I love chocolate and chili, it's such a good combination. Great looking cake.

This looks beyond awesome! I can't wait to try it!

I think I made one like the idiot's cake before. It was really good, and really chocolatey. It was interesting, when you first started eating, it tasted a little bitter, but the more you ate, the less bitter it became.

This looks delicious! Chocolate and chili is one of those combinations I've had on my mind for a while now but I still haven't tried it (well, at least I haven't in dessert form). I've been waiting for my cayennes to ripen...I'll have to try this very soon!

I love spicy chocolate too. And this sounds pretty easy, thanks for the recipe.

Garrett, that looks fabulous. Chipotle and chocolate? You are so creative.

I adore chocolate anything. I was wondering if a drizzle of chocolate would work on this cake as well?

Linda in Washington State

This cake is already uber-rich, but if you can eat it, then go for it. Personally, I would suugest frreshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. ~Garrett

So, can someone tell me the calories, I'm watching my calory intake, and this looks sinful.

Probably near the infinity mark. ~Garrett

The burn helps with the calories, right? Ha.

Looks great, as always!

No flour? DEFINITELY saving this recipe for Passover. Unless I make it several times before then.

I was lucky to taste this wonderful creation. There was definitely a kick to it with a lingering 'burn' from the peppers - but in a good way. Highly recommended!

I owe you a huge debt of gratitude Garrett for helping me to use up the RIDICULOUSLY OVERPRICED $6 2-OUNCE BOTTLE OF CHIPOTLE POWDER I NEEDED FOR A RECIPE A YEAR AGO AND HAVE HAD NO USE FOR AFTER THE 1/4 TEASPOON I USED.

There. I feel much better now. Phew.

I have never tried spicy chocolate cake in my life, so this is intriguingly new to me. =)

Chocolate cake as the Aztecs intended. My wheat-free husband is looking forward to this! Thank you.

I live in a country where you cannot get chipotle or ancho chile powder...any suggestions for other substitutions? I can get regular chili powder, is that workable? Thank you!

Regular chili powder can sometimes be a mixture of spices. Be sure to check the ingredients, but regular dried ground chili powder should be just fine. Let us know how it goes! ~Garrett

Isn't it a bad idea to taste the batter that includes raw eggs?

Salmonella actually exists on the shell of an egg, not within the egg itself, so don't use cracked or broken eggs, store your eggs in the fridge, and use them within 2 weeks of buying them. Only after time goes by and in poor conditions does salmonella have the chance of infecting the whites of the eggs. The FDA has good procedures in place to ensure that your chances of actually getting salmonella are rare. However, it's your call. You can get a bit more info here ~Garrett

That looks excellent! Kinda what I'm in the mood for right now...

This cake looks awesome. I love the idea of chocolate and chili powder. It's very Mexican chocolate-ish, especially with the cinnamon. Great idea, Garrett.

I like the sound of using chipotle chili powder in a chocolate cake!

Ok, silly question-how do you get the pretty cross-marks with the powdered sugar?

Not silly at all, I simply placed my wire rack over the cake and dusted it with powdered sugar, then I lifted the rack off. Any bit of lace will do a fine design as well. ~Garrett

This is great although I realized I am not so keen about the chili. I have a flourless chocolate cake recipe sans the chili and the cinnamon. All you need is four ingredients (semisweet chocolate, butter, egg and kahlua). It takes some 20 - 25 minutes to bake baine marie method. I will try it with cinnamon.

Amazing! I did it in cupcake cups because I was taking it into work. Not only is it incredibly good - such a perfect combo - the cupcakes look neat with the little cracks. No frosting needed!

A little spice with some chocolate.. LOVE it!

What happens if you don't have a springform pan and use a glass pyrex dish? I think that's the one "gadget" I don't have in the kitchen.

Springform pan will make your like easier and make for nicer presentation. However, if you only have Pyrex, then just go for it. Erin commented about using cupcake cups, which I think shows the diversity of the recipe. ~Garrett

It is possible to use egg replacer or flaxseed for replacing the five eggs in this recipe?

No idea, I have never in my life used either so I do not know how they work. Give it a try and let us know! ~Garrett

Very good, thank you for the recipe! I am always quite nervous about these chocolate cakes as they often turn out too moist. In my house it should be called a "tornado cake" as I was preparing it during tornado watch here in Virignia! I was just thinking what would I do if tornado really hits... it is all new to me, I spent my whole life in Europe. Great and easy recipe! I am eating it hot, hope it will be still good after cooling!

Before I add this to next week's menu, do you have any idea whether this freezes well? Also, do you leave this out over the course of several days or store in the fridge? Thanks, Garrett!

I would suggest that you just store it in the fridge for no more than 2-3 days. I usually make this the day before it's served. ~Garrett

This looks amazing Garrett! I love molten cakes, but this sounds even better! Gotta try this soon.
:)

Great sounding combination! Combining savory flavors with desserts is the bombe (pardon the food pun!)

I especially love freshly cracked black pepper in chocolate wafer cookies. Mmm, I can taste it now, enough spice to make it interesting, but not too much to over-power the chocolate. Can't wait to try your version of chocolate cake.

Thanks,
Jim

Jim, I feel for ya' with the black pepper. Personally though, I prefer a bit of cracked pink peppercorn. It has a distinctly fruity tone that just really rings well with chocolate. Maybe not so much for a cookie, but used in cakes or cupcakes, it can be delightful! ~Garrett

Yum! But how come your recipes calls for a third of the baking time of David's?

It isn't cooking in a waterbath for this recipe. ~Garrett

I recently made this again using Chinese Five Spice in place of cinnamon and chili powder. It was very well received by all who tried it. =)

This is my first time seeing such a recipe with this method, I know another method that can be a bit more difficult, but still prefer this one. Thanks.

Thanks! The no waterbath leads to my second question - how do you keep it from cracking and drying out? Was David's waterbath totally unnecessary? My springform pans leaks, regardless of meticulous foil wrapping, so this no waterbath thing is just what the doctor ordered.

This recipe cooks quicker out of the waterbath so it's denser, dryer and more fudgy. There is a bit of cracking along the outer rim, but I think it gives it visial appeal. The best way to see how the recipe works is to make it. ;) ~Garrett

Just tried this yesterday for a friend's birthday - I used only cinnamon since I didn't have chipotle or ancho powder. It was a huge hit! Very gourmet results, with very little effort - my kind of recipe. =)

I tried this recipe today at my sister's place. The middle was rather goopy, even though I ended up cooking it about seven minutes longer than the recipe said. Any thoughts about how to prevent that?

Baked this last weekend for my son's graduation cookout. I baked it a few minutes longer than instructed. While the cake was cooling I could smell the smokey chipotle. Once cooled the smell was gone :-( The taste and texture was good. Unsuspecting tasters initially tasted the chocolate and something unexpected which can't be identified, then about 15 seconds later the heat kicks in! This is spicy but not overwhelming. My mom, who doesn't like hot stuff, really liked this one. She even asked for the recipe!

While this is a good recipe I don't think I will crave this one. But, I will bake it again for the surprise factor.

We made this for an office party and it was fantastic! I only used cinnamon and some cayenne but people seemed to enjoy it regardless. Next time I will try to use the chioptle powder.

Ho. Ly. Cow. So good! I made this for an early Father's Day celebration and it was amazing. Unfortunately I live in a city that doesn't think outside the box much, so I had to make do with a few different ingredients. Instead of Scharffen Berger chocolate, I was forced to use Ghiradelli. Good, but not the best. I also had to use New Mexico chili powder instead of chipotle. Regardless, this was still an amazing dessert. I piled a bunch of fresh raspberries in the middle of the cake and served it with vanilla ice cream. So simple to make and so flavorful. Thanks for the recipe!

This cake, far and away the easiest I've ever made, was a slam-dunk, wrestle-you-for-the-last-piece hit with everyone who tasted it. As one party guest said to another, "Taste this; it will change your life." Reminds me of "Chocolat."

I made this for Father's Day, and it was a hit. I also used a cupcake pan, as I don't have a springform pan. It was great--little mini cakes that I served with French Vanilla ice cream. Delish! Thanks, Garrett & Elise.

That looks quite tasty. I have just the occasion to make it for next weekend. Oh, and I like the "less butter" part.

Just got rave - explative - explative reviews from choc fiend boyfriend. Made my day! So easy.

Could not find chipolte in vaca town or even cayanne but still fab. I used some Lee Kum Kee chili oil.

Back in the city I will find primo ingredients and try to top it. May become MY signature dish. Thankyou Garret for sharing!!

This turned out great! I did add about 1/4 tsp. ground instant coffee to the batter. Debated a little on adding the cayenne, but went ahead and used it. I loved the fudginess, and the flavor was awesome! I probably won't use the Springform pan next time, though (and there will be a next time). Always leaks on me no matter how much I wrap with foil, and it's frustrating to no end (I do alot of cheesecakes). Thank you for sharing this one!