I found a recipe for this cake in Michel Montignac’s book several years ago and it became one of my favourite recipes to use whenever I crave something delicious, light and healthy. There are quite a few good things about this cake. This impressive dessert with a mousse-like texture is easy to make and has a low glycaemic index, which basically means that it won’t affect your blood sugar and figure the way most other cakes would (subject to portion control – still no miracles here, I am afraid). It’s not only flourless, it’s also made without added sugar, butter or cream. All you need is chocolate and eggs. That’s it.
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
INGREDIENTS
310g dark chocolate (70% of higher) plus
100g dark chocolate for topping (sometimes I replace it with cocoa powder or ground walnuts)
broken into pieces
10 large eggs, separated
YOU WILL ALSO NEED
20cm round spring form tin, baking paper, two very large mixing bowls and electric mixer
IMPORTANT
The secret is to have your own as hot as possible and to work quickly once your chocolate has melted. Use the best quality ingredients for a rich but not overpowering delight.
TIP
This cake can be frozen to up to a month. Slice before freezing, so you can defrost just enough for a delicious dessert.
DIRECTIONS:
- Line a 20cm (8 inch) round spring form tin with baking paper, both the bottom and the side. The collar lining the side of the tin should rise a few inches above the top of the tin. Preheat oven to 250C (gas mark 9).
- Place a large clean dry bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Put 310g chocolate in the bowl to melt, stirring often.
- Put the egg whites in a large bowl and, using a hand-held electric mixer, beat until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat.
- Transfer the bowl with the melted chocolate from the pan to a work surface. Gently stir the beaten egg yolks into the chocolate. Add a couple of tablespoons of the egg white and stir just to combine. Quickly and gently fold in the rest of the egg white until the mixture has the consistency of a soufflé or light mousse. Do not overmix.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the tin and bake in the oven for 8 minutes exactly. Remove the pan from the oven and cool for 30 minutes, then chill in the refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight. Do not take it out of the tin yet.
- To finish, take the cake out of the refrigerator and turn out onto a large plate or a piece of cling film on a flat surface. Melt the extra chocolate in the same way as in step 2. Pour a thin film of chocolate over the cake and spread evenly with a spatula. Chill in the refrigerator for 5 minutes. To serve, dip a sharp knife in hot water and use to slice the cake.
Bon Appetite!
P.S. I promise to replace a picture of chocolate with a photo of the actual cake later today.
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