Flourless Chocolate Cake

We attended a Passover seder on Monday night. Our friends Alyssa and Stephen hosted. This was our second year participating. Alyssa asked me to bring a dessert, and to adhere to the dietary rules, she asked it not include flour. I thought of trying macarons again, and instantly dismissed that idea. Too much work, and way too finicky. Flourless chocolate cake appealed to me: 1) lots of chocolate, and 2) relatively easy to throw together.

The seder was fun - we got there late, but just in time for the matzoh ball soup.

The flourless cake was sooo rich - like very fudgy brownies. One guest commented, "I'm not used to using the words Passover, dessert, and delicious in the same sentence."

Flourless Chocolate Cake
from Williams Sonoma, Baking
Chuck Williams, editor

10 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 c unsalted butter, cut into pieces plus extra for greasing
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 large eggs, room temperature
1 c sugar

Glaze:
3 Tbs heavy cream
3 Tbs corn syrup
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Raspberries for garnish


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter. Line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit. Grease the paper and then dust with flour (since it was for Passover, I used matzoh flour.)

Combine the 10 oz of chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan. Heat on low, stirring until the mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the vanilla.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs and sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture lightens and triples in volume, about 6 minutes. Pour the chocolate mixture over the egg mixture. Gently fold with a rubber spatula until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until the top forms a crust and a toothpick inserted into the center comes almost clean (some wet batter should come out). Transfer to a wire rack. Run a knife along the side to loosen the cake. It's okay if the top of the cake falls. Let cool.

Release sides of the pan and remove. Trim off any crumbly edges.

For the glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and corn syrup. Bring to a simmmer, then reduce heat to low. Add the 4 oz of chocolate and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let stand for about 10 minutes. The glaze should be thick put still pourable.

Carefully pour the glaze over the top of the cake, smoothing out to the edges in an even layer. Chill until the glaze sets. Serve cold or at room temperature.