Try this Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe.
- Carbohydrate 8.50834135949851 g
- Cholesterol 32.3675000258085 mg
- Fat 11.9219039680698 g
- Fiber 0.000276041666666667 g
- Protein 1.64134531260203 g
- Saturated Fat 7.54600371449954 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (74g)
- Sodium 50.0930833349042 mg
- Sugar 8.50806531783184 g
- Trans Fat 0.826949334014918 g
- Calories 145 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease one 10 inch round cake pan and set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the water, salt and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside.
- Either in the top half of a double boiler or in a microwave oven melt the bittersweet chocolate. Pour the chocolate into the bowl of an electric mixer.
- Cut the butter into pieces and beat the butter into the chocolate, 1 piece at a time. Beat in the hot sugar-water. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Have a pan larger than the cake pan ready, put the cake pan in the larger pan and fill the pan with boiling water halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
- Bake cake in the water bath at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 45 minutes. The center will still look wet. Chill cake overnight in the pan. To unmold, dip the bottom of the cake pan in hot water for 10 seconds and invert onto a serving plate.
Why does the center still look wet after the timer goes off? That specific visual cue causes panic for bakers encountering a flourless chocolate cake for the first time, but residual heat finishes the set during the overnight chill. Relying entirely on chocolate and eggs for structure means understanding how fats and proteins interact under gentle thermal conditions. Butter must be incorporated gradually into the melted bittersweet squares so the emulsion does not break, yielding a dense yet silky slice.
The Science of Structure Without Gluten
Wheat flour provides structural scaffolding in traditional baking, leaving zero-gluten desserts dependent on whipped or incorporated eggs for lift and set. Incorporating eggs one at a time prevents the warm chocolate base from scrambling the proteins prematurely. Maintaining a low oven temperature of 300 degrees F ensures the custard-like center cooks evenly without developing a spongy or rubbery texture at the outer edges. Water baths insulate the delicate batter from direct dry heat, preventing the edges from overcooking before the middle thickens.
Adapting Ingredients Efficiently
Bittersweet chocolate dominates the grocery bill for this style of dessert, making quality-to-cost ratios essential when shopping. Semi-sweet chocolate functions as a direct substitute if sweeter profiles are preferred, though reducing the added white sugar by two tablespoons prevents the final slice from becoming cloying. Dairy-free spreads rarely mimic the high fat-to-solid ratio of unsalted butter necessary for a firm chill, making plant-based substitutions a risk for structural integrity. Dietary restrictions are easily managed here since the formulation naturally excludes grains, making it naturally gluten-free and vegetarian without specialized specialty purchases.
