This cake is rich, soft and moist with a meringue-like crust. It is moister the day after baking.
Serves about 8.
We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes.
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules/powder
1 teaspoon hot water
100g butter
150g dark chocolate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (1 teaspoon natural vanilla essence)
4 large eggs at room temperature (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
170g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
200g almond meal (ground almonds)
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Celsius fan-forced).
Grease the side and base of a 20cm diameter (inside top measurement) round cake pan. We use a springform pan for easy removal of the cake. Line base and side of the pan with non-stick baking paper.
Dissolve coffee in one teaspoon of hot water.
Place butter, chocolate, vanilla and dissolved coffee in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat when chocolate and butter have melted and mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks, taking care not to break the yolks. If any of the yolk gets into the whites, the yolk will prevent the egg whites from whipping properly. © exclusivelyfood.com.au
Using electric hand-held beaters or an electric mixer, beat egg whites with about half the sugar in a large, clean bowl. Beat until soft peak stage (when the beater is lifted, a peak will form and then droop over).
In a separate bowl, beat yolks with remaining sugar using electric hand-held beaters or an electric mixer. Beat until mixture is light, thick and creamy.
Gently fold cooled chocolate mixture into yolk mixture.
Break up any lumps of almond meal before gently stirring it into the chocolate mixture.
Spoon about one third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and use a spatula or large spoon to gently fold the egg whites through the mixture until just combined. Fold in remaining egg whites until just combined.
Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes.
Remove cake from oven and cover with a clean tea towel. Allow to cool in pan.
Serve slices of the cake with whipped cream, berries, ice cream, chocolate sauce or simply dusted with icing sugar.
Store in an airtight container in a cool place. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au
Must try this recepy!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing this recipe! I absolutely love it. I use 85% Lindt dark chocolate and with the 185g sugar and almond meal, it tastes absolutely devine without being too rich! Awesome recipe. Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteBoth children and adults love this recipe. It was an instant hit and so easy to make. An absolute Gem.
ReplyDeleteThis cake is to die for - absolutely delicious. It would probably be really nice with some nuts inside too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe!
I made this cake last week for a friend who is gluten intolerant. It was a big hit! Very tasty & definitely agree that it is even yummier the next day.
ReplyDeletethe best flourless chocolate cake recipe ever...
ReplyDeletei baked this for my mother-in-law's birthday...
a HUGE SUCCESS!!
I've seen a few of your recipes with raspberry coulis. Do you have a recipe for that too?
ReplyDeleteWe don't currently have a recipe for raspberry coulis, but we found one here.
ReplyDeletedo supermarkets sell almond meal or do we have to ground it up ourselves?
ReplyDeleteAlmond meal is available in the baking section of most supermarkets. If it is unavailable, you could pulverise blanched almonds in a food processor.
ReplyDeleteHi, I've seen this cake in a cafe with a crusched hazelnut and chocolate base/sides, Do you know how I would go about making a base for this cake(basic recipe) and if I would need to cook the base before putting the cake mix in? thanks :)
ReplyDeleteHi Alesha,
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, we have never seen or heard of the type of cake you've described. Could the crushed hazelnuts have been added after the cake was baked? Do you have a photo or website that we could refer to?
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThe cake company doesn't have a website but I will try and get a photo of the cake to send to you in the next few weeks. I don't think the base was added after the cake was cooked, I think it's put in before the cake mix... Alesha.
How many days ahead can this be made prior to serving?
ReplyDeleteYou could bake the cake up to three days in advance.
ReplyDeleteif i was to halve this recipe... how long would i bake it for?
ReplyDeleteWhat pan size do you intend to use?
ReplyDeleteBefore I bake this I just want to ask about the cooking time. I found a similar recipe (almost same ingredients) & they said to cook the cake for 1hr & 45 mins, so can you confirm that 40minutes will be fine
ReplyDeleteForty minutes baking time is sufficient in our oven. We like the cake to be quite moist, but you could extend the baking time a little if you prefer a slightly drier texture. We don't recommend baking the cake for more than one hour. Did the other recipe have the same pan size and baking temperature?
ReplyDeleteoh my god this cake is sooooo amazing. i love making birthday cakes and i always make this one for people. - it always goes down a storm.
ReplyDeleteeven better you can eat it for days after and it just gets better!
This cake was absolutely delicious. I have made another flourless chocolate cake which was a favourite in the past but it didnt rise and was sort of flat. Your cake rose up and is DEVINE!!
ReplyDeleteis coffee granules the same as instant coffee? which coffee do u use for this recipe?
ReplyDeleteInstant coffee granules or powder can be used in this cake (we have adjusted the ingredient list to reflect this). We use whichever brand we have on hand.
ReplyDeleteCould I use hazelnut meal instead of almond meal?
ReplyDeleteStella
Hi Stella
ReplyDeleteHazelnut meal should work well as a substitute for the almond meal.
i asked about how long to cook it if i halved the receipe - would probably use a loaf tin...
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! I cannot tolerate gluten and find it very difficult to find good flourless or gluten-free recipes - This has just topped my list. THANKYOU
ReplyDeleteTo the person who asked about the baking time for half the amount of batter: If you use a loaf pan that is about 20cm long and 8cm wide (so that the cake is the same height as the one above), you will probably need to bake the cake for 30-35 minutes.
ReplyDeleteCan I bake this in a 9 inch springform pan? If yes, do I need to shorten the cooking time? Will this recipe work if I use a 20cm round pan (not springform pan) and any idea on how to remove it after baking? Will the top meringue crust start cracking and breaking up upon removal? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteFabulous recipe! Easy and good for Easter. Thought it was going to flop in my awful oven, but it absolutely prevailed! Cake ho!
ReplyDeleteMade this for a friend who is a celiac. Great success... Big hit with the kids... all gone in 1 sitting...will make again. The kids called it the best chocolate cake ever....
ReplyDeleteGreat Success. A big hit with all who tried it. At first seemed a bit fiddely, but well worth it.
ReplyDeleteJust baked this cake and my family love it. Thanks :--)
ReplyDeleteCan this cake be frozen?
ReplyDeleteWas thinking of using a muffin tin to make individual cakes. Your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteHi...
ReplyDeletedoes this recipe translate well into cupcakes?
i have tried some of your recipes and wow... thanks for sharing them with us! they're delish!
Totally yummy! I recommend this cake - will make again for sure.
ReplyDeleteIkho, I made this into 12 cup cakes and cooked them at 150 degrees C in a fan forced oven for 20 - 25 mins. They were glorious. I used raspberry flavoured butter cream to ice them. I got so many complements. Thanks Amanda and Debbie. Love your recipes!
ReplyDeleteHi I made this for a coeliac relative for dessert. She loved it and the 4 kids said it was the BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE they have ever had. Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi Aaron
ReplyDeleteYou could bake the cake in a 9 inch diameter pan and reduce the baking time. We have only ever baked the cake in a springform pan, but we have seen other flourless chocolate cake recipes that don't specify a springform pan. The top crust sometimes cracks even before the cake is removed from the pan.
I made this yesterday and it really tasted heaps better the next day, even after refrigeration. Just heat in the microwave for 10 secs and serve with icecream. Very delicious and rich. I would probably make a quick hot chocolate sauce to serve with it next time as I used high cocoa chocolate so it was not that sweet but very rich.
ReplyDeleteHi, if i want to make this and eat it the next day should i store it in the fridge or an airtight container... or both??
ReplyDeleteThanks
What a fantastic recipe! I used fine raw brown sugar instead of caster, and then added frozen berries before baking. It's delicious! I can see this becoming a favourite dessert at dinner parties. Thanks for publishing this.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicola
ReplyDeleteWe store the cake in an airtight container at cool room temperature. In hot weather, we store the cake in the fridge.
This was super delicious - the texture was incredible, especially the next day (next time, I'll use a finer almond meal though). I added 1 teaspoon ground chilli, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 nutmeg for a Mexican inspired flavour.
ReplyDeleteCompletely fabulous, loved it. It was the first time I'd seperated eggs, and the first time I'd whipped egg whites, and the whole thing just worked! Amazing. I'm making it again tomorrow to take to a friends place, and am also going to try the mars bar slice. I am in love with this site...
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic recipe. I made some modifications so that it was dairy and gluten free:
ReplyDelete- Replaced butter with 100gms of Nuttelex (light) margerine
- Replaced dark chocolate with 150gms of Sweet William dairy-free chocolate (very nice!)
- I also replaced the coffee with approx 3 tsp of cocoa, to give it a little bit richer chocolate flavor.
The cake came out beautifully moist, soft and chocolatey, without being too strong. I am making this cake for a second time, for a party. Even my husband liked it, which is saying something!! :)
My 35 year old brother, who has no idea how to cook cakes, cooked this cake (with my close supervision)as a birthday cake for our family and it turned out perfectly. He was pretty chuffed with himself and I was proud as punch :) Thanks Ladies, for another fool-proof recipe :)
ReplyDeleteI saw on TV similar recipe and decided to make one. I did this recipe with some modifications such as 150 gr of butter, 130 gr of brown sugar as chocolate was too sweet. Also added about 150 ml of cherry port, frozen berries. I didn't have almond meal but LSA (healthy alternative). LSA is a mix of linseed, sunflower and almond meals. It is in oven, smells divine. Will write later whether it was successful or not.
ReplyDeleteOk. cake is ready. It is light, airy, enough moist, not super sweet. 5 stars. Will make chocolate frosting to top it.
ReplyDeleteCAn I use milk cooking chocolate instead of dark one?
ReplyDeleteHello, I was wondering if the instant coffee is essential? Or if it can be replaced with something (like cocoa) or left out altogether? Alternatively can it be replaced with ground espresso coffee?
ReplyDeleteI'm planning to make this tomorrow, since my mum requested and we have a pack of almond meal...
ReplyDeleteLike above questions, could I use milk cooking chocolate and leave out the coffee and put cocoa powder instead? I'm not a fan of coffee, since I'm only 13...could I also use a 10 inch square pan? Thanks :)
Cut up and sitting on the wire rack, just waiting to be eaten. Looks exactly like the pictures, except in squares. And, it's incredibly delicious! I replaced the coffee with cocoa powder instead. Going to dust it with icing sugar and bring some to school for friends who are eagerly anticipating it :) Thank you for such a fantastic recipe!
ReplyDeleteWanted to try something new to take to a Wedding Shower next week, made this today to trial it.
ReplyDeleteDidn't even wait for it to cool properly, so good.
Really good cake!
ReplyDeleteI let mine cool for longer and substituted the coffee for amaretto (two reasons: I hate coffee and my hubby loves almond!).
I dusted with icing sugar and served the next day.
My family and friends all hand second helpings - gone in one sitting! A first for cake!
Making it again tomorrow for my family and one to take to the in-laws!
Perfect!
My mum and I Made this tonight and after 50min fan force on 160 it was very gooey - almost undercooked is this normal?
ReplyDeleteThis recipe works well with sweetener instead of the sugar. I used Splenda and the result was excellent.
ReplyDeleteI've made this cake a few times now, all with great success! A wonderful recipe to have in one's baking repertoire - many thanks.
ReplyDeleteIf I needed to make it 4 days before an event, would it freeze well or would it survive that long in a sealed container?
Just made it! Perfect texture, moist inside with lovely flaky top. Covered it in sifted icing sugar and leftover chocolate which I grated. Simple, easy, delicious.
ReplyDeleteAnna
Ive made this cake 4 times now - it is amazing! I use Lindt chocolate. I have also made it 3 days beforehand and just put it in a container - still amazing!
ReplyDeleteTHANKS!!