You are hereRecipes / Flourless Chocolate Cake
Flourless Chocolate Cake
| Yield | |
|---|---|
| Source | Adapted from Allrecipes.com |
| Prep time | 1 1⁄2 hours |
| Recipe Tags |
Description
I'm not as wild about chocolate as most people seem to be, but this cake is pretty darn tasty, and as it's so rich, it serves a lot of people. Also, it's gluten-free for the celiacs in your life.
Ingredients
| 1 | c | butter (cut into small pieces.) |
| 6 | eggs | |
| 3⁄4 | c | sugar |
| 1⁄2 | c | liqueur (or water, but I like Grand Marnier) |
| 1⁄4 | t | Salt |
| 18 | oz | chocolate (preferably bittersweet - and 1/2 a kilo is close enough) |
Instructions
You'll need the following equipment for this recipe:
- A 10" round cake pan, plus a 12" or larger pan that the first will fit inside
- An electric mixer of some sort. You could beat this by hand, I suppose, but it would be a lot of beating.
Generously butter the 10" pan. Preheat the oven to 300 F, and boil a couple cups of water.
Choose your chocolate based on your preferences, although I wouldn't use milk chocolate. Currently I use the 72% dark chocolate pound plus bar from Trader Joe's (half a kilo is close enough to 18 oz. for government work), but I've also used 12 oz of semisweet + 6 oz unsweet baking chocolate. Chop it into fairly small, even pieces, and melt it either in a double boiler or in a large bowl in the microwave.
While the chocolate is melting, combine the liqueur, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until all sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat.
If it's not there already, transfer the melted chocolate to a large mixing bowl. I prefer using a hand mixer for this recipe, as I melt the chocolate in the microwave in the bowl I plan to use, but there's no reason a stand mixer won't work. Add the butter a piece or two at a time, beating on medium speed to incorporate each piece before the next is added. After all butter has been added, beat in the sugar mixture. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and watch the stuff in the bowl magically thicken to a pudding consistency. Spread the batter in the greased pan, then set that pan inside the larger pan. Carefully pour boiling water into the larger pan so that it comes halfway up the side of the cake pan. Use potholders to (carefully!) transfer the two to the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, even if the center still looks wet. Remove the cake pan from the water bath and let cool to room temperature. Then cover tightly and cool at least six hours (overnight is fine) in the fridge. To remove from cake pan, dip the bottom of the pan into hot water for about 10 seconds, then invert onto a serving plate.
Notes
- This easily serves 12 - 16, as it is very dense and rich. To cut nice, clean pieces, dip a knife into hot water, then wipe clean for each cut. Serve with caramel sauce, whipped cream, berries or berry coulis.
- In case this isn't enough chocolate, you can also make a ganache and coat the cake for a smooth, shiny look.
- Preparation time does not include cooling time. Cool this cake completely, or it will fall apart when you try to remove it from the pan!
- Don't add the hot water to the larger pan, then set the cake pan inside that. You really don't want to risk hot water pouring in over your rather expensive cake ingredients.
- If you use a springform pan as the cake pan, cover the outside tightly with tin foil to prevent water leaking in from the seams.
