Discovering flourless cake.

I took a step into the unknown yesterday with my first attempt at a flourless cake. 

I’ve already mentioned it was my partners birthday a couple of days ago and she rounded off a weekend of celebrations when she had friends over for lunch in our garden. The meal was arranged at very short notice, the cake I’d made on her birthday long gone, so I had to look at options needing minimal preparation time. Partly because they were arriving quite early, but also due to the fact the weather is so hot at the moment I’m trying to spend as little time as possible in a hot kitchen. It’s not often you’ll hear me say that.

I’d seen a recipe for a flourless cake a few weeks back and been intrigued by the concept, when I checked it again yesterday it ticked all the boxes I was looking for and I’m here to tell you it was one of the most indulgent things I’ve ever baked. If I were to describe it as a cross between a chocolate brownie and a chocolate fondant you’ll hopefully get the picture. A cake that was crisp and firm on the outside, getting progressively gooier and fudge-like the further you ate into it.

 A cake so soft possibly wasn’t the cleverest thing to serve al-fresco on one of the hottest days of the year, I had to quickly return the part not being eaten to the fridge, but otherwise, it was a great success.

If my description tempts anyone to have a go at making this cake I would seriously recommend serving with a scoop of good vanilla ice-cream. I always find if you have a very rich dessert the ice-cream somehow takes the edge off. That’s my excuse anyway.

I made quite a small cake but this is an easily scalable recipe if you did want to increase it.

Ingredients

• 125g butter
• 125g dark chocolate – chopped
• 1tsp coffee – ideally espresso strength, but use whatever you have
• 3 eggs – yolk & whites separated
• 30g cocoa powder

Method

• Preheat the oven to gas mark 4. Grease and line a springform tin. The one I used was 16cm.
• Put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof glass bowl over a pan of simmering water. Once it is nearly all melted, stir the mixture until smooth and then set aside to cool.
• Mix the coffee with 25ml of oblige water and set aside.
• Put the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl and mix with an electric beater until pale and thick. Then stir in the chocolate mixture, coffee and cocoa powder.
• In another bowl whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Then gently fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
• Pour int the lined tin and bake for approximately 25 minutes. When you take the cake out it should be risen but still wobble slightly when you move the tin. Leave to cool in the tin.

As the cake cools it will sink in the middle. Don’t worry, it’s supposed to do this. Look at it as bakings way of providing you with a perfect dip to fill with a cream and creme fraiche mixture topped off with whatever fruit you have available. In my case, it was strawberries, raspberries and cherries.