Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

(557)
Prep Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
1 hrs 30 mins
Servings:
8

This stunner is a naturally gluten-free cake that has a smooth, ultra-rich texture. Packed with decadent dark chocolate and espresso, it's like the mocha latte of your dreams in dessert form. And we haven't even gotten to its best selling point: this cake is super easy to pull together, with only eight basic pantry ingredients and three simple steps.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for cake pan

  • 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably 70 percent cacao, chopped

  • 6 large eggs, separated, room temperature

  • 1 cup sugar, divided

  • 3 tablespoons instant-espresso powder

  • ¼ teaspoon coarse salt

  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

  • Chocolate Glaze for Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Invert bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (so cake will slide easily onto serving plate) and line with a parchment round; butter parchment. Melt butter and chocolate, stirring until smooth, in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.

  2. Beat together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Add espresso powder and salt; beat until combined, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and melted-chocolate mixture; beat about 1 minute more.

  3. In another bowl, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Increase speed to high; gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Fold into chocolate mixture in 3 batches. Transfer batter to pan and bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Remove side of pan; transfer cake to a serving plate. Serve glaze alongside cake.

    flourless chocolate cake
    Jonathan Lovekin

Cook's Notes

This recipe is excerpted from "Martha Stewart's Cakes" (Clarkson Potter; $25).

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