A Flourless Valrhona Chocolate Cake

December 7, 2014






If you haven't baked anything in your life and want to start learning how to, then this is the recipe for you! As David Lebovitz said, only an idiot can mess this up because this recipe is very, very, very easy and it only has 4 ingredients.

Yep, just four - four ingredients make one rich, decadent, and velvety chocolate cake. Sometimes, "simple" makes for great comfort food. The key to making it unforgettable is using the best ingredients you can possibly get your hands on. So get the best baking chocolate you can find, preferably at least 60%, and then make this super simple, fuss-free, flourless chocolate cake.

I used the 70% Valrhona chocolate bar sitting in my pantry cabinet. You can absolutely use any other brand of chocolate but make sure you use dark chocolate, again at least 60%. I find that this cake works better with dark chocolate than milk chocolate.

This cake is dense so serve thin wedges of this at a time. If you like, you can also serve this with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream, drizzled with chocolate sauce, sprinkled with some chopped nuts, even. Personally, I like it as is, with a hot cup of coffee on the side.

And that's it. I'll keep this post short and sweet so you can go out and buy that bar of dark chocolate. Try this recipe and let me know how it goes. You can never go wrong, I guarantee it.


Chocolate Idiot Cake Print Recipe
Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz, makes one 9-inch cake
Ingredients
  • 10 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped - I used Valrhona Noir Guanaja 70%
  • 7 ounces butter, salted or unsalted, cut into pieces
  • 5 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan, line with parchment paper, butter the parchment paper, and dust it with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess. If you suspect your springform pan isn’t 100% water-tight, wrap the outside with aluminum foil, making sure it goes all the way up to the outer rim.
  3. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler (or microwave), stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, then whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and cover the top of the pan snugly with a sheet of foil. Put the springform pan into a larger baking pan, such as a roasting pan, and add enough hot water to the baking pan to come about halfway up to the outside of the cake pan.
  6. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when it feels just set, like quivering chocolate pudding. If you gently touch the center, your finger should come away clean.
  7. Lift the cake pan from the water bath and remove the foil. Let cake cool completely on a cooling rack.
  8. Serve thin wedges of this very rich cake at room temperature, with creme anglaise, ice cream, or whipped cream. Garnish with powdered sugar if desired.
  9. Storage: This Chocolate Idiot Cake can be wrapped and chilled in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

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