Fallen Chocolate Cake
It wouldn’t be Valentines Day without a sweet treat. And who am I to pass up on a sweet treat? Over the years, I’ve made dozens of different kinds of chocolate brownies, cakes, cookies and muffins and yet my family keeps asking for more.
This year, Valentines Day falls on a Friday and to me the perfect celebration is an at-home date night. I love the coziness of staying in, sitting by the fireplace after a great meal, watching a movie while the kids lounge around with us.
And since my family is already requesting a chocolate dessert, I thought I would try my hand at a flourless chocolate cake. I experimented with a few recipes before settling on this one, loosely adapted from one of my favorite dessert websites, Broma Bakery.
This flourless chocolate cake has the texture of a gooey brownie with the perfect crackly crust on top. I love how the cake falls in the center, making it the perfect vehicle for whipped cream and berries. Made without any flour (added bonus, it’s gluten-free), this cake is decadent and full of rich chocolate flavor but still light and a little airy from the whipped egg whites folded into the batter.
You don’t need a holiday to make a cake, frankly if you ask me, you don’t need any reason at all other than it sounds good. The next time you host friends for dinner or just want a chocolaty dessert, give this recipe a try. No one has to know how simple and easy it was to make. Enjoy!
Fallen Chocolate Cake
1/2 cup salted butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
5 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Sweetened whip cream*
Strawberries and raspberries
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a glass microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and chocolate chips in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate chips are melted and smooth and the butter mixture is shiny.
While the chocolate is melting in the microwave, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Add the egg yolks to the butter and chocolate mixture, one at a time, whisking to combine after each egg yolk. Stir in the vanilla, cocoa powder and salt.
Using a handheld or stand mixer, whip the egg whites on high. While the egg whites mix, pour the granulated sugar into the bowl, combining. Continue to mix until the egg whites form stiff peaks, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Scoop the egg whites, one heaping spoonful at a time into the chocolate mixture, gently stirring with a spatula until the egg whites combine with the chocolate. Do not overmix, as soon as the egg whites incorporate, stop mixing.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes until a thin crust forms on the cake and a knife stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cook completely in the pan. Once cooled, gently lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment paper and transfer to a cake stand. The center of the cake will fall, creating a perfect shallow bowl to pile berries and homemade whipped cream.
While the cake cooks, wash and slice your strawberries and raspberries. If your berries are very tart or not quite ripe enough, you can sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over the fruit and give them a good stir.
Sweetened Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Using a handheld or stand mixer, combine the whipping cream, vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Mix on high until the whipped cream is forms peaks, about three minutes. Dollop on the cake and save extras in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to three days.