“Let’s face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people”
A flourless chocolate cake. Sounds curious to anyone who does (or watches their spouse do) only sporadic baking and knows enough to know flour to be a crucial staple in a cake. But flourless is becoming more of a theme in the world and it makes for a lovely pudding-y type of cake – particularly ideal for serving for a casual supper party. On which note, if baking for a supper event, it also takes all the stress out of deciding the perfect cooking point since if it’s a little underdone, it only means you get a slightly sludgier, fudgier result which, paired with ice cream, means nobody’s complaining – your guest might just need a spoon rather than a fork. Once pulled from the oven, garnish however you like, whether that’s with whipped cream, pouring cream, fresh berries, nuts or truffles. If you happen to have some, raspberries typically go especially well with a dark chocolate pudding. We served it gently warmed with strawberries and homemade ice cream – bear in mind, however you serve it, it’s a devastatingly moreish treat.
NOTES
– Be careful not to over beat your egg whites – if beaten beyond the point of stiff peaks, the matrix of proteins will begin to break down and the foam will collapse. The egg whites will become grainy, watery, and flat and cannot be salvaged at this point.
– Since there is no flour in this recipe, the cooking time can be more variable – for a slightly cakier result for more of a tea-time offering, be generous with the cooking time, whereas for a slightly more sludgy, pudding-ish result consider being a little more conservative with the cooking time.
– I recommend a 70% dark chocolate for this dish for a rich, chocolatey finish, but feel free to use semisweet baking chocolate if preferred.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Equipment:
- 9 inch pan ( we used a Lodge cast iron, but you can use a springform or any cake tin you have)
Makes: 8-10 pieces
INGREDIENTS
- 220 grams dark chocolate (about 70% cocoa is perfect)
- 115 grams salted butter
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 200n grams sugar
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 25 grams cocoa powder
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 170°C fan oven. Grease and line a 9 inch/ 23cm tin or pan
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In a bain marie (double boiler) or straight in a pan if using the L1 setting on an induction cooker, melt together the butter and chocolate stirring frequently until fully homogenised. Set aside too cool.
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In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, espresso powder and vanilla for two minutes. Set aside.
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In a large clean bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form – watch carefully to make sure you stop mixing when they are light and foamy.
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Pour the chocolate and butter mixture into the egg yolks and fold to combine.
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Fold half of the stiff egg whites and the cocoa powder into the egg yolk mixture until just barely combined and then fold in the remaining egg whites.
- Gently pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven about 30-35 minutes or until there is no ‘wobble’ in the centre when removing from the oven.
To serve, either allow to cool or serve warm if preferred with a scoop of velvet smooth vanilla ice cream and macerated berries.
