Damnnnnn things have been so so busy! We have been crazy busy over at the studio - a couple of huge projects coming up coupled with general christmas rush means that we have been pulling some intense hours. All we have to do is make it through until Christmas, then January is always nice and quiet so we can have a little break, then in February we are going to New Zealand!
We have been having some fairly epic 3pm slumps in the studio, so I have made sure that there is always some sort of treat around for everyone to have a nibble on when they have a wee break from cloud land. This cake is the perfect cure for the 3pm slump - it is a straight hit of dark chocolate, mellowed out by a little butter, and held up by whipped eggs. I halved the original recipe to give a smaller, higher cake, which I think works well in comparison to the majority of flourless chocolate cakes which are fairly flat. The simplicity of this is what makes it amazing - it is literally just chocolate, butter, eggs and sugar, which really allows the ingredients to shine.
The final product of this depends entirely on your chocolate quality. I use a Callebaut 70% chocolate which is Belgian - I would recommend something that has at least 70% cocoa solids. The cake has a solid half a pound of chocolate in it, and it really stands out, so you need to make sure you use something which tastes good alone as well as in baking.
If you do choose to double this, pop it in an 8 inch pan - it should end up a similar height! I halved the original recipe because I feel as if there are far too many massive cake recipes out there - this would be perfect for having a few people over for dinner, or taking around to a friends house, or just having for a 3pm studio slump pick-me-up! It serves about 6.
I have adapted this recipe from Mast Brothers cook book - weird controversy aside, their book has some bomb recipes in it for all sorts of chocolate situations, both sweet and savoury! I love it. They have a beautiful space in Williamsburg where they make (I went and watched them grinding the beans) their chocolate from scratch.
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A note on salt and oven temperature
It is important to note the type of salt that is called for in a recipe. I use Diamond Crystal salt throughout my recipes - if you use a different sort of kosher salt or regular table salt you will need to adjust accordingly as some salt is 'saltier' than others. Morton's salt is twice as salty, so you will need half the quantity. Same goes for a regular table salt. I am working to get gram measurements throughout my recipes for salt but still getting there.
All oven temperatures are conventional unless otherwise stated. If you are baking on fan / convection, you will need to adjust the temperature. An oven thermometer is a great investment to ensure that your oven is the correct temperature.
Using the double / triple function in the recipe card
You will notice that there is a '1X' '2X' '3X' button in my recipe card. This can be used for doubling or tripling a recipe. However, please note that this only doubles the ingredient quantities in the ingredients list and NOT in the method. If there are quantities or pan sizes in the method of the recipe (for example weigh out 150g brown butter), you will need to scale this number manually. It will also not change the baking time in the recipe so you will need to adjust this yourself too. It is always a good idea to read through a recipe fully before doubling it just to check this. If you would like to scale this recipe or convert for another pan size, use my calculator!
Tools and equipment
For a list of my go-to tools and equipment, I have a post you can refer to here.
Why is this recipe in grams?
I post my recipes in grams as it is the most accurate way to bake. Cups are not only inaccurate but they vary in volume worldwide. There is no way for me to provide one cup measure that works for everyone. However, posting in weight fixes this issue. If you would like the recipe in cups you are welcome to convert it yourself via google, but please do not ask me to do it for you as I am not comfortable providing a recipe using a method that I have not tested. Baking with a scale is easy, accurate, and also makes cleanup super simple. Here is the scale that I use if you would like a recommendation! Here's to accurate baking!
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Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Yield: Makes one 6 inch cake (serves 6) 1x
Description
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 225g (half a pound) good quality dark chocolate, chopped
- 55g (½ a stick, or a ¼ cup) unsalted butter
- 4 eggs, separated.
- ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp (55g plus 15g) sugar
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream, softly whipped, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Butter a 6 inch cake tin. Separate eggs, placing the yolks in a medium bowl, and the whites either in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in another medium bowl.
- Set up a double boiler - place a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, ensuring that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Melt the chocolate and butter in the double boiler, stirring until melted and shiny. Remove from the heat.
- Place the yolks and ¼ cup of the sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk well by hand until fluffy. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the yolks, and whisk well to incorporate.
- Whip the egg whites until foamy. Add remaining sugar, and continue to whip until soft peaks form. Carefully fold the egg whites into the chocolate and yolk mixture, taking care not to deflate the mixture too much. Fold until well combined.
- Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set around the edges and still slightly soft in the middle.
- Cool for 20 minutes in the tin then carefully turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- Dust with icing sugar and serve with soft whipped cream.
Notes
Adapted from Mast Brothers
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