Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe
This cake is supposedly very easy, but it's been the bane of my baking experience. The first time I made it I wasn't reading the recipe well and put all of the sugar in at once. Well, that changed the chemistry of the ingredients and I had a delightful chocolate syrup after cooking this for the prescribed time -- so I baked it for another hour or two before getting the delicious results of this cake. The second time I baked it I put the proper ingredients in at the proper time, but I think my higher altitude got in the way, and I had a very loose chocolate goo after the prescribed baking time; another hour made it right. The third time I was prepared, so I just cooked this for an additional 15 minutes, and then let it sit in the oven, now turned off, for about another half hour and had perfection. Here's what the original recipe calls for.....
- 1/2 c water
- 1 c sugar
- 1/3 c sugar
- 8 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 c butter, at room temperature
- 5 extra large eggs, at room temperature
- confectioners' sugar
- garnish -- orange zest, mint, raspberry
Position the oven rack to the middle of the oven (except at high altitude, above 4500 feet, place the racks in the bottom third of the oven), and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch layer cake pan. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment or waxed paper cut to fit the bottom precisely. Butter the paper. Place a pan, large enough to hold your 9-inch cake pan without the sides touching each other, and fill it half-way with water.
Place the water and 1c of sugar in a 1 1/2 qt saucepan. Bring it to a rolling boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Turn off the heat, add both chocolates and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Add the butter, piece at a time, stirring until it's melted and thoroughly incorporated.
Place the eggs and the remaining 1/3c sugar into a bowl. With a whisk or electric mixer set on medium, beat until the mixture is slightly thickened -- just a few minutes. Using a rubber spatula gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until it's well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Carefully place this in the preheated water, which preheated with the oven (the water should be about half-way up the side of the cake pan).
Bake until the cake looks dry but is not firm, about 30 minutes (45 minutes at high altitude). Remove the cake pan from the oven, cover with plastic wrap. Invert the cake onto a flat plate. Peel the paper off the bottom of the cake. Place a flat plate on the top (what was the bottom of the cake) and invert the plate and cake. Remove the plastic wrap. Let cool to room temperature. Sieve confectioner's sugar, using a doily to create a lacy pattern, to decorate. Garnish with orange zest, or whatever fruit you like with chocolate.
The original easy flourless chocolate cake recipe claims this serves 8 people. It's so rich I find it typically serves 15-20 people.
It has been a great hit at a wedding buffet, birthday parties, and holiday parties.