Decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake
As a pastry chef I always had a flourless chocolate cake in my repertoire, however, it contained butter and refined sugars. This adaptation of my flourless cake, using the chiffon mixing method, creates a delicious, rich and moist cake. The ganache frosting is dairy free, made with canned organic coconut milk.
No one would ever know this is a healthier alternative to a traditional bakery dessert. It's dark, rich, moist and you won't even miss the sugar and gluten. Or you never have to share that detail with your friends at all!
Yield: 8
Decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 45 Min
Ingredients
Supplies
- 6” round pans (if using 2-8” round pans, double the recipe)
- Parchment paper cut into rounds the size of the pan
- Coconut Oil to grease the pans, or avocado oil spray
- Sheet pan lined with plastic wrap
Cake Batter
- 2 cups blanched, fine almond flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, separated, place whites into a mixing bowl for a hand or stand mixer
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon pure Vanilla extract (not glycerin-based)
Ganache
- 10 ounces 72% ( or darker) dark chocolate pistoles or chunks. Use a clean chocolate that does not contain soy emulsifiers or refined sugar.
- 10 ounces organic canned coconut milk
Method
Make the Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350ºF
- Spray with avocado oil spray or grease cake pans and line with parchment paper rounds
- Sift together almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Don’t skip this step as there are always lumps in the almond flour and cocoa powder, which will not release in the batter once it's mixed.
- Combine egg yolks, maple syrup, water and vanilla, in a small bowl and whisk to incorporate.
- Whip egg whites in a stand mixer on high speed, (or with a hand mixer) to soft peaks. Do not over whip or they will be dry and the foam will collapse.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry mix, stirring to combine.
- Fold whites into mix one third at a time. You’re adding air and structure to the cake batter, so do not over mix. Just enough to incorporate.
- Divide cake mix evenly into the two pans.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, until cake springs back in the center. Allow to cool completely before decorating.
Make the Ganache
- Place chocolate into a metal or heat-proof bowl
- Heat the coconut milk in a small saucepan until almost boiling (scald)
- Pour milk over chocolate and “jiggle” bowl so the chocolate sinks down into the milk. Allow it to sit for a moment to start melting.
- Stir smooth with a rubber spatula. Do not use a whisk so you don't incorporate any air.
- Pour onto a plastic-lined sheet pan and cover with more plastic, touching the top. to prevent getting a skin. Allow to cool. It will thicken like a dark, spreadable fudge-like frosting.
- Fill cake layers with ganache, at this point you could add a thin layer of no-sugar fruit marmalade as another flavor. Coat top and sides of cake with ganache.
- Decorate as desired or just keep it simple!
