My Recipes

Italian Flourless Chocolate Cake

A dense, fudgy Italian-style flourless chocolate cake made with dark chocolate and potato starch, finished with a dusting of confectioners' sugar.

Serves 6 Baked Dessert

Source

Preheat Oven

  • Preheat oven to 350°F

Special Equipment

  • Stand mixer
  • 8" round cake pan

Ingredients

  • 100g (4oz) (7 tablespoons) unsalted butter softened, plus more for pan
  • 60g (2oz) (½ cup) confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus more for dusting
  • 113g (4oz) 70% “top quality” dark chocolate
  • 2 extra-large eggs, separated
  • 20g (1oz) (2 tablespoons) potato or corn starch
  • 40g (1oz) (3 ½ tablespoons) extra or superfine sugar

Preparation

  1. Heat oven to 350° F.
  2. Butter an 8-inch cake pan. Line bottom with parchment.
  3. In a large bowl, using a mixer or by hand, beat the butter with the confectioners’ sugar until smooth and creamy.
  4. Melt chocolate in a pan on top of stove.
  5. Pour warm chocolate over the butter and sugar mixture and beat until smooth.
  6. Whisk in egg yolks one at a time.
  7. Stir in starch.
  8. Using a stand mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
  9. Gradually beat in superfine sugar and continue beating until firm peaks develop.
  10. Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture.
  11. Scrape the batter out of the bowl, and spread it in the pan.
  12. Bake for 18 minutes.
  13. Cake will rise and top will look dry and a little crackly.
  14. Remove pan from oven, place on a rack and allow to cool completely, about 2 hours. Cake will sink a bit.
  15. Unmold cake, peel off parchment, then invert onto a serving dish so the crackly surface is on top.
  16. Generously sift confectioners’ sugar over the top, then serve.