Chocolat: My Favorite Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe

I've read about chocolate cakes before that claim to be "better than sex." And I've thought, "Seriously? Apples and Oranges, people." But I think I found a chocolate cake that would easily fit the category because it's better than just about anything. Apples, oranges - you name it. Winner, hands down.

This cake is super easy to prepare and no matter how you slice it (no pun intended) turns out looking like it was professionally made. It's thick, fudgy and decadent - and guess what? It's magic cake with NO CALORIES.

I knew I needed a dessert for Mom's birthday that would surpass the usual TCBY cake that we decimate every year, not moments after the candles are extinguished. The first challenge was the fact that it needed to be a cake that would travel well on a 2 hour train and then keep throughout a day of errands in the backseat of Mom's car. The second challenge, well, does my general indecisiveness count as a challenge?

David Lebovitz calls it Chocolate Idiot Cake - assumingly because it's "only an idiot could ruin it." I have a sneaking suspicion though that David is implying that if you don't try this cake, you're simply put, well, an idiot.

Flourless Chocolate Cake aka Chocolate Idiot Cake

10 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
7 ounces butter, salted or unsalted, cut into pieces
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (175 C).

2. Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan and dust it with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess. If you suspect your springform pan isn't 100% water-tight, wrap the outside with aluminum foil, making sure it goes all the way up to the outer rim.

3. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler (or microwave), stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, then whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and cover the top of the pan snugly with a sheet of foil. Put the springform pan into a larger baking pan, such as a roasting pan, and add enough hot water to the baking pan to come about halfway up to the outside of the cake pan.

6. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (*or longer, mine baked almost 1 hour and 45 minutes). You'll know the cake is done when it feels just set, like quivering chocolate pudding. If you gently touch the center, your finger should come away clean.

7. Lift the cake pan from the water bath and remove the foil. Let cake cool completely on a cooling rack.

Serve thin wedges of this very rich cake chilled or at room temperature, with creme anglaise, ice cream, or whipped cream.

 

My favorite part of making this cake was chopping the semi-sweet chocolate. I bought two big Ghiardelli baking bars and used a big bread knife to chop on a cutting board. I made a fantastic mess (as I usually do when I cook). Though there are times that certainly call for a box of Betty Crocker super-fudgey brownie mix, there are also instances where I prefer to make the whole recipe, start to finish, without taking short-cuts such as using pre-chopped chocolate chunks or baking bits.

What's your favorite part of baking? Do you take typical "short cuts" when you're baking something from scratch?

Comments

[Pearl]

my brother is trying to stay away from any flour-y, and therefore, would love this cake!
thanks so much for sharing :)

[Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)]

I hope when you gave it to your mom that you didn't tell her it was Chocolate Idiot Cake! I'm sure she loved it, and it's nice to know that the cake survived the train and car trips.

[soulchocolate]

I like it when you say that only an idiot could ruin it as it is so aptly termed the Chocolate Idiot cake. This looks deliciously chocolat-y and definitely something I would love. Coincidentally I just made a batch of failproof chocolate muffins from Betty Crocker's muffin mix last night because it was late in the evening and I was lazy to work with butter, sugar, flour....and guess what? I actually like the taste of store-bought mixes. A handy lifesaver I would call it, for midnight cravings!

[jessica]

Thanks for stopping by! I must make this cake for our Christmas party this upcoming weekend!

[Jamie]

Your blog makes me so hungry hahah

I might attempt this for my boyfriend's birthday. He is a chocolate cake fiend but I'm kind of a wreck in the kitchen.

We'll see...

[Home with Mandy]

Perfect timing! I am craving something super chocolate and rich, this fits the bill perfectly!

[gazellesoncrack]

I am the messiest cook - but I love it so much. I hardly ever take shortcuts.

[Ricki]

Years ago, I came across a recipe much like this one called "Bete Noir" that was, indeed, one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted. Alas, but that your joke about it being non-caloric were true!

[Sara]

This looks amazingly good, I love anything that contains chocolate!

[Heidi Renée]

This may be my next "can I veganize it?" project.

I love the way baking makes the apartment smell!

Oh, and licking the bowl. I have never met a batter or a dough that I didn't like to eat raw.

[Adam]

Hahaha no calories! Well that's another reason to try it ;)

Looks very rich and fudgy, so you'd have to be an idiot to turn it down, I bet :)

[Cora]

With everything I've had to eat over the past four days, I cannot believe how much I would love to dig into this cake!

[Jude]

Yeah whoever said that must have had it really bad.. Sorry.

As for your question, I tend to go the traditional rube goldberg route, mainly to learn something new :)

[Aggie]

Oh and...about baking, baking stresses me out - all the measuring and preciseness! I will take any shortcut I can!

[Sandie]

I've tried Paula Deen's Better Than Sex Cake before---like comparing apples and oranges maybe---but I'm here to say, that was one delicious cake. This one looks delish too, and I bet your mother loved it!

[KC]

OMFG. This looks amazing. I must make this. Do you find that making all of this food is expensive? I know the cake is for your mama, but other than that? :-)

[Aggie]

I'd love a bite of that magic cake...oh man! That looks unbelievably delicious!

[Andrea]

Better than fruit, sex, and with no calories? ;-) It looks delicious, that's for sure. Also, I just realized that your spaghetti rolls on your title look like flowers!

[susan]

I could go for that right now

[jesswritescom]

Your blog makes my mouth water.

[stylishhandwriting]

Oh my goodness. I'm definitely making this cake because it looks and sounds so incredible. Yum!

[casalba]

I'm not too good at baking - probably because I don't often measure ingredients and prefer a gas/wood oven (in which the temperatures are also a bit "guessy").

I'm a good enough cook, though, to realise that this is a great recipe and that I'd be daft not to give it a try.