Chocolate flourless cakes are really easy to make. I always liked them because they are dense and rich and not crumbly and cakey. This was my first time making one. As always, I hunted on the internet for a decent sounding recipe. I found this one on epicurious, read the reviews (a must with this site) and saw that it got good reviews, which is not always the case. I did tweak it a bit in response to some of the reviews and wanted a taller cake so used a smaller pan. You can do it in an 8″ round cake pan or a 6″ spring form, which is what I did but just need to bake the 6″ one slightly longer as noted in the recipce here. Bascially, the flour is replaced with cocoa powder. When greasing the pan, I went ahead and dusted it with cocoa powder too, to ensure it would come out with ease.

 

For my friend, Wan’s (aka Panda’s) birthday a few weeks ago, I made him a chocolate flourless cake with a chocolate ganache topping and stenciled a panda in powder sugar on the top. I found the graphic online. Its the World Wildlife Fund’s logo (WWF). I printed it out in a couple sizes and got out the exact-o knife. 

 

 

After having a borderline dyslexic conversation with my BF, he convinced me which parts to cut out so I would get my desired end result. I did a test run on black tissue paper. We have been calling Wan ‘Panda’ for years, thought quite derogatory, he doesn’t seem to mind. So zen of him. It all started way before the recent panda craze with Kung Fu Panda, and a band on Myspace that only sings about pandas, and panda inspired cameras by Lomography, and the list goes on. 

 

 

 

Chocolate Flourless Cake:

makes a 6″ cake for 8-10 people

 

Equipment:

6″ springform cake pan or 8″ round cake pan

wax paper

double boiler or a metal mixing bowl and a saucepan

 

exacto knife (for custom stencil)

patience for cutting out the stencil

a printer 

 

4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus additional for dusting the pan

 

Ganache:

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 oz dark chocolate (preferably valrhona)

1 tbs sugar

 

Fresh Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream

3 tbs powder sugar

2 tspn vanilla extract

 

powder sugar for decorating

 

Preparation:

 

Preheat the oven to 375°F and butter the springform pan and dust it with cocoa powder, shaking off any excess.

 

Break up the chocolate into small pieces if you are using a block. This can be done in a double layered ziploc bag and then pounded with a meat tenderizer or a hammer.  Or buy chips or pieces of chocolate. It makes life easier.

 

In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate with the butter, stirring, until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk the sugar into the chocolate mixture. Whisk in the eggs and then sift 1/2 cup of cocoa powder into the chocolate mixture and continue to whisk until just combined. 

 

Pour the thick batter into your pan and bake on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust.  While the cake is baking you can make the ganache and the whipped cream.  The ganache is made by melting the chocolate in the double boiler. Once the chocolate is melted you can whisk in the sugar and the cream. Simmer it for a couple minutes then remove from heat.

 

 

 

Delicious whipped cream can be achieved from beating heavy whipping cream. The cream should be as cold as possible.  Some people like to use a smaller boil nested in a larger boil with ice and water to keep the cream super cold.  I don’t find this is a must.  I beat the cream on high with a handheld ghetto Betty Crocker electric blender and wait for it to thicken up.  It will only get so thick without the aid of the powder sugar.  Add the powder sugar once it has stopped thickening.  Continue to beat on high and the cream will thicken up to stiff peaks.  Add in the vanilla. Taste and make sure it’s sweet enough for your taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

Cool the cake in a pan on a rack for 10 minutes and release the spring form cake onto the serving plate. 

 

Once cool, top with ganache. I was planning to add my custom stencil on the next day with powder sugar, but if you just want to dust it with powder sugar or cocoa powder, do so before serving. You can also leave out the ganache topping and serve the cake with a vanilla ice cream or lemon curd or fresh whipped cream. All 3 works too. Take my word

 

 

 

WF Tips:

 

When using a regular 8″ cake round, cut a piece of wax paper for the bottom of the pan. Grease the pan first then place the wax paper at the bottom. You can dust this with cocoa powder. After cooling it, you can invert it right onto your serving platter and shouldn’t have a problem.

 

If using ganache-  pour it onto the cake when its still slightly warm. This will allow it to set and smooth out.  Don’t be tempted to touch it…it will leave very noticeable finger marks. I learned the hard way.

 

Always make fresh whipped cream. This can be done ahead of time. There is no substitute for it. It doesn’t whip up with an emulsion blender, so make sure you use a hand-held mixer or a fancy mixer with the whipping attachment. One time, I had accidentally bought “Bavarian Heavy Cream”  which is already sweetened and has vanilla in it.  I was able to whip this up with an emulsion blender and it tasted really good. This is a great option though it is not always easy to find it. I got it at Gelson’s, if you were wondering.