flourless chocolate cake
Heaven in a succession of rich, dark, more-ish mouthfuls.
The secret is all in the eggs and the chocolate. Buy delicious, organic eggs and wonderful dairy-free dark chocolate with a high cocoa content. And this works just as well as a cake for mid-morning or afternoon tea-time – just ignore the topping part of the recipe.
preparation time 10 minutes cooking 25 to 30 minutes serves 10
contains: egg, nuts 7 tablespoons dairy-free margarine, plus extra for greasing8 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate, with at least 70 percent cocoa solids6 eggs, separated⅔ cup fruit sugartopping:5 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate, with at least 70 percent cocoa solidsscant ½ cup chestnut puree3 tablespoons fruit sugar2 tablespoons dairy-free margarine1 Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch springform cake pan with dairy-free margarine and line the bottom with a circle of nonstick baking parchment paper.
2 Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a large heatproof bowl. Rest the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water; stir from time to time until the chocolate melts. Add the margarine to the bowl and continue stirring occasionally until it completely melts and is mixed in with the chocolate; remove from the heat.
3 Put the egg whites in a mixing bowl and whisk using an electric mixer until they form stiff peaks. Add the sugar and continue whisking until they form glossy peaks.
4 Lightly beat the egg yolks in another bowl, then stir into the melted chocolate mixture until well blended. With a large metal spoon, carefully fold in the whisked egg whites until they are thoroughly mixed in.
5 Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake in the hot oven 25 to 30 minutes until risen and cooked around the side, but still slightly soft in the middle. Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake and if there is only a little of the cake batter sticking to it, the cake is ready. Take the cake out of the oven and leave to cool in the pan about 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
6 Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Melt the chocolate as above. Add the chestnut puree and sugar and stir well, then stir in the margarine until thoroughly blended. Remove from the heat, leave to cool, and serve with slices of cake.
related ingredients: fruit sugar
