I am not a natural baker nor do I particularly enjoy the process. Fortunately, I did not have to do it for many years. We had an excellent pastry chef, Ed Bonuso, at Zarela Restaurant, and my then daughter-in-law Victoria Munro, and my stepdaughter Marissa and her husband, photographer, Manu Bastien provided the desserts for family meals and holidays. Life changes have forced me into baking and I do make a few great desserts such as my frozen lemon torte and the coffee crunch cake I learned from Jack Lirio in the late seventies!
Manu’s Flourless Chocolate Cake
I think of this as the 250 grams cake because that is what most of the ingredients called for in the original recipe weighed. It’s not easy to convert if you are not used to doing it.
Ingredients
- 250 grams good quality semisweet chocolate 8.82 ounces; chocolate bars usually vary in size but include weight not only in ounces but grams too so it’s easy
- 250 grams butter about 2½ sticks, at room temperature, plus additional for the pan
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2½ cups plus 1 tablespoon almond flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla orange flower, chile powder or other flavoring
- 6 eggs separated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Butter 9-inch cake pan thoroughly and line the bottom with a round of buttered parchment paper.
- Melt chocolate over low heat, preferably in a bain-marie. When the chocolate has melted, remove from heat and stir in the butter until it melts.
- Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until the mixture is fluffy and has lightened to a pale yellow.
- Add half of the almond flour and beat until incorporated. Add the rest of the almond flour and beat on medium speed until well combined.
- Add the melted chocolate and butter, and vanilla or other flavoring, and beat to combine for 1 minute.
- Beat egg whites until stiff and fold in carefully.
- Place cake in oven and immediately lower heat to 350°F. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes. Watch the cake carefully the last 4 minutes. It can go from being alright to being burnt very quickly.
- Let cool and remove carefully from pan.
Notes
To serve, sprinkle with confectioners sugar, or add a chocolate ganache icing. I especially like this recipe from Zarela’s pastry chef, Ed Bonuso.
Please note that the cake in the picture has two layers of icing. I made the first one with Hershey’s cocoa and it wasn’t good enough for me so I made another with Droste Dutch process cocoa and it was divine.
Nutrition
Calories: 500kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 9gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 182mgPotassium: 155mgFiber: 4gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 650IUCalcium: 79mgIron: 3mg
