Flourless Chocolate Cake with Profiteroles

Sometimes you want to have a piece of chocolate cake that doesn’t take much effort yet still delivers a much needed chocolate punch. This flourless chocolate cake from MarthaStewart really is the business.

I couldn’t decide what to make for the final of The Croc Bake Off and I wanted to make something that was both simple to make and impressive. After deciding that I wanted to make something topped with profiteroles I knew I wouldn’t have the time to make my Dr Pepper cake, especially as P and I new parents to a Dandie Dinmont puppy named Dougal. I knew that I’d want to come home from work and play with him rather than stand in the kitchen all night.

As usual, I spread my baking over a couple of evenings making the profiteroles first and storing them, unfilled, in an airtight container. The following night I made the flourless cake and then put the two together at the office the next morning. Fortunately Dougal is more interested in sleeping than much else at the moment so I had time to make the salted caramel sauce and chocolate sauce as well.

Ingredients:

85g unsalted butter cut into pieces

227g dark chocolate 70% as a minimum, chopped finely

6 large eggs separated

112g caster sugar

Icing sugar for dusting

Sweetened whipped double cream for serving

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 135C and prepare a 9in spring-form pan with butter or cake release spray.

1. Place the butter and chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and melt in 30-second intervals. Stir the mixture between each time until completely melted. Let this cool for around 5 minutes, or while you whip up the egg whites, and then stir in the egg yolks.

2. In a mixing bowl beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Then gradually add the sugar a tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until the eggs are glossy and hold a stiff peak.

3. Using a large spatula, take a large spoonful of the egg whites and mix them into the chocolate mixture until combined. Then add in the rest of the egg whites and fold in gently in stages until combined.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with the spatula. Bake until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan 40 – 50 minutes. Place on a wire rack and let cool completely before removing from the pan.

You can either dust this with icing sugar and serve with the sweetened cream or pile profiteroles on the top and drizzle with salted caramel and chocolate sauce.