Flourless Chocolate Soufflé Cake or A Little Chocolate Never Hurts 2

This recipe is on February page of my 2013 calendar, which I made with Mixbook for Christmas and New Year’s presents. For those who are not lucky enough (hehe) to have received my calendar, I decided to post this soufflé cake here as well.

I’ve already confessed about my love to chocolate in Chocolate Mousse Tiramisu. This cake also has a relation to chocolate mousse. In fact, it is chocolate mousse that has been baked and chilled. It has the same creamy texture and very chocolaty flavor, but whereas chocolate mousse is light and airy, this soufflé cake is dense and moist.

This cake has two significant advantages over both regular chocolate cake and chocolate mousse. Unlike a regular cake, this one contains no flour, so it’s perfect for people with gluten intolerance. Unlike chocolate mousse, this cake doesn’t contain raw eggs so if you have this thing on your mind about salmonella, relax and give this cake a try.

You will need:

• 8 oz dark bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 4 oz butter, coarsely chopped
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature (easier to whip), yolks and whites separated
• 4 oz white sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup dried tart cherries
• 1 cup ruby port (can be replaced with any dessert wine to your liking)
• 4-5 Tbsp cognac or brandy
• Sugar, if needed, to taste
• ½ tsp cornstarch diluted in 1 Tbsp water (known as slurry)

At least 6 hours beforehand (better overnight), put cherries and port into a pot and bring to a simmer. Add a splash or two of water and cook on a low heat about 10 minutes or until the berries puff up almost to their original size. Add sugar, if needed, and remove from the heat. Pour in 3-4 Tbsp of cognac, transfer the sauce to a container and refrigerate until needed. Before baking the cake, scoop out and set aside about half a cup of the cherries without the liquid. Bring the sauce with the rest of the cherries to a simmer and stir in cornstarch slurry. Cook for another minute, remove from the heat and chill well before serving.

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Put butter and chocolate in a bowl and put into a microwave oven.  Heat about 20 seconds, take out and stir. Put back and heat for another 20 seconds, take out and give another stir. Repeat until the butter and chocolate are melted with no solid pieces left. Add vanilla and 1 Tbsp cognac and let cool down.

Alternatively, you can do it on the stove over a water bath made of a bowl fitted into a pot filled with water no more than halfway up.

Meanwhile, put egg yolks, sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl and whip with a mixer until fluffy and pale yellow.

Fold the egg yolks into the chocolate together with the reserved half a cup of the cherries.

Wash the mixer thoroughly to remove any trace of egg yolks. Keep in mind that any yolk residue (i.e. fat) tends to hinder the ability of egg whites to foam. Whip the egg whites just until soft peaks start turning into stiff ones.

Very gently fold the whites into the chocolate mixture. When folding, go with your spatula down and up to make vertical circular movements rather than horizontal to preserve the airiness of the egg whites.

Take 7 or 8 inch wide spring form and generously oil the bottom and the sides. Cut the circle out of a non-stick parchment paper and put it on the bottom (oil it too if it’s not a non-stick kind).

Pour the chocolate mixture into the form and put into the oven. Avoid opening the oven while the cake is cooking because it can collapse especially if you slam the oven door.

Cook for about 30-35 minutes until the cake has risen about two times and its surface in the center springs back when slightly pressed with a finger. You can do a toothpick test as well: insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and then take it out - it should come out with a couple of crumbs on it. Don’t overbake your soufflé cake or it will turn out dry.

 

Take the cake out, put on a wire rack right in the spring form and let cool down. The cake will inevitably sink, more or less, like any soufflé does because there is no flour in it and, therefore, no gluten to hold the structure. But it’s absolutely normal and the cake will still look and taste just like a real cake.

Undo the spring form and transfer the cake onto a platter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or better overnight. Serve sliced and drizzled with the cherry sauce.

It’s really addictive. I shared some with our neighbors and regretted it the next day. This cake is not for sharing. It’s the kind you would want to eat alone, in a dark room, with a blanket over your head. And pick up the crumbs with your fingers.  Even from the floor. And lick the plate afterwards. Twice. Don’t believe me? Get a blanket handy and get baking.

 

P.S. Calendar page: