The gluten free alternative discovered since first publishing this post: replace the flour by the egg yolks. (Stirr them into the chocolate mixture). Bake slowly as you would a meringue. D E L I C I O U S
PREP: 1 hour (plus some waiting time)
BAKE: up to 30 min
REST: 12 hrs min.
This recipe variation is a chance discovery… I was busy preparing several desserts for a party of friends and as a true muli-tasker I working on several recipes simultaneously having all the different ingredients on the table top. When the chocolate cake was rising in the over, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to add the egg yolks.
The yolk-free cake turned out to be delicious … and the yolks were used for vanilla ice-cream: a perfect match for any chocolate cake…
Ingredients
I’ve been experimenting for a while on balancing the ingredients to get the taste “just right”.
To reproduce the taste of the cake I make, use similar ingredients: Dark chocolate – at least 56% cacao, (preferably 70%) – milky chocolate does not give the same lovely gooey taste, use organic butter (stay away from margarine, shortening and other greasy alternatives…) and if you can lay your hands on mascobado sugar, you will find it adds a lovely hint of caramel.
| Ingredient | Cake | Topping |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate | 200g | 100g |
| Butter | 150g | 20g |
| Sugar | 100g + 100g | 50g |
| Egg whites | 4 | – |
| Flour | 60g | – |
| Soy Cream | – | 50 ml |
| water | 1 tsp (5 ml) | 50 ml |
First things first
- Preheat the oven to 160°C
- Line baking tray (I use a springform cake pan of approx 22 cm diameter and use a baking paper liner. If your cake pan has a larger diameter you need to increase baking time.
The Cake
- Slowly melt chocolate, 100g sugar and butter au bain marie. The temperature should not exceed 35°C
- Whisk egg whites with 100g sugar until stiff but not dry
- Stir a large spoonful of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Add water.
- Mix gently, fold in the remaining egg white and the sifted flour.
Baking time
- Spread the dough evenly in the prepared tin
- Bake in preheated oven for approx 30 min. Check after 20 min with a wooden skewer… When the core begins to lose its “gooeyness” you have to take the cake out of the oven
- Let the cake cool down in the cake pan for about one hour before putting on a serving tray and applying the topping
The Topping
- Melt chocolate and butter au bain marie (max 35°C) set aside
- In a casserole boil water and sugar until caramelized, add the soy cream
- Add the butter-chocolate melt
- Put cake on serving tray before applying the topping.
Don’t rush it, take your time… count at least 1 hour for preparation (plus waiting time).
For best result: allow the cake to rest in the fridge over night …
