FLAWLESS (+ EASY!) FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
In early December, I start cataloguing all the gorgeous things I will bake—our annual Yule Log and epic gingerbread projects, three-tiered Christmas cakes with wrinkly chocolate bark up the sides—bookmarking recipes and instagram posts in files labeled CHRISTMAS BAKES that dates back a decade deep.
My sister and I send these things back and forth to each other with notes like “this one?” or “sooo pretty—let’s try this!” And then, as the days get closer: “if we had to choose just one thing, would this one be it?”
By the time we actually all arrive home to my parents’ house, just days before Christmas, the agenda is big (hiking! ice skating! sledding! movies!) and the days short, not to mention that there are presents to wrap, plus 18 mouths to feed three times a day (my parents, siblings, spouses and all the cousins). In short, sometimes ambitious baking projects don’t make the cut.
But this cake? This cake always makes the cut. It’s easy, fool-proof, delicious and easy to dress up with whipped cream and candied cranberries, or crushed candy canes or beautiful satsumas with tender green leaves. Let your imagine run wild.
If you’re a fudgy brownie person, but crave a little more elegance, this is for you. It’s deeply rich with cocoa and easy as pie—or, really, much easier. It’s not finicky in the way some flourless chocolate cake can be, and you can mask any mistakes (though there’s not much to go wrong here) with a dusting of fine cocoa powder or powdered sugar. This cake has served me and my loved ones very well, and I hope it serves yours, too.
RECIPE BELOW
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE!
Reprinted from Every Day Is Saturday with permission by Chronicle Books, 2019
1 cup (2 sticks/225 g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for the pan
¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
7 oz (200 g) 70% to 78% bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 large eggs
1 cup (200 g) sugar
½ cup (40 g) Dutch-processed (or alkalized) cocoa powder, plus more for the pan and garnish
¼ tsp fine sea salt
Lightly sweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche, for serving
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter the bottom and sides of an 8- or 9-inch (20- or 23-cm) springform pan and dust it with cocoa powder. Tap out any excess.
Heat the butter and cream in a medium saucepan over low heat. When the butter is melted, add the chopped chocolate and stir frequently until melted and smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt until even and a bit frothy, whisking for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth and even.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until the cake is puffed and just set through, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool for about 40 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and unmold the sides of the springform pan, then transfer the bottom of the pan to a plate or platter (don’t try to remove the whole cake from the springform; it may crumble). Sift cocoa powder over the cake before serving. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream or creme fraiche.
PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR AND 20 MINUTES (includes cooling)
SERVES 8 TO 10
GET AHEAD
This cake keeps, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, and freezes fine. You’ll lose the distinction of the crackly top layer against the fudgier insides, but it will still be delicious. Bring fully to room temperature before dusting with cocoa or confectioners’ sugar and serving with whipped cream or crème fraîche. The whipped cream can be made up to 1 day in advance.
images belong to Sarah Copeland, and should not be pinned or posted without attribution. **
Photos // GENTL + HYERS
Food + Prop Styling // SARAH COPELAND