Recipe: Flourless Chocolate Cake
It's already winter here in Germany and I am not as mad about it as I thought I would be. Thankfully the sun has been out every day, which has allowed my long runs to not feel so brutal and dreamy natural light to fill our home. Is any one else a sucker for natural light in a home? I think that's my biggest request when it comes to living and working spaces. It can make some of the dullest of places so magical *insert sparkling stars emoji*.
Not sure if it's the sunshine or what, but I have been quite creative in the kitchen this week. Or maybe I have just been super cold, so anything that involves turning the oven on has me motivated (have you ever just stood by your oven after baking something on a cold day, if not, you should try it). Either way, I am so excited to share with you this Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe! Oh, and did I mention that it's Gluten Free? That makes it healthy.. right, right?
I am going to admit this.. if you live near an Earth Fare, don't go on reading this. Simply drive to the closest Earth Fare and purchase their flourless chocolate cake. I so badly wish I could tell you mine is better, but I just can't seem to put my finger on what Earth Fare does to theirs. I would say it's loaded with MSGs or some crazy addictive additive, but nope. I checked. However, if you like to bake and want to whip up somethings super delicious that makes your house smell heavenly, than keep reading!
Germany is filled with delicious breads, cakes, pastries, and fattening foods that I need to stop eating. But they do not have flourless chocolate cake. Okay, I haven't searched the whole country for it, so I am sure there is some cute, little bakery that sells it. Until I find that cute, little bakery, this recipe does the trick. It is perfectly dense, rich, and absolutely delicious! Don't be intimidated by the long list of steps and ingredients, it's well worth it.
Hope you enjoy...
Flourless chocolate cake
Prep: 40 min cook: 32-36 min
Ingredients
150 grams of butter softened (11 tablespoons)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus a little extra for dusting
11 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (I used Lindt 70% -- needed 3, 100 gram packages)
5 large eggs, separated
1 egg yolk
dash of salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup white sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and position a rack in the center of the oven.
Spread 1 tablespoon of butter throughout your pan until fully covered, then sprinkle cocoa powder until covered.
Melt the chocolate: Place the remaining butter and the chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave. This took me about 6, 20 second intervals. Mixing the chocolate after each 20 seconds. Do not over cook chocolate -- it will come out chalky!
Whisk the egg yolks into the cooled chocolate mixture. Sift in cocoa powder and salt. Add the vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
Beat the egg whites: In a clean mixing bowl beat the egg whites at medium speed for 30 seconds (until they begin to foam). Next, add the cream of tartar and beat for an additional 60 to 90 seconds (until you begin sto see peaks of foam). With the hand mixer still at medium speed, gradually add the sugar and beat until you've stiff peaks that stand by themselves (this took me about 3 minutes). Once your egg whites are fluffy and have those stiff peaks standing by themselves.
Fold the whites into the batter very gently. This does not need to be completely incorporated, just fold together until you do not have thick white strips. Be very careful to not over mix!
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a silicone spatula. Bake for 32 to 36 minutes, until the cake has risen and the cake does not jiggle when you move it. Cool completely on a wire rack for at least 1 hour.
Enjoy!