3-Ingredient Chocolate Flourless Cake

Cris Wang

This is my all-time most requested dessert to bring to any party, birthday or special event. And here’s why, this “cake” is more like a dense luxurious chocolate mousse. It’s delicate, yet rich. The best part is, because there are only 3 wholesome ingredients it fits almost every lifestyle. It’s gluten free, nut free and basically sugar free.

So, what are those 3 ingredients?

Semisweet chocolate, butter and eggs. The key to this cake is to use the highest quality ingredients. There’s nothing that can hide the taste of cheap chocolate. I use Ghirardelli chocolate chips, KerryGold unsalted butter and Cage-free organic large eggs.

This is an easy recipe, but a very delicate one. There are 3 methods that are crucial for the success of this recipe.

The first one is the “double boiler” method. This is when you have a pot of simmering water on the stove and you put a bowl on top of the pot so you can melt the chocolate and the butter. This is the preferred method to melting chocolate. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does NOT touch the water in the pot. The goal is to heat the bowl with the steam if the simmering water. Be very careful as the bowl will get really hot.

The second method is “folding”. When you are incorporating the eggs into the chocolate mixture, you want to be as gentle as possible. Do not mix it. You should “fold” the mixture together. To “fold” you will scrape the sides of the bowl and then “cut” through the middle by turning your wrist and the bowl at the same time. It sounds more complicated than really is. It should look like you are literally folding the mixture from the sides of the bowl to the middle.

The third method is a “bain marie” which is very similar to the double boiler. You will need to fill a large roasting pan (or large cake pan) with boiling water halfway up to the side of the cake pan. I just use the hot water from the double boiler for this step. The safest way to implement this method is by pulling the oven rack halfway out, then placing the roasting pan on the rack, place the cake pan filled and ready in the roasting pan, then slowly pour the hot water in the roasting pan. Do not rush this process, you do not want the water to splash in the cake.

Now that you have all the tips to succeed. Here’s the recipe.

3-Ingredient Chocolate Flourless Cake

This will be your go-to recipe for a luxurious and decadent chocolate dessert.

Author Cris Wang

Ingredients

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter cut into chunks
4 large eggs well chilled

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325F.
Prepare an 9-inch cake pan by buttering the base and the sides of the pan. Then place a parchment paper circle on the base of the pan and butter the paper as well.
On a double boiler, melt the chocolate and the butter. Stirring occasionally until melted. Remove from the heat and continue to stir until completely smooth. Set aside.
Using the whisk attachment on a mixer, beat the eggs on high for about 5 minutes or until doubled in volume. The eggs will be pale yellow and foamy.
Gently fold a third of the egg foam into the chocolate mixture. Fold until all the streaks are gone. Repeat this process 2 more times until all the batter is incorporated.
Pour the batter in the prepared pan and place it in the bain marie.
Bake for about 25 minutes. Until the edges puff up but the center still has some sheen.
Remove from the bain marie and let it cool at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (up to 4 days) before trying to plate it.
To plate it, I use a plastic knife to help me lift the parchment paper under the cake, lifting the whole cake out of the pan. You can dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder or confectioners sugar. I usually leave mine plain. Serve at room temperature.