I baked this cake for a party I held recently, and it got raves reviews from everyone. Then, I took a large portion to my daughter’s house. My three-and-a-half-year-old grandson asked me if it was my birthday. I told him that it wasn’t my birthday and that I wanted to share the cake rather than to keep it all to myself. After he’d eaten his portion (rather quickly, and he’s not a sweet-lover), he told me, “Thanks for sharing your cake with us.” I think you’ll feel the same after you take your first bite.
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream Topping
For four cake layers:
12 ounces (3 boxes) Baker’s bittersweet chocolate, broken into chunks
6 tablespoons water
12 large eggs, at room temperature
1 and 1/3 cups sugar (divided: 2/3 cup + 2/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli® cocoa)
For filling:
2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons confectioners sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cake layers:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease four 9” cake pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Then, grease the parchment paper.
Place chocolate and water in a pan on a warmer tray or over a double boiler. Stir occasionally until chocolate is melted. Cool before adding to egg mixture.
Separate eggs, placing whites in a very large bowl and placing yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer. Combine yolks, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt. Beat until thick and light-colored (approximately 5 minutes with a stand mixer or 8 minutes with an electric mixer.) Blend in the melted chocolate on low.
Using clean beaters and a hand-held mixer, whip the egg whites until the soft peak stage.
Sprinkle with the remaining 2/3 cup sugar, and continue beating until the stiff peak stage (you should be able to turn the bowl over, and the whites will not move). Using a flexible spatula, fold one-third of the whites into the chocolate mixture. Next, carefully fold in the rest of the whites until uniform in color; do not overmix.
Pour batter into the four prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees (convection oven: 325 degrees) until the top is dry to the touch. This took 25-30 minutes in the convection oven. However, the original recipe called for 15 to 18 minutes, so check frequently to avoid overcooking. Cool 5-10 minutes.
Sift cocoa powder over the layers. Loosen the edges with a flexible spatula before inverting onto a cookie sheet (two layers per sheet). Carefully remove parchment. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least an hour to assure that layers can be moved without breaking.
Filling:
About two and one-half hours prior to serving time, beat cream and confectioners sugar until the stiff peak stage. Do not overmix or it will turn into butter!
Assembly:
Remove one cake layer from freezer. Place cocoa side down on serving plate. Cover with one-fourth of the filling. Repeat with each layer, always having the cocoa side down. The final layer will be whipped cream.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Layers should defrost within two hours in the refrigerator. Refrigerate all leftovers. Cake can be frozen in pieces for up to two or three months. Allow to thaw in refrigerator for several hours or at room temperature for about 45 minutes.
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I waited to post this blog until I’d tried a piece of the frozen cake. It was perfect! Just follow the directions for thawing, and definitely do not microwave it. Now that I know that this cake freezes so well, maybe I won’t have to wait for a special occasion to bake it again.