Flourless Chocolate Cake

Published: February 11, 2021 1 Comment »

Sinfully decadent & so indulgent, this flourless chocolate cake will satisfy your deepest chocolate craving! Made with just 5 ingredients.

Valentine’s Day is coming up this weekend! Are you searching for a romantic dessert to make for your sweetheart?

Well, look no further! I have got you covered with so many “date-night-in” recipes! How about these chocolate truffles? Or these fancy-looking poached pears? Or this easy chocolate mousse recipe?

Any of these would be so special, but currently my most favorite Valentine’s Day dessert would have to be this flourless chocolate cake.

I discovered this recipe while watching an episode of Milk Street on Prime. They did a little piece on Claire Ptak, the cookbook author and owner of Violet Cakes bakery-cafe in London, and it really inspired me. Her flourless chocolate cake recipe looked so simple and so good!

So I gave it a try, but the first time around I was a little disappointed by how flat it came out! I mean, it is supposed to puff up and then deflate (like a souffle), but I was looking for something a little more abundant-looking.

I doubled the recipe and made a few other minor adjustments, and it was everything I ever dreamed of.

The chocolate flavor is rich and intense, and the texture is just incredible. You get a crisp, craggy crust on the top, chewy, almost brownie-like edges, and the softest, moistest middle that’s somehow both fudgy and airy at the same time.

I love this cake and I just know you will too!

WHAT DOES FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE TASTE LIKE?

There are only 5 ingredients in this cake:

Chocolate
Butter
Salt
Eggs
Sugar

Pretty simple, right?

The most prominent flavor is (without a doubt) chocolate. The deep, rich flavor of chocolate really shines here, so if you’ve got a serious craving, this is the recipe for you!

It’s sweet but not overly so.

Really it reminds me a lot of a brownie recipe, but with a much different kind of texture. This cake has so much contrast in terms of texture: crisp, crumbly on top, chewy around the edges, and a soft and gooey middle, with an airy lightness that’s like nothing else.

HOW TO MAKE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

The first thing you’ll need for this recipe is chocolate. I prefer to use baking bars because they melt so beautifully. Chips often contain stabilizers to help them maintain their shape, so they can sometimes give you some trouble when you go to melt them. That said, sometimes you can get away with chips if they’re really high quality.

Break up the chocolate into small pieces and add it to a medium, heat-safe bowl, along with butter and salt.

Melt this mixture together until smooth and liquid. I like to do it in the microwave in short bursts, stirring, but you could do it over a double-boiler too.

While that’s going, whip up your egg whites. You want to get them to the soft peak stage, then transfer them to another bowl so you can use the main bowl for the next step.

Next you’re going to whip your yolks together with the sugar. Whip on high speed for a full 5 minutes. You want this mixture to look very pale and airy, and it should drop from your whisk attachment in a long, thick ribbon.

Fold the melted chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture. It’s ok if the chocolate is warm but you don’t want it scalding hot.

Then fold the whipped whites in. Be gentle, you don’t want to lose all that air you worked so hard to incorporate!

Pour the batter into a parchment-lined, lightly greased springform pan, and bake!

You’ll know it’s done when the edges are set but the middle is still a bit wobbly. Keep in mind that it will continue to firm up as it cools.

HOW TO SERVE IT

As you can see in the images and video here, I like to serve my flourless chocolate cake with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream and a few fresh strawberries.

But there are so many different things you could do! Here are a few other suggestions:

Dust it with cocoa powder, to really bring out the chocolate flavor.
Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Drizzle it with raspberry sauce.
Pour on this chocolate glaze.
Set it on a pool of creme anglaise, with a handful of fresh raspberries.

IS THIS RECIPE HEALTHY?

I’m going to allow you to judge for yourself by including nutritional info in the recipe card below.

But I can tell you that this cake is naturally gluten-free, so if you’re thinking of serving it to someone with a sensitivity you can rest easy and know that it shouldn’t upset anyone’s tummy.

It does however contain eggs, so it’s not vegan, and it has butter so it’s not dairy-free either.

CAN IT BE MADE AHEAD?

This cake does take a while to bake and cool, so it’s a good idea to give yourself plenty of time and make your flourless chocolate cake ahead of time.

It stays nice and crisp on top and very moist in the middle for several days, and it can be re-warmed on the lowest oven setting.

HOW LONG WILL FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE KEEP?

This can sit out on your counter at room temp for a day or two. Cover it lightly with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out too much.

To extend the shelf life, stash it in the fridge for a week to 10 days.

Or you can freeze it. Wrapped tightly, it should keep for a month or two and can be thawed at room temperature.

A FEW MORE OF MY FAVORITE DATE-NIGHT RECIPES:

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5 stars (1 rating)