Chocolate Cloud Cake
I tried this recipe and found it easy and scrummy. This cake is a melting, dark, flourless chocolate base that sinks damply on cooling; the fallen center is then cloudily filled with softly whipped cream and sprinkled with cocoa powder.
I tried this recipe and found it easy and scrummy. This cake is a melting, dark, flourless chocolate base that sinks damply on cooling; the fallen center is then cloudily filled with softly whipped cream and sprinkled with cocoa powder.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate minimum 70% cocoa solids
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- eggs: 2 whole, 4 separated
- 3/4 cup superfine sugar
- 2 tablespoons cointreau (optional)
- 1 orange grated zest of, (optional)
- 9 inch springform cake pan
- for the cream topping:
- 1 tablespoon cointreau (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder for sprinkling
- Carbohydrate 44.6736179686981 g
- Cholesterol 112.018125 mg
- Fat 43.0174793229044 g
- Fiber 2.30008858891334 g
- Protein 2.79800770831578 g
- Saturated Fat 26.5921021093678 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (150g)
- Sodium 27.7467578124812 mg
- Sugar 42.3735293797848 g
- Trans Fat 2.37486238541612 g
- Calories 561 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Line the bottom of the cake pan with baking parchment.
- Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or a microwave, and then let the butter melt in the warm chocolate.
- Beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with 1/3 cup of the sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture, the Cointreau and orange zest.
- In another bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the remaining sugar and whisk until the whites are holding their shape but are not too stiff. Lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites, and then fold in the rest of the whites. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the centre is no longer wobbly. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools.
- When you are ready to eat, place the still pan-bound cake on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove the cake from its pan. Don't worry about cracks or rough edges: it's the crater look we're going for here. Whip the cream until it's soft and then add the vanilla and Cointreau and continue whisking until the cream is firm but not stiff. Fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake, and dust the top lightly with cocoa powder pushed through a tea-strainer.
- You can make this into an Easter Nest Cake by folding 7 ounces of melted chocolate into the cream topping and dotting with sugar-coated eggs instead of the cocoa. Leave the Cointreau out of both the cake and the cream.
Flourless chocolate cakes fail when trapped moisture turns dense instead of creating a tender, soufflé-like crumb. Success depends entirely on thermal management during the initial chocolate-melting phase and mechanical aeration during meringue incorporation.
- Melt bittersweet chocolate between 110°F and 120°F. Excessive heat splits the cocoa solids from the fats, resulting in a grainy texture that no amount of folding can fix.
- Stir softened unsalted butter directly into the warm chocolate off the heat. Residual thermal energy will emulsify the fat smoothly without scorching.
- Whisk the four egg whites until they hold soft peaks rather than stiff, dry spikes. Over-whipped whites shear apart and deflate completely when combined with heavy chocolate bases.
- Lighten the dense chocolate-egg yolk mixture with a single sacrificial dollop of whipped whites first. This thermal and textural bridge allows the remaining whites to fold in evenly without losing volume.
- Bake the cake in a 9-inch springform pan at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes. Look for a distinctly risen, cracked exterior and a center that loses its liquid wobble.
Cool the cake completely inside the pan on a wire rack to guarantee the signature center collapse. Fill the resulting depression with softly whipped cream flavored with vanilla extract and Cointreau.
