By: Valerie
Cakes and Cupcakes, Pies and Tarts, ,

Flourless Chocolate Torte

Yield: one 9-inch torte
Recipe: 160/200
“Back to Baking”, pp. 134

    I made this chocolate torte a few weeks ago but haven’t gotten around to posting about it. In fact, I have actually made it three times in the span of a week and a half. It’s that good. One for myself (yes I ate it all), one for my husband’s colleagues and one for mine. Everyone adored it and it got a lot of praise. The word that can best describe this torte is decadent, pure and simple. It is almost like a ganache in the form of a torte, just melts in the mouth. Plus, it is not too complicated to execute with minimal ingredients, and no flour! Simply put, if you have a chocolate lover in your midst or someone that loves rich scrumptious desserts, definitely give this recipe a go!

Ingredients:

  • 10 oz (300 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, cut in pieces
  • 3 egg whites
  • 2 tablespoons + ¼ cup sugar
  • 5 egg yolks
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Preheat over to 300°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, then grease the top of the parchment paper and dust the entire pan with sugar, tapping out any excess.
  2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a metal or glass bowl placed over a pot of barely simmering water, stirring constantly. Once the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly while you prepare the rest.
  3. Whip the egg whites with 2 tablespoons of the sugar until the whites hold a soft peak, where the whites will curl when the beaters are lifted. Set aside.
  4. In a separate bowl, whip the egg yolks with the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, salt and the vanilla extract until the mixture doubles in volume, about 4 minutes.
  5. Fold the melted chocolate mixture into the whipped yolks, then fold in the whites into the mixtures in two additions.
  6. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the torte for 35 minutes, until it barely jiggles when moved. As soon as you remove the cake from the oven it will begin to fall, but it is supposed to. Cool the cake to room temperature, then chill for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.

Notes from Anna:

  • The cake should be stored in the refrigerator and sliced while cold, but, if you can, alllow the cake slices to sit out at room temperature for 10-20 minutes before serving to really build that melt-in-your-mouth warmth.

Happy baking!
Valerie