Flourless Chocolate Cake That's Not Too Sweet

This is a story of me falling in love with something I’ve spent my whole adult life telling people I don’t like. That most cliche of fancy restaurant dessert menu features—the flourless chocolate cake.

I’ve always found flourless chocolate cakes FAR too rich and sweet…like eating fudge. No complexity, no real textural interest, just nauseating sweetness. But as I tried to figure out a dessert to make for our Night to Be Much Observed (Passover) meal this year that was also gluten-free, I decided it was my best option for a crowd, even if I didn’t love it myself.

But *this* recipe totally won me over. I used dark chocolate (around 72% cacao), went a little scant on the sugar, and added a dash of orange extract to deepen the flavors a bit. The result is a more bittersweet chocolate flavor that’s interesting not cloying, and a nice kind of crackly exterior rather than just pure fudge.

And I haven’t even told you the best part—it only takes 10-15 minutes to whip up, and then less than a half hour to bake. It’s such a low-maintenance dessert that feels so fancy, now I get why restaurants the world over insist on featuring it!

I also made this apricot almond lemon mascarpone tart…the two complemented each other nicely!

Preheat your oven to 375°F and butter an 8-inch non-stick round baking pan. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

In a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of barely-simmering water, chop or break the chocolate into small pieces and toss into the bowl. Add the butter, and melt the chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth.

Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk the sugar into chocolate mixture.

Make sure the mixture isn’t too hot (it shouldn’t be by now), then add the eggs and whisk well. Sift the cocoa powder into the mixture and whisk until just combined.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust and a skewer comes out mostly clean (a little goo is fine).

Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, invert onto a serving plate (I prefer to turn it back right side up).

Dust with powdered sugar or cocoa powder for serving, and you can add mint or fresh fruit and whipped cream as well.

The cake can be kept for up to a week in an airtight container once it’s completely cool. But if this amazing flourless chocolate cake lasts that long…you’re doing something wrong 🙂

Some of my other gluten-free favorites:

Not-Too-Sweet Flourless Chocolate Cake (gluten-free)

I used these stencils and this duster to make the pattern on top of the cake

4 ounces of fine-quality dark or bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
1 stick of unsalted butter
A scant 3/4 cup of sugar
3 large eggs
Heaping 1/4 cup of quality unsweetened cocoa powder
Optional: a splash of vanilla extract and a splash of orange extract or similar

Preheat your oven to 375°F and butter an 8-inch non-stick round baking pan. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk the sugar into chocolate mixture. Make sure the mixture isn’t too hot (it shouldn’t be by now), then add the eggs and whisk well. Sift the cocoa powder into the mixture and whisk until just combined.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust and a skewer comes out mostly clean (a little goo is fine).

Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, invert onto a serving plate (I prefer to turn it back right side up). Dust with powdered sugar or cocoa powder for serving, and you can add mint or fresh fruit and whipped cream as well. The cake can be kept for up to a week in an airtight container once it’s completely cool.

Adapted slightly from Epicurious

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