 |  |  |
 |  cake board bottom |  parchment paper bottom |  whisk butter & chocolate |  whisk in eggs |
 switch to wooden spoon |  ready to bake |  hot from oven |  after 10 minutes rest |  after 15 minutes rest |
 on serving plate |  heavy cream & chocolate for ganache |  mix together chocolate & cream |  refrigerate extra ganache |  ganache swirled on top |
My daughter and son-in-law try to eat healthy and gluten-free (they do triathlons), but my son-in-law has a real sweet tooth, so I thought this dark chocolate flourless cake would be perfect for his birthday! It was really quite easy to make ~ very dense and rich in flavor ~ almost like THICK FUDGE.
It can be made in an 8" or 9" spring-form pan. I couldn't find the bottom to my 8" spring-form pan, so I put an 8" cakeboard in to use as the bottom, and double-layered heavy duty aluminum foil on the bottom (and set it on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven). But there were no leaks at all, and the cakeboard worked perfectly! In fact, it was extra perfect because I just put it onto a larger disposable plastic plate when I brought it over to my daughter's house and she didn't have anything to return to me.
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE with CHOCOLATE GANACHE
9 oz. good-quality dark chocolate (65% or higher), finely chopped or melting wafers
9 oz. unsalted butter (18 TB)……….............1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
7 large eggs (room temperature)….................1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. pure almond extract
CHOCOLATE Ganache
1-1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream
***
Preheat oven to 375. Spray an 8" or 9” spring-form pan with non-stick baking spray; line with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
Melt chocolate and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl, until the chocolate is almost completely melted (about 1-1/2 min.). Remove from heat and whisk until smooth and totally melted. Stir in the sugar, then let cool for a few minutes.
Whisk in eggs, one at a time, and continue to whisk/stir until batter becomes thick and glossy (I started with a whisk, but it became too thick after about 3 eggs, so switched to a wooden spoon). Stir in extracts.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes, until torte jiggles slightly in middle but not completely set. Begin checking at 20 minutes to be sure it doesn’t over-bake. (NOTE: 8" pan will take LONGER to bake, since it's thicker) ** It may have a crack (mine was a pretty deep crack) but still jiggles a little ~ don't worry, the crack will collapse in on itself when it cools. ** Let it cool in pan for 10 minutes, then unmold. (TIP: Run a knife around the inside edge of pan before unmolding.) If it seems as though it's going to totally crack apart when you take the sides off, put the sides back on and let it cool another 5-10 minutes. ** When the cake is completely cool, pour/spread the cooled ganache over it.
Ganache:
Melt chocolate together with heavy whipping cream in a microwave-proof dish for 1 minute in microwave. Stir/whisk. until chocolate ganache is smooth. Set aside and let ganache come to room temperature, and thicken to desired consistency for pouring on top of cake. (You don't want it to pour over the sides, which it will do if it is too thin.) ** I only used about half of the ganache. You can keep any unused ganache in a tightly covered glass bowl in the refrigerator; reheat in the microwave about 1 minute, then stir to melt all the chocolate and use again for other baked goods.
This should serve 12-18 people because you cut VERY SMALL WEDGES ~ it tastes like THICK CHOCOLATE FUDGE (especially if you refrigerate it before serving)
TIP: This recipe can be made in advance, cooled completely, and stored in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 days. To store longer, let cool completely, press a sheet of plastic on top of the torte, and place in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
It can be made in an 8" or 9" spring-form pan. I couldn't find the bottom to my 8" spring-form pan, so I put an 8" cakeboard in to use as the bottom, and double-layered heavy duty aluminum foil on the bottom (and set it on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven). But there were no leaks at all, and the cakeboard worked perfectly! In fact, it was extra perfect because I just put it onto a larger disposable plastic plate when I brought it over to my daughter's house and she didn't have anything to return to me.
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE with CHOCOLATE GANACHE
9 oz. good-quality dark chocolate (65% or higher), finely chopped or melting wafers
9 oz. unsalted butter (18 TB)……….............1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
7 large eggs (room temperature)….................1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. pure almond extract
CHOCOLATE Ganache
1-1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream
***
Preheat oven to 375. Spray an 8" or 9” spring-form pan with non-stick baking spray; line with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
Melt chocolate and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl, until the chocolate is almost completely melted (about 1-1/2 min.). Remove from heat and whisk until smooth and totally melted. Stir in the sugar, then let cool for a few minutes.
Whisk in eggs, one at a time, and continue to whisk/stir until batter becomes thick and glossy (I started with a whisk, but it became too thick after about 3 eggs, so switched to a wooden spoon). Stir in extracts.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes, until torte jiggles slightly in middle but not completely set. Begin checking at 20 minutes to be sure it doesn’t over-bake. (NOTE: 8" pan will take LONGER to bake, since it's thicker) ** It may have a crack (mine was a pretty deep crack) but still jiggles a little ~ don't worry, the crack will collapse in on itself when it cools. ** Let it cool in pan for 10 minutes, then unmold. (TIP: Run a knife around the inside edge of pan before unmolding.) If it seems as though it's going to totally crack apart when you take the sides off, put the sides back on and let it cool another 5-10 minutes. ** When the cake is completely cool, pour/spread the cooled ganache over it.
Ganache:
Melt chocolate together with heavy whipping cream in a microwave-proof dish for 1 minute in microwave. Stir/whisk. until chocolate ganache is smooth. Set aside and let ganache come to room temperature, and thicken to desired consistency for pouring on top of cake. (You don't want it to pour over the sides, which it will do if it is too thin.) ** I only used about half of the ganache. You can keep any unused ganache in a tightly covered glass bowl in the refrigerator; reheat in the microwave about 1 minute, then stir to melt all the chocolate and use again for other baked goods.
This should serve 12-18 people because you cut VERY SMALL WEDGES ~ it tastes like THICK CHOCOLATE FUDGE (especially if you refrigerate it before serving)
TIP: This recipe can be made in advance, cooled completely, and stored in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 days. To store longer, let cool completely, press a sheet of plastic on top of the torte, and place in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
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