Updated: Jan 7
I don't think it's possible to go wrong with chocolate. Flourless chocolate cake is dense, rich and divine. As an added bonus, it's also grain-free and can easily be 100% gluten free if you're careful about checking ingredient labels. (You'd be surprised how many brands of cocoa and chocolate contain gluten). This cake is incredibly versatile and although I have easily made it at least a hundred times through the years, not a single one has been exactly the same. It is highly tweakable. This cake is delicious warm; it's delicious cold. If you toss some finely chopped fresh guava into it, it tastes like a tropical truffle. The addition of peppermint extract yields the perfect Christmas dessert. A layer of espresso mousse elevates it to next-level WOW. Imagine it with bitter shavings of grapefruit peel to balance out the sweetness and add a layer of sophistication; or with a drizzle of homemade caramel and a sprinkling of sea salt. You can also play with the texture by adding things like nuts or cookie bits. The possibilities of where to take this cake on the flavor spectrum are endless, because chocolate goes with pretty much EVERYTHING.
This cake recipe is extreme decadence and versatility. It is delicious plain, or can become the perfect blank canvas for a showstopping dessert.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
200 gr. / 7 oz Dark chocolate
225 gr. /8 oz / 1 c Butter
237 ml / 1 c. Heavy cream
100 gr / ½ c. refined (granulated) sugar
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 dashes nutmeg
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 TBSP cocoa powder or powdered sugar (optional, for garnish)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350F / 177 C.
Grease a 9" / 23cm springform pan and line the underside with tin foil, tightly wrapping it around the bottom edge of the pan (this is to avoid leaks of the thin batter through the bottom seal).
In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir the dark chocolate, butter, heavy cream and sugar together till melted. Remove from heat. In a seperate bowl whip the eggs and yolk together with a fork. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled (better safe than sorry, you don't want to end up with scrambled eggs) add the egg, salt, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix well with a rubber spatula. If adding other optional flavors, you can use your judgement to omit the nutmeg and cinnamon if they don't compliment your flavor palate.
Pour into your prepared pan.
Bake 350F for 30 minutes, or till set. To enjoy it chilled: cool, covered in plastic overnight before removing the ring. You can enjoy as is, with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or cocoa powder, or check out the recipes for mousses and ganache in my sweets section to come up with a flavor combination of your own.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.
“No matter how you prepare it: this cake is a real show stopper.”
-Joan
Let me know how yours turned out in the comments.