Flourless Chocolate Cake

 

I am way late to the party, but this was actually my first time making a flourless chocolate cake.  I attempted to make a flourless chocolate waffle like the ones featured in the Great American restaurants a few years back, but that turned out to be more of a flourless chocolate omelet.

As I've mentioned before, my boss has a serious sweet tooth and, in the interest of office harmony and future raises, I try to bring him a little treat here and there.  This week he chose a flourless chocolate cake after I denied his first request for the, impossible to duplicate, flourless chocolate waffle.  I ultimately selected the following recipe at random after realizing no two cooks makes the ubiquitous dessert the same way and all of the reviews for all of the variations were entirely positive.  The preparation for this recipe is simple and quick.  The cake.. worth savoring.  Because this recipe requires that the cake be refrigerated overnight it's a perfect make-ahead dessert for events where you won't have a free oven until long after dinner is over.


You'll Need:

1 lb semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped*
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 1/2 tablespoon
1/4 cup Kahlua**
8 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Confectioners' sugar or cocoa powder, for garnish

*Some folks will tell you things like "unless you're making chocolate chip cookies don't use chocolate chips."  In my humble, five-dollar-saving opinion, chocolate chips work just fine in this recipe.
**A small "airplane" bottle of Kahlua will work just fine and save you another couple dollars.

Now You're Cookin':

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Using 1/2 tablespoon butter grease a 9-inch springform pan and cover bottom with a sheet of parchment paper.  The parchment paper is 100% necessary as this is a fudgy cake that will stick to the pan.

Cover the underside and along the sides of the pan with foil and set in a roasting pan. 

Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil.

Combine the chocolate, butter, and Kahlua in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water or in the top of a double boiler.

Melt the mixture, stirring constantly, until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes.  Set aside.

Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until frothy and almost doubled in volume, about 5 to 10 minutes. 

Fold 1/3 of egg mixture into chocolate mixture using a rubber spatula. 

Repeat this process 2 more times – until all of egg mixture has been folded into chocolate mixture.

Pour batter into prepared springform pan and place in the roasting pan. 

Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides. 

Bake until cake has risen slightly and edges are just beginning to set, about 40 to 45 minutes. 

Remove cake from roasting pan and cool on wire rack to room temperature. 

Remove foil, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Next Day:

Remove cake from refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving. 

Remove springform pan sides, invert cake onto a large plate.

Reinvert cake on another large plate or serving platter and garnish with confectioners' sugar or cocoa powder immediately before serving.