Flourless Chocolate Cloud Cake with Orange & Cognac

This moist flourless chocolate cake is rich in chocolate, but not too sweet!  Top it off with a light cloud cream foam for a hint of sweetness.

 

Flourless Chocolate Cake

This flourless chocolate cake is the perfect cake for chocolate lovers. It’s rich, decadently filled with chocolate and always a crowd pleaser.

It’s kind of fudge-y in texture, in between a soufflé and a dense torte.

But, it’s much easier to make than a soufflé. 

There’s no flour, so it’s impossible to over mix the batter. And the lack of flour and leavening make it gluten free!

The light cream cloud foam gives it a touch of sweetness that nicely balances out all the chocolate.  I jazzed it up with some orange and cognac, but you can feel free to omit or substitute your own variation. 

Here’s how to make the most decadent flourless chocolate cake.

 

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Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe Video

 

 

How to Make Flourless Chocolate Cake

 

Melt Chocolate in a Double Broiler

Melting chocolate in a double broiler over the stove is a great, easy way to melt chocolate.

The double broiler gives you control over the heating process and the gently simmering water will slowly melt down the chocolate while preventing it from burning.

To create a double broiler, add about an inch of water to a small pot over the stove.

Start the heat on high to bring the water to a simmer. Once it’s reached a light boil, turn the heat to low and place a stainless steel bowl to sit on top of the pot.

Add in your chocolate chips and slowly stir with a rubber spatula until all the chocolate has melted and looks silky smooth, without any clumps.

 

 

 

 

Create a Meringue

You could use 6 whole eggs for this cake, but separating out the yolks and using the whites to create a meringue will make a big difference in the cake’s final texture.

Sometimes flourless cakes can be too dense.

So, to add some lightness, create a meringue by separating out 4 egg whites. 

Whipping egg whites together with sugar will create a fluffy, foam like texture by incorporating lots of air.

The process takes a while (I recommend using an electric mixer to do the job for you), but the effect is quite dramatic.

 

 

How to Easily Separate Egg Whites and Yolks

 

 

 

How Long to Whip Egg Whites for Meringue

If you’ve never made a meringue before, it can be a little tricky!

Here are my tips to making meringue:

• First, I recommend using fresh eggs because old egg whites don’t retain their airy structure once other ingredients are added. They also don’t rise as high in the oven during the baking process.
• Use room temperature eggs. Cold egg whites will be a bit constricted and won’t produce as much volume.
• Use a strong electric mixer. There’s no way I could do this by hand and even a handheld mixer would get tiring.

 

 

 

 

If it looks shiny, thick and white and gently curl down from the whisk, it’s reached the soft peak meringue stage. This is exactly what we want for airy, light cakes!

(If you continue mixing, the mixture will get even thicker and form stiff peaks. Don’t create a stiff peak meringue for this chocolate cake recipe)

 

Gently Fold Egg White into Batter

You spent lots of time whipping the egg whites to create the meringue, so the next step of adding the meringue to your cake batter is important!

The goal is to keep the meringue’s airy and light texture, without accidentally deflating it.

To do this, add the meringue in stages – a little bit at a time to the center of the bowl.

Then, gently fold the chocolate mixture over the meringue. Use a spatula instead of a whisk, to avoid breaking the meringue’s texture. You don’t want to compact the meringue! 

 

 

  

 

The addition of the meringue will create an almost soufflé-like effect. The cake will rise quickly in the oven, then deflate slightly as it cools, creates a hollow mousse-y center and a wafer like rim. 

The downside is the cake will typically crack as it falls, but you can hide it with the cream foam. It’s one of the reasons I like this dessert recipe – it’s basically fool proof!

If you don’t want the hassle of making a meringue, you can use six whole eggs.

 

 

 

Don’t Overbake

I recommend baking the cake for no more than 40 minutes. It’s ok if the center still looks wobbly – you’re better off under baking than over baking.

As the cake cools, it will become more stable. You can leave it on the counter or place it in the fridge to settle. 

I actually like this cake cold, so I prefer to eat it the next day! It’ll have a slightly fudgier texture when cold.

 

 

Chocolate Cake Variations

If you’re a purist, you can follow the basic recipe and have just a simple rich, purely chocolate cake. 

But, the fun thing about this flourless cake recipe is it’s easy to make variations!

I was in the mood for cognac, so I added some orange zest and Courvoisier to the batter, then topped it with more orange slices.

Orange and chocolate are always a solid pairing. Grand Marnier would also work well, since it has a bit of orange flavor.

Or, you can try espresso and Baileys for a coffee version.

Or fresh raspberries and Chambord raspberry liqueur! I always love the combination of raspberries and dark chocolate.. 

 

 

 

 

Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe

 

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