Flourless Chocolate Cake | Deep-Dark Indulgence Minus The Gluten
All purpose flour / cake flour have been a key ingredient in cakes since time immemorial. But the advent of healthy eating and gluten-free trends has led to people getting innovative and coming up with ways and techniques to enjoy their favourite cakes, sans the flour. The Flourless Chocolate Cake is an off-spring of this growing trend and dare I say, much richer and denser than the regular chocolate cake. Flourless cakes are inherently decadent and fudgy in nature. The absence of flour maybe helping the ingredients shine through in all their glory and deliver intense flavours in every bite.
Chocolate takes this game a notch further. Chocolate never fails to deliver or play its magic and even in this cake, it takes the flavour profile to the next level. Owing to the absence of flour, the flourless cakes although rise like a regular cake in the oven, but once taken out from the oven, they sink. This too contributes to the dense character of the cake and also gives it a artsy appearance rather than the geometric appearance of a regular cake.
How to make Flourless Chocolate Cake
A basic Flourless Chocolate cake can be baked with just four ingredients viz. chocolate, butter, sugar and eggs. You can then have your say in the basic recipe and leave your signature on it by adding additional ingredients like different nuts/ nut flours or flavourings. It is all about playing with the flavour, texture and moistness of the cake.
I however, decided to keep things simple and go with the basic cake, but with the addition of certain ingredients that would complement the chocolate flavour and accentuate it and help it shine through. Chocolate pairs really well with Orange and so I have used Orange zest in this recipe. If you desire, you can add a dash of freshly squeezed juice of the orange too. The other two ingredients I used are age old classics which work to alleviate the flavour of the chocolate – Salt and Coffee. I also switched regular refined sugar with brown sugar. And, I took the chocolatiness a notch deeper and denser with the addition of dutch-processed cocoa powder.
Almost all flourless chocolate cakes call for separating the eggs and beating the whites to the soft peak stage and folding them into the cake mixture at the end. Begin by separating the eggs and then proceed to melting the chocolate. Ensure you are using the best quality chocolate and the darker it is, the better (I used 60% Cocoa, Dark chocolate). Leave this aside and proceed to cream the butter and sugar along with the orange zest.
Next, add the yolks one by one, beating the mixture well between each addition. I used a hand held mixer for beating the ingredients. Follow this with the addition of the molten chocolate and beat well. Add the coffee liqueur and the salt and mix well. Keep this bowl aside and whisk the egg whites to the soft-peak stage. An electric whisk will make the job easier. Fold in the egg whites gently into the cake mixture.
Transfer the mixture to a prepared tin. You may layer the top of the cake with almond flakes to add a crispy texture to the cake. Bake until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin before removing it out onto a plate. Do not place it directly on a wire rack as the cake is very delicate and the rack may cut through the cake. Remember this cake will sink once it cools down.
Dust the cake with dutch-processed cocoa powder. Top it with fresh berries if you desire. I personally love to drizzle it with chocolate sauce and enjoy it with vanilla/ citrus-infused ice-cream. Give this cake a try and indulge in its deep dark temptation minus the gluten. You will not regret it!
Also do try out my other cake recipes:
Versunkener Apfelkuchen (Sunken-Apple cake)
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- Microwave/ Double boiler
- 6 inch baking tin (preferably springform)
- Microwave safe bowl (for melting chocolate)
- Mixing Bowls
- Hand-held mixer
- Electric Whisk
- Spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 100 gms Dark Chocolate (I used 60% Cocoa)
- 100 gms Butter
- 100 gms Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Orange zest
- 4 Eggs, separated
- ¼ cup Strong coffee Liqueur
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- ¼ cup Cocoa Powder – Dutch processed (plus more for dusting)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven (top + bottom heat) at 160°C
- Prepare the baking tin and keep aside
- Melt the chocolate in a microwave / double-boiler
- In a mixing bowl, with the help of a hand held mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar, along with the orange zest
- Follow this by adding a egg yolk to the mix and beating well until well combined.
- Continue this with the remaining yolks one by one and beat well
- Add the melted chocolate to the bowl and mix well
- Follow this with the addition of coffee liqueur and salt and give it a good mix. Keep the bowl aside
- In another mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites to the soft peak stage
- Add these to the remaining ingredients in the first bowl and gently fold until well combined
- Transfer this mixture into the prepared tin and bake at 160°C for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean
- Take it out to a cooling rack and cool for 15-20 minutes in the tin
- Carefully remove from the tin and transfer to a cake board/ plate and allow it to cool completely
- Dust the cake with cocoa powder
Serving Suggestions:
- Cut out a slice of the cake, drizzle it with chocolate sauce and serve along with a scoop of vanilla/ citrus-infused ice cream
Notes
- Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature
- Dutch processed cocoa powder imparts a dense-dark colour and flavour to the cake
- The addition of coffee and salt helps to accentuate the chocolate flavour