~Amanda~
Anyone who knows me well (or even not so well) knows that I am a chocoholic. I live for chocolate and will eat pretty much anything chocolate – so long as it’s gluten-free of course, because I HAVE to, not because I want to – yippee! When my mother-in-law brought this Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake to my bridal shower this past summer, I thought I was in heaven. This cake is rich, dense, decadent and so so chocolate-y and it’s naturally gluten free – hello flourless – so she didn’t have to alter the recipe or use any alternative flours to make it, which is always a win.
Valentines Day is right around the corner and everyone knows chocolate is basically the mascot of Valentines Day. Buy any girl, or guy for that matter, something chocolate on Valentines Day and you’re golden. Even better, MAKE something chocolate to show how much you really care. This chocolate cake is the best thing to make because it’s so delicious and also really simple to make. To make the cake, you start with the chocolate – 70%+ bittersweet chocolate is melted in a double broiler with some butter until it’s nice and smooth (you can make your own double boiler by placing a glass bowl on top of a pot of simmering water on the stove).
You’re then going to start making your batter by beating egg yolks and sugar. Then you add in the second most important ingredient and flavor booster – espresso powder! Espresso powder is great to use in baking with chocolate because you don’t really taste it all that much (so if you’re like my sister and don’t like coffee/espresso, do not fear, you won’t taste it), but it really helps to bring out that chocolate flavor and it makes the cake super extra.
To get the perfect dense but light texture (I know that doesn’t really make sense, but that’s what it is) you are going to beat the egg whites with sugar to make a meringue that you fold into the chocolate mixture. Your batter should be smooth and thin at this point. The instructions say to bake the cake for 40-45 minutes – I did mine for 43 minutes the first time I made it and it was DRY DRY DRY, thank you Colorado altitude, lesson learned – less is more. I’d say even under 40 minutes is ideal! Once the cake is ready, you can top it with anything you heart desires (whipped cream, ice cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder) or you can just eat it all by itself and enjoy all the wonderful chocolate without anything sharing the spotlight!
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for cake pan
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% +), chopped
- 6 large eggs, separated, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- 3 tablespoons instant espresso powder
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch springform pan with a parchment round and butter the parchment.
- Place a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring until smooth.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until thick and pale (about 3 minutes). Add espresso powder and salt and beat until combined (1 minute). Add vanilla and melted-chocolate mixture; beat 1 more minute.
- In another bowl, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Increase the speed to high and gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form (about 5 minutes).
- Fold into chocolate mixture in 3 batches.
- Transfer batter to pan and bake for 40-45 minutes until set (less is more with this cake, you don’t want to overcook it or it will be dry).
- Let cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack before transferring to a serving plate.
- Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or enjoy it by itself!
