to pots and lengthen your cooking time). Line each with a circle of parchment paper and set aside.

2. Mix cake flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise in a large bowl; set aside.

3. In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat oil, eggs, coconut sugar, yogurt, orange juice, bourbon, and vanilla on medium speed until well blended. Add flour mixture; beat on low speed to blend, then on medium speed until smooth, scraping inside of bowl twice. Stir in orange zest and crystallized ginger, then squash.

4. Divide batter among lined pans and spread level. Bake in the Solavore Sport, covered, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 45 minutes.

5. Turn cakes onto racks, remove parch­ment, and let cool completely, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

6. Make frosting: In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese until very smooth. Add powdered sugar, bourbon, cardamom, salt, cinnamon, and ginger; beat on low speed to blend, then on high speed until smooth and fluffy, scraping inside of bowl once or twice.

7. Set a cake layer rounded side down on a platter; spread top of it with 3/4 cup frosting. Repeat with second layer. Set top layer in place, rounded side up. Spread top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Press coconut into sides, a small handful at a time.

*Find coconut palm sugar in the baking aisle of well-stocked grocery stores. Toast coconut on a rimmed baking sheet in a 350° oven until light golden, stirring once, 4 to 5 minutes.

Make ahead: Up to 1 day, chilled and loosely wrapped with plastic wrap.

Solavore Carrot Cake

This is it, the famous solar oven carrot cake that started it all! Read our company history to find out more about the Solavore Carrot Cake. Enjoy!

2 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
¾ t. salt
2 T. cinnamon
1 c. vegetable oil
1 ½ c. sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2 c. shredded carrots
1 c. flaked coconut
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. crushed pineapple with juice

Cream Cheese Frosting
3 oz. cream cheese
¼ c. butter softened
½ t. vanilla extract
2 T. milk
Pinch of salt
2 c. powdered sugar

While the Sport is pre-heating, sift the flour, baking soda and salt and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil.  Add eggs and mix again. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients.  Add pineapple with its juice, carrots, coconut and nuts. 

Line the bottoms of two solar oven pots with wax paper and oil the sides. Pour the batter into the pots, splitting it evenly between the two. Cover the pots, put them in the Sport and let the sun do the rest.  The cakes should be done in about 1 ½ to 2 hours when a toothpick in the center comes out clean. 

To make the cream cheese frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla, milk and salt, mixing well. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until you have a smooth consistency for spreading.