You can't have enough flourless chocolate cakes

We are over a week into the new school year - 3rd grade for my little guy! After more than ten weeks of summer vacation, we were both ready for school again (okay, maybe mom more so than child).  This was the first year that I slept easy the night before school began - no nerves or nightmares!  Maybe it was a sign because so far, so good...I have a really good feeling about the year but I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed!

To kick off the school year, we like to have a little celebration dinner and I've gotten into the habit of making a "back-to-school cake" (like this one and this one).  You don't need a reason for cake but it's certainly nice to have something to celebrate so I appreciate every opportunity.  I had intended to try the Hershey's chocolate cake as our back-to-school cake this year but since that became a birthday cake for a family gathering, I looked for another idea. Forgetting that I'm supposed to be "playing with flour", I went with something sure to please (us, anyway) - flourless chocolate cake!

I've made and enjoyed many flourless chocolate cakes; this everyday version and this far more decadent one comes straight to mind but there have been many.  Much like molten chocolate cake or brownies, I feel like you can't have enough flourless chocolate cakes so here's another recipe to try.  If, like us, you love chocolate and use the kind you like to eat to make the cake, it can be a little slice of chocolate heaven.  Add some vanilla ice cream into the picture and you have a pretty great way to cap off a celebration dinner at home.

This particular flourless chocolate cake is called "Racines Cake" because the recipe comes from a restaurant in Paris by that name.  It's a recipe I've bookmarked for a long time from one of my favorite cookbooks.  With the exception of the cocoa nib topping for this cake, there's frankly not a whole lot separating this particular flourless chocolate cake from others.  So in other words, it was predictably good!  Simple as that.  It's a moist, chocolaty, smooth cake.  I think it has just the right amount of richness to it.  To make sure you end up with a fudgy, moist interior, check on the cake early so that you pull it out while it still seems just a bit wet in the center. My little cake only needed about 16-17 minutes in the oven.

You'll notice I shrank this cake down to size to make a small-family friendly 6-inch.  It's not that we can't handle a 9-inch cake of this kind but I like to make room for other desserts!  When we were vacationing in San Francisco a few weeks ago, I got a chance to check out the adorable Miette Bakery at the Ferry Building.  Known for their small cakes, I saw they had some 6" baking pans with removable bottoms for sale.  I was very tempted to buy one on the spot (I liked them because small springform pans never seem deep enough). Long story short, I ended up ordering one online after coming home and used it for this cake.  I was worried removal might not be as easy as using a springform pan but it worked very well.  I'd definitely use it in the future to make small cheesecakes or to make smaller versions of other cakes that require a springform type pan.


This cake, being flourless, relies on eggs for lift.  Egg yolks are whisked separately with a bit of sugar, then combined with a melted dark chocolate mixture.  Egg whites are also whisked to soft peaks to be folded into the batter.  You'll need to clean your whisk attachment (and bowl) if you intend to use your stand mixer for the job.  Since I was making half a recipe, I was working with just 3 eggs and was able to easily whisk the egg yolk portion by hand with a whisk. 

Once everything is folded together gently, sprinkle cocoa nibs on top.  They are part of the recipe and give the cake a bit of a unique slant but are by no means required.  I liked the dark, smokey, chocolate-coffee crunch the cocoa nibs gave the soft cake beneath it but I also enjoy flourless chocolate cake plain and it is perfectly satisfying without it.  I would mention that if you have leftovers and wrap the cake up for the next day or two, the cocoa nibs will often.  It will blend more into the flavor of the cake and you won't get the textural contrast.

Using a baking pan with a removable bottom instead of a springform pan made dusting the pan with cocoa powder a bit tricky.  I had to use the help of a spoon to hold down the bottom so that it wouldn't fall out when I tapped out the excess cocoa.  It takes a little effort but it was absolutely do-able.

As I mentioned, baking time is really important to make sure the center of the cake is moist and fudgy as opposed to too set or dry.  It should take somewhere near 25 minutes for a 9-inch cake (baked in a springform pan or one with a removable bottom like I used since this is not a cake you want to invert) but only 16-17 minutes for my 6-inch version.  The center of the cake should still seem a tad wet and the cake should not be too firm.  Let it cool completely before turning out and digging in. Vanilla ice cream, optional!  It's totally delicious even with it.

My family and I enjoyed this cake very much.  No one said it was "too sweet"! 


Recipe:

Racines Cake (Flourless Chocolate Cake)
Adapted from Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz

- One 9-inch cake (You can divide the recipe in half to make a 6-inch cake like I did; I used a pan with a removable bottom and baked it for roughly 16-17 minutes) - 

Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting cake pan
10 ounces (280 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Pinch of salt (or use salted butter for above)
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (original recipe uses 1 tbsp freshly brewed espresso)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa nibs (optional)
Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan, dust it with cocoa powder, and tap out the excess.

In a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of just simmering water, melt the chocolate with the butter, pinch of salt, and espresso powder.  Stir occasionally until just melted.  Remove bowl from the heat and stir in vanilla.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of the sugar together on medium-speed until mixture thickens and turns light and creamy, about a minute.

In a separate or cleaned, dry bowl and using a clean, dry whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on low speed until they begin to hold their shape. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar to the whites and whip on high speed until they hold soft peaks (don't overwhip or the whites will break and it will be difficult to fold into the batter).  

Fold the beaten egg yolks into the melted chocolate, then gently fold in half the whipped egg whites.  Fold the rest of the egg whites into the batter, until just incorporated and there are no streaks in the batter. 

Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan, lightly smoothing out the top. Sprinkle with cocoa nibs, if using.  Bake until cake feels just barely set (the center will still look slightly wet), about 25 minutes.  Don't over bake (the cake should not feel too firm) to ensure a moist, fudgy interior.

Let cake cool completely on a wire rack.  Run a knife around the sides of the cake and release the sides of the springform pan.  Serve with vanilla ice (or whipped cream), if desired.  Cake can keep, wrapped at room temperature, for up to 2 days.