Flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Chocolate is perfect any time, any day and anywhere and what could be better than a 4 ingredient flourless chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and fresh berries? Almost nothing in my opinion!

This cake is so easy and so delicious I think it may become your favorite chocolate dessert to serve yourself or for parties.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Recipe from Cooks Illustrated 1998

Ingredients:

8 cold eggs

1 lb. dark chocolate chopped

2 sticks of butter, cut into 16 pieces

1/4 cup coffee, espresso

Ganache:

9 oz. dark chocolate chopped

1 cup heavy cream

Place chopped chocolate in bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan until bubbles form at the rim. Pour cream over chocolate, let sit a few minutes then whisk until smooth. Allow to cool a bit before pouring over cake.

Cake Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325, and place rack in the lower middle position. Bring a kettle of water to boil, set aside.  Grease pan, and line bottom with parchment paper. Take 8 inch spring-form pan and wrap bottom and sides tightly with tin foil, set inside a large roasting pan.

2. In a stand mixer, beat 8 eggs on medium-high, for approximately 5 minutes or until volume doubles. 

3. In a double boiler, melt the butter and the chocolate, once melted whisk in the coffee. 

4. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of the egg foam into the melted chocolate, fold until a few streaks of white appear. Then fold in 1/2 of the egg foam and and finally fold in last 1/2 of foam and mix until mixture is completely blended.

5. Pour chocolate mixture into the foil wrapped pan which is sitting in the roaster. Place the pan into the oven, then carefully pour the boiling water into the roaster until half way up the side of the spring-form pan. Be careful not to splash yourself or get water into the batter.

5. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a slight crust forms on the top, and the internal temperature reads 140 on an instant read thermometer.

6. Remove spring-form pan from water bath, set pan onto rack to cool to room temperature. Then cover and refrigerate overnight. 

7. 30 minutes before serving, run knife along sides of pan and then release the spring. Invert onto plate and remove parchment, then invert again onto serving platter. 

8. Pour ganache into center of the cake and let it run over the sides. Place in refrigerator to set, then garnish with berries.

You can skip the ganache and dust with powdered sugar and berries.

The cake is buttery, creamy, and chocolaty, almost like a mouse but a cake. It is rich and delicious and this one recipe will serve between 12-16 people! A small slice goes a long way. You can serve it with berries, ice cream or whipped cream, any an all options would be fabulous!

Enjoy!