Flourless Chocolate Cake (Gluten Free)

Flourless Chocolate Cake (Gluten Free)

Being born to a Swiss-German father, it was inevitable that I would grow up to be a chocolate fanatic.  This heavenly chocolate cake, made with only 5 everyday pantry ingredients, not only satisfies the palate, but also soothes the soul! And better yet, you can enjoy it with your gluten-free loving buddies!  

 

Growing up, most of my friends’ parents drank coffee to start their mornings.  My father would have his daily cold chocolate milk (Hong Kong is hot and humid for around 8-9 months of the year).  Whenever we’d go to restaurants, my father would skip right to the dessert menu to see what tantalizing chocolate desserts he would order at the end of the meal.  Often it would be a chocolate souffle, which he’d douse in chocolate sauce.  Even at home, EVERY night, he’d religiously finish off his meal with a chocolate bar.  

 

All this to say that his influence over me still is ever so powerful - chocolate practically runs through my veins!  So, whether I choose an ice cream or a dessert, anything containing CHOCOLATE is ALWAYS my first priority!  Ask me what kind of birthday cake I want – CHOCOLATE! Morning Pastry? Pain au CHOCOLAT! Cookies? Double CHOCOLATE CHIP! I think you get the idea…  

 

It’s no surprise therefore why famous Swedish botanist – Carolus Linneus (I’m sure Helena is grinning with much pride as she reads this) gave the Cacao tree its scientific name “Theobroma Cacao” – which literally translates from Greek into “Theos” meaning God and “Broma” meaning food, or simply put, “God’s Food”.

 

So, what is the relation between Switzerland and chocolate?  It’s obviously not because it was originally produced there. That, we have the Mayans and the Aztecs to thank for!  However, Swiss inventor Daniel Peter was the first to incorporate condensed milk into cocoa to produce the first milk chocolate bar in 1875.  Following this invention, Switzerland became the main hub of Milk Chocolate production and Rodolphe Lindt began exporting this heavenly creation internationally.

 

And finally, with Caroline being half-Dutch, I thought it was equally important to include information about the creation of cacao powder, considering its frequent usage in chocolate baked goods!  It was created by a Dutch chemist by the name of Coenraad Johannes van Houten, who developed a way to extract the fat from roasted cacao beans, resulting in the concentrated cacao powder.  He then went on to create his world-renowned chocolate company – Van Houten.

 

Bless all the amazing souls who brought CHOCOLATE to us around the world! Now let’s make this irresistible cake!

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

200 gms dark chocolate (I used 52% dark chocolate)

150 gms unsalted butter (cut into cubes)

4 eggs (at room temperature and separated: yolks in one bowl and whites in another bowl)

100 gms almond flour

130 gms white caster sugar

 

METHOD: 

 

1)    Preheat your oven at 170C and prepare a 20 cm springform pan, lined with parchment paper, both on the bottom and the sides. 

 

2)    Place the chocolate, broken into smaller pieces, in a microwave proof bowl together with the butter. At around 500W, microwave the chocolate / butter at 30 second intervals, 2-3 times, or until fully melted.  Whisk in between intervals.  Be careful not to burn the chocolate.  Alternatively, melt the chocolate with butter in a bain-marie over medium-low heat, until evenly mixed. Remove from heat and allow to cool while moving onto the next step. 

3)    Beat the egg yolks with the caster sugar until the mixture becomes pale yellow in color, and slightly fluffy.

 

4)    Incorporate the cooled melted chocolate/butter mixture into the beaten egg yolks and mix well.

5)    Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and set aside.

6)    Add the almond flour to the egg yolk / chocolate mixture, stirring until well incorporated. 

7)    Finally, using a rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter, being careful not to stir too aggressively.  The fluffy egg whites are the rising agent of the cake, and therefore should not be broken down entirely. 

 

8)    Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for around 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Enjoy either warm or cooled completely, accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or berries.  If cooled completely, sprinkle with a layer of powdered sugar for a more refined effect.

If you LOVE CHOCOLATE as much as I do, get your baking gear out and start baking!  We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Gastronomically yours,

 

Pia