Flourless Chocolate Cake

Somehow this week turned into Nigella's week. I am not mad about that at all. I really enjoy her recipes, so I feel like there is nothing wrong with sharing my favourite ones.

I will leave the link to the original recipe at the end of this post.

This recipe is for a very rich and chocolatey cake. It's quite moist and dense, as it doesn't have any flour in it. I love to finish it off with mascarpone cream and lots of fresh fruits.

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Recipe is for a 23 cm round cake (cake on the picture was made from1/2 of the recipe in 18 cm round tin, as ).

Ingredients :

CAKE

250 g dark chocolate (54% or 70% cocoa solids)

125 g unsalted butter

2 large eggs (whole) + 4 eggs (separated)

75 g caster sugar + 100 g caster sugar

grated zest of 1 orange

CREAM

300 ml double cream

250 ml mascarpone

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

TOPPINGS

1 orange

hanful of sliced strawberries

handful of blueberries

1 kiwi

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Preheat the oven to 160'C (fan) and line a 23 cm round tin.

Method :

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl placed over a pot with some boiling water ("bain marie"). When it's melted, take it off the heat and add sliced butter. Mix it with a spatula until it's completely melted. Keep it on the side to cool down.

2. Place two whole eggs and 4 yolks in a mixing bowl, add 75 g of sugar and mix it with a hand mixer/whisk until it turns into a thick foam and it's pale in colour.

3. Add the melted chocolate and butter mixture, and orange zest to the eggs. Mix it in gently with a whisk or a spatula, we want it to have a fluffy texture.

4. In a second bowl, place the egg whites. Beat them on high speed until they are foamy, then gradually add 100 g of caster sugar. Keep mixing it until soft peaks, we don't want to overbeat it.

5. Add a spoon of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture, to make it lighter. Then add the remaining egg whites and fold it in with a spatula, until it's fully incorporated.

6. Pour the batter into the tin and bake it for 35-40 minutes. It should rise in the oven and crack on the top. It shouldn't be glossy on the top, when it's fully baked. Let it cool down in the tin, until it's room temperature. It will sink in the middle as it cools down. While you wait, it's a good time to prepare all of the fruit that will go on the top of the cake. Wash it, peel it (if needed) and slice all of the fruits in thin slices.

7. To prepare the cream, beat the double cream and sugar in a mixing bowl. When it slightly thickens, but it's not stiff yet, it's time to add the mascarpone. Add it 1 tbsp at a time and mix in on low speed. With the last spoon of mascarpone add the the vanilla extract.

8. Place a thick layer of the cream in the middle of the cake. Decorate the cake with a lot of fresh fruits. If you won't eat the cake straight away, I would suggest to decorate it with fruits just before serving, as they may release the juices and make the cream look less appetizing.

Enjoy!

Link to the original recipe : https://www.nigella.com/recipes/chocolate-cloud-cake