Flourless Chocolate Cake

This is quite possibly my favorite dessert. That’s not to say that there aren’t other desserts out there equally as yummy. But this one is sumptuous, yet simple with only a few ingredients to its name. Fine quality chocolate and egg whites are the stars of this recipe. While it’s gluten-free because of its lack of wheat-based flour, that aspect is almost irrelevant because its texture is so dense and chocolatey. 

There are a number of theories as to the cake’s origin. Most of them revolve around a mistake in leaving out the flour. Some say it originated in Italy, others France. Still others refer to its “Chocolate Decadence” days from a California restaurant in the 1980s. A New York Times article in 2011 focused more on the flavor than the history and broke it down this way: “It is a wonderful showcase for good chocolate…[and it compares] to cheesecake, where the chocolate takes place of the cheese.” 

One of the best recipes I have found for this cake appeared in Bon Appetit in 1999. I have made it a number of times since then. Now, this recipe not only calls for a ganache glaze—which for supreme chocolate lovers is just about enough chocolate in each mouthful—as well as gold leafing (can anyone say overkill?). While the ganache makes this cake truly decadent, I find it’s an easy addition to skip. Very often, this cake is topped with just a dusting of powdered sugar, which frankly I prefer. The simpler, the better. Feel free to add a little fruit—a few raspberries, a decorative strawberry, or even roasted, caramelized blood orange slices and call it a day. 

Here’s the recipe for both cake and ganache:

For cake:

12 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 sticks of butter (3/4 c.) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

6 large eggs, separated

12 TB sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

For glaze:

1/2 c. whipping cream

1/2 c. dark corn syrup

9 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chocolate shavings or gold leaf (seriously optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9-inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper and butter paper. Wrap outside of pan with foil.

Stir butter and chocolate chips in saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and cool.

Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 6 TB of sugar in a large bowl until mixture is very thick and a pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Fold lukewarm chocolate into yolks and then fold in vanilla. Clean beaters and whip egg whites in a separate bowl forming soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 6 TB of sugar to the whites, further beating until stiff peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate and yolk mixture, then pouring batter into the prepared pan.

Bake cake until top is puffed and cracked and a cake tester comes out clean, approximately 50 min. Cool cake on rack. Gently press down crusty top once it falls to make an evenly thick cake. Loosen from pan and remove sides. Invert and peel off parchment.

In a saucepan, bring cream and corn syrup to a simmer. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Place cake on a rack over a baking sheet. Spread the glaze smoothly over the top and side and then freeze for 3 min to set. Pour remaining glaze over cake smoothing it out and chill for 1 hour in refrigerator until firm, 1 hour. Garnish optional. Serve at room temperature.