Flourless Chocolate Cake with Orange Liqueur
Submitted by glitterwings2003
Flourless chocolate cake with bittersweet chocolate, ten eggs, butter, and orange liqueur. Dense, fudgy, and gluten-free with a brittle, crackly top.
YIELD
1 cakePREP
10 minCOOK
80 minREADY
25 hrsThis flourless chocolate cake is pure intensity. Fourteen ounces of bittersweet chocolate melted with butter, enriched with ten egg yolks, lightened with whipped egg whites, and perfumed with orange liqueur. No flour means nothing dilutes the chocolate. Every bite is dense, fudgy, and deeply bittersweet.
The egg whites are the only leavening. Beating them to stiff peaks with sugar and then folding them into the heavy chocolate base creates the cake’s structure and a slight lift. Fold gently but thoroughly. Streaks of white bake into visible pockets, but overmixing deflates the whites and you end up with a chocolate brick.
Baking low and slow at 250°F (120°C) for 90 minutes sets the cake without drying it out. The top develops a thin, brittle crust that cracks when you slice through it, revealing the truffle-like interior underneath. Chill the cake for several hours or overnight before serving so it firms up enough to slice cleanly.
Chef Tips
- Chop the chocolate fine so it melts evenly in the double boiler. Large chunks leave unmelted pockets
- Temper the egg yolks by stirring in a little warm chocolate first. Dumping them into hot chocolate scrambles the eggs
- Line the sides of the springform pan with buttered wax paper for a clean release
- Dust heavily with powdered sugar right before serving. It cracks beautifully against the dark surface
Variations
- Use Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or Triple Sec depending on your preference for orange liqueur intensity
- Swap orange liqueur for Chambord (raspberry) for a chocolate-raspberry version
- Serve with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh raspberries
Ingredients
Directions
Chilling time: Several hours or overnight.
- Put chocolate and butter into top of double boiler. Cook and stir over simmering water until melted.
Stir in ¾ cup of the sugar.
Continue stirring until sugar is almost dissolved.
- Beat egg yolks in large mixer until light. Beat in a little of the warm chocolate until well combined.
Continue adding chocolate until fully combined.
Return chocolate mixture to top of double boiler; cook, stirring until slightly thickened.
Do not boil. Remove from heat.
Line sides of pan with a strip of buttered wax paper.
Beat egg whites in large mixer bowl until foamy. Beat in remaining ½ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture holds stiff peaks.
Stir liqueur and vanilla into chocolate mixture, mixing well. With a rubber spatula, scrape chocolate mixture over egg whites.
Fold together gently, but thoroughly.
- Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake until set and top is crusty, about 1½ hours.
Cool on wire rack to room temperature.
Refrigerate until cold. Loosen edge of cake from sides of pan.
Remove sides of pan. Put cake onto platter.
Sprinkle heavily with confectioners’ sugar. Top will be brittle.
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