GLUTEN FREE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉ CAKE

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     The first time I made this cake it was by accident.  I received a wonderful chocolate cookbook as a gift, Luscious Chocolate Desserts by Lori Longbotham.  I meant to make a different cake from the book, but somehow started this recipe before I realized my error.  I never would have purposefully made it because it was flourless and my past experiences with flourless cakes were disappointing.  They were all very dense and fudge-like.  Well, happy mistake.  This cake is light and delightful.  It is decadently rich and amazingly delicious.  It’s like eating a wonderful chocolate bar that is soft, fluffy and smooth.   

    You must know how to fold in egg whites to make this cake.  I would recommend that you watch a YouTube video about folding in egg whites or you will have chocolate soup instead of a cake.  That said, this is a fairly easy cake to make.

     Use good quality chocolate for best results.  You really taste the chocolate in every bite, so it should be a very good tasting chocolate.

     I have had issues with the oven temperature given in the recipe.  It says to use a 300℉ oven.  Maybe it is my oven, but it comes out best if I use a 325℉ or even a 350℉ oven.  At the 300℉ temperature the center does not get done enough, in fact it is liquid.  At 325℉ the center is soft but not liquid.  At 350℉ the center is completely cooked, but soft, only the top gets a bit too crisp.  For my taste I like the more done center, but it is delicious no matter what you do to this cake. 

     Since it has no flour and no leavening it also makes an elegant Passover dessert. 

GF FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉ CAKE

Ingredients

1 lb.	Semisweet Chocolate (you can also use bittersweet or a combination of both) - chopped   Use good quality chocolate for best results.
1 cup/2 sticks	Unsalted Butter
9 large	Eggs - separated
3/4 cup + 1 Tbs.	Sugar
For dusting the baked cake:	Confectioner’s Sugar and Unsweetened Cocoa

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325℉.  Prepare a 9” springform pan by buttering it and then dusting it with cocoa.  I put a cardboard cake board on the bottom and butter and dust it to make it easy to move the cake onto a plate and/or to give the cake away without the bottom of the pan.

   

   Springform pan greased and dusted with cocoa.
   Note the bottom has a cake cardboard to make removing the cake easier.

2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water.  Stir frequently until smooth.  Remove the top pan and allow the chocolate to cool to room temperature.

   

   Melted chocolate and butter.
3. In the bowl using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and then beat in the 1 Tbs. of sugar.

   

   Egg whites beaten to soft peaks.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a separate bowl using a hand mixer, add the egg yolk and 3/4 cups of sugar.  Beat on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is very pale and thick.

   

   Egg yolks.

   
   

   

   Yolks beaten with sugar until light colored and thick.

5. With a rubber spatula fold one-third of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture.  Then fold in one-third of the beaten egg whites.  Repeat until all of the ingredients are folded in.

   

   Folding in some egg whites.  These got beaten too much and are dry and stiff.
   They still worked well, just harder to fold into the batter.

   
   

   

   Batter after everything is folded in.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the top with the spatula.

   

   Raw batter in the pan.

7. Bake for about 30 minutes.  The center should puff up and the edges should be firm.  The center will be a little jiggly.  Do not over bake.

   

   Cake after being baked.
   Note that it puffs up, even in the center.

8. Cool completely on a wire rack.
9. To serve. Run a knife around the edges of the pan.  Unlock and loosen the sides of the pan and carefully remove.
10. For a nice presentation, dust the top of the cake by sifting cocoa over it , then sifting a layer of confectioner’s sugar over the cocoa.  Repeat.  I use two different sieves to dust the top, one filled with cocoa and one filled with confectioner’s sugar.

    

    Cake in pan decorated with sifted cocoa and confectioner's sugar.
    Note that the cake has sunk in the center.
    This is to be expected.

11. Slice the cake into thin slices as the cake is very rich.

    

    Thin slice of cake.

12. You can also chill the cake overnight before serving.

    

    Top view of the cake.
    It is not Christmas, I just made it to give to someone and I used a
    tray that I did not have to get back.

GLUTEN FREE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉ CAKE Ingredients 1 lb. Semisweet Chocolate (you can also use bittersweet or a combination of both) - chopped Use good quality chocolate for best results. 1 cup/2 sticks Unsalted Butter 9 large Eggs - separated 3/4 cup + 1 Tbs. Sugar For dusting the baked cake: Confectioner’s Sugar and Unsweetened Cocoa Directions Preheat oven to 325℉. Prepare a 9” springform pan by buttering it and then dusting it with cocoa. I put a cardboard cake board on the bottom and butter and dust it to make it easy to move the cake onto a plate and/or to give the cake away without the bottom of the pan. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth. Remove the top pan and allow the chocolate to cool to room temperature. In the bowl using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and then beat in the 1 Tbs. of sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a separate bowl using a hand mixer, add the egg yolk and 3/4 cups of sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is very pale and thick. With a rubber spatula fold one-third of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Then fold in one-third of the beaten egg whites. Repeat until all of the ingredients are folded in. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Bake for about 30 minutes. The center should puff up and the edges should be firm. The center will be a little jiggly. Do not over bake. Cool completely on a wire rack. To serve. Run a knife around the edges of the pan. Unlock and loosen the sides of the pan and carefully remove. For a nice presentation, dust the top of the cake by sifting cocoa over it , then sifting a layer of confectioner’s sugar over the cocoa. Repeat. I use two different sieves to dust the top, one filled with cocoa and one filled with confectioner’s sugar. Slice the cake into thin slices as the cake is very rich. You can also chill the cake overnight before serving.