After mud cake, actually I'd say in line with mud cake for my favourite type of cake would have to be flourless chocolate cake.
They're just so gooey and scrumptious plus they last quite a few days and freeze really well.
My go-to recipe for flourless chocolate cake uses almond meal but this recipe takes it to a whole new level by using hazelnut meal.
There are quite a few ingredients in this cake but it's well worth it.
There's chocolate and cocoa for extra chocolateyness.
Start by mixing the water together with the cocoa until it forms a smooth paste.
Stir in the hazelnut meal, melted chocolate, butter, egg yolks and sugar
In an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Very gently fold ⅓ of the egg white through the chocolatey batter.
Fold the rest of the egg whites through very gently just until they are combined.
Pour the batter into a greased and lined spring-form tin and bake the cake for 1 hour.
Let the baked cake rest in the tin for 5 minutes.
Transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Because flourless cakes are very soft I take it out of the tin by removing the sides then inverting it onto my hand, peeling off the tin base, place the wire rack on top then flipping it over.
I find this is the best way to protect the cake from breaking up.
Dust the cake with cocoa to serve. I served mine with vanilla icecream and berries. Enjoy!
Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup 35g cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup 80ml water
- 150 g dark eating chocolate melted
- 150 g butter melted
- 1 ⅓ cups 295g firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup 110g hazelnut meal
- 4 eggs separated
- 1 tablespoon of cocoa extra to dust the finished cake
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C(320F) fan-forced and grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm round spring-form tin.
- In a large bowl, mix the cocoa and water together until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the chocolate, butter, sugar, hazelnut meal and egg yolks to the bowl and stir them through well.
- Using an electric mixer or hand-held mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Gently fold ⅓ of the egg whites through the chocolate mixture then fold through the rest of the egg whites just until they are incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the tin and bake the cake for about 1 hour.
- Let it rest in the tin for about 5 minutes before transferring, right side up to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Dust the finished cake with cocoa to serve.
Yasmin says
Hi Claire
Just a quick question - they say that you should use good quality ingredients - a) does that necessarily equate to expensive - I find some "non-brand" chocolates just as good as the Lindt's of the world - and b) what type of "good" cocoa do you use for baking?
Claire says
My little secret... I use Aldi chocolate in all my cakes. I've found it to have the best taste in the end result and it's pretty much the least expensive chocolate out there! I juts use regular cocoa from the supermarket.
betty says
yum i love flourless chocolate cakes too
Claire says
This is a lovely twist on your usual almond meal flourless cake. It's so good!
Lizzy (Good Things) says
Love a good flourless chocolate cake! Nice recipe.
Claire says
Me too I think it's my favorite type of cake!
Nic@diningwithastud says
YUM!! Iv never had hazelnut meal before :) I also love red velvet cake
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
I love flourless chocolate cakes. We were just discussing them and they're only such a recent sort of cake, only in the last 10 years or so after the chocolate mud cake of the 80s/90s. How did we survive without such a rich chocolate hit!
Claire says
Yes you're right they have only been around in recent times. I'm glad someone brought them into the spotlight!