Almost Flourless French Chocolate Cake Recipes

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan (preferably light metal); dust with cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Combine the butter and chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water); stir until melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and let cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, beat the eggs, granulated sugar and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until thickened and very airy, 4 to 6 minutes. Beat in the orange liqueur and vanilla. Gently fold in the melted chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula in three additions until just combined (do not overmix).
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the edges are set and the center puffs but is slightly jiggly, 30 to 40 minutes. (The cake will continue to set as it cools.) Transfer to a rack and let cool completely (the center may sink a bit). Remove the springform ring. Dust the cake with cocoa powder and confectioners' sugar just before serving.

SINFULLY RICH ALMOST FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Melt together the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over very low heat, stirring to mix.
• Remove from heat when almost melted (do not scorch).
• Preheat your oven to 300F.
• Fill a 9x13-inch roasting pan or casserole halfway with water and place it on the center shelf of the oven.
• Lightly grease the sides and bottom of a 9x5-inch loaf pan, and dust with 1 teaspoon of flour; and cut out a square of waxed paper to fit the bottom of the pan; place paper in the bottom of pan and set aside.
• Place sugar, eggs and remaining 1 teaspoon of flour into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high for about 2 minutes.
• Pour in the chocolate, and beat another 15-30 seconds, until it is mixed well.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and set the loaf pan in the center of the casserole dish half-filled with water (in the oven).
• Bake for approximately 75 minutes or until a light crust forms and a toothpick can be removed clean.
• Cool the cake in the loaf pan on a wire rack for approximately 30 minutes, or until it cools down to room temp.
• Cover pan and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or until set.
• Serve garnished with powdered sugar or fresh raspberries and store unused portions in the refrigerator.

ALMOST FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Line a 9-inch round spring-form pan with parchment paper.
• In a double boiler, whisking frequently, melt the chocolate with the butter. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly then transfer to an electric mixer fitted with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat at the high speed for 10 minutes. Add the vanilla.
• Combine the sugar and flour and gently fold this mixture into the whipped chocolate base.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is firm, but the center still moist, about 15 minutes.
• Cool cake then invert onto a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve topped with sweetened whipped cream or in a pool of crème anglaise.

ALMOST FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325ºF. Butter and flour a 10-inch-diameter springform pan.
• Put the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler so it's over, not in or even touching, the water. While the water simmers gently below, stir the chocolate and butter together until it's all melted and smooth. The reasons not to microwave this mixture or melt it more directly [just flat out dumped in a pot and heated over a flame, for instance] are numerous, but chiefest of them is that you will overheat the mix, which is a very bad thing when you get to the next step:.
• With a big whisk, mix the eggs and refined sugar in a large bowl by hand until everything is well blended and beginning to thicken. Next, sift the flour, salt and baking powder over the egg mixture and, still using the whisk, fold and stir it all together. Now, gradually, add in the chocolate mixture-gently folding it in about 1/4 cup at a time. [This cautious process also helps control the temperature-if the chocolate is too hot, it will start cooking the eggs and ruin the whole thing.].
• Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. [At this point it is permissible to leave a little batter in the pan, so that, once the cake is in the oven, you can scrape out the bowl with a spatula, lick the spatula and exclaim, man, oh, man.] Put the cake in the oven and set a timer for 20 minutes. When the 20 minutes passes, loosely cover the cake with foil-don't tuck it down tightly, just lay the foil across the top of the pan.
• Bake the cake about 30 minutes longer. Test it, near the center. The tester should come out with a few moist crumbs-not with a glob of raw dough, but not dry either. If necessary, leave the cake in the oven a few minutes more and re-test at intervals.
• Take the cake out of the oven; put it on a rack, still in the springform pan, and remove the foil. The cake will be rather puffy and a little of it may cling to the foil-don't panic! That happens. Walk away for now. As the cake cools, it will fall and flatten out.
• When the cake is completely cool, slide a knife around the edge, then gently release and remove the pan sides.