baking

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Name: Flourless Chocolate Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 6 large eggs, separated; 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), chopped; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces; 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar; Pinch of kosher salt; Cocoa powder, for dusting; Whipped cream, for serving

A flourless chocolate cake has no flour and therefore no gluten structure. The eggs carry the entire load. The base is melted chocolate and butter, cooled slightly, then combined with whole eggs and yolks beaten with sugar until the mixture is pale and thick. The egg proteins set during baking and provide what structure exists. The center of the cake should still wobble like set gelatin when pulled from the oven. It will firm as it cools. If the center is set solid in the oven, the finished cake will be dry rather than fudgy. The distinction is intentional: this is not a cakey cake. It is dense, intensely chocolatey, and closer in texture to a ganache than a crumb. The egg provides leavening as well as structure. Beaten eggs trap air, and that air expands in the oven before the chocolate and egg proteins set around it, giving the cake a slight lift despite the absence of chemical leaveners. Cool completely before cutting. It slices cleanly once the fat in the chocolate has reset.

Prep: 20 min Cook: 25 min Total: 45 min Serves: 10

Ingredients

6 large eggs, separated
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of kosher salt
Cocoa powder, for dusting
Whipped cream, for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment.
Melt chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
Whisk in 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until combined. Add egg yolks one at a time, whisking after each.
In a separate clean bowl, whip egg whites with cream of tartar and salt to soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and whip to stiff, glossy peaks.
Fold one-third of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining whites in two additions.
Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until the top is set and a slight crack forms around the edges. The center should still have a faint wobble.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack — the cake will sink slightly as it cools, which is correct. Remove the springform ring. Dust with cocoa powder and serve with whipped cream.

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