Gluten free, chocolatey, and delicious. Serve it iced with ganache or simply with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. A raspberry sauce also goes really well with this cake.

Recipe by Catherine Pla

Serves 8

Fallen Flourless Chocolate Cake

8 oz best-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (I used Guittard)
8 T (1⁄2 c) unsalted butter
3⁄4 c granulated sugar
1⁄4 t kosher salt
1 t vanilla
4 eggs, separated
1⁄4 c cocoa powder, sifted

Grease an 8” or 9” springform cake pan. Dust with 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave until butter is melted and chocolate has softened. Remove and stir to melt chocolate and smooth mixture. Let cool slightly.

Place egg whites and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium speed until foamy. Begin slowly raining in the sugar as you increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

Add the egg yolks, one at a time to the chocolate/butter mixture and whisk well after each addition. Add the vanilla, and sift in the cocoa powder and whisk to combine.

Add about a cup of egg whites to the chocolate mixture, stirring to lighten the mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whites in two additions, folding from the bottom and trying not to overmix the batter.

Pour batter into pan and smooth the top. Bake 40-50 minutes. A cake tester inserted into the middle will come out mostly clean, and the cake will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, remove the pan, and transfer cake onto a serving platter. Top with ganache if desired, and/or berries and whipped cream

Ganache

1 c best-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (I used Guittard)
1⁄2 c heavy cream
1 T light corn syrup or honey
1 t vanilla extract
1 T butter, room temperature

Heat the cream and corn syrup to scalding. Pour over the chips in a heat proof bowl. Let sit for 1 minute to melt chocolate. Stir gently to smooth. Stir in vanilla and butter. Stir until butter melts and mixture is smooth.

Raspberry Coulis

I use fresh or frozen fruit, depending on the season and availability (it’s easiest is to get a bag of frozen raspberries). Place fruit in a saucepan and add sugar, starting with 2-3 tablespoons and increasing to taste. Squeeze 1 teaspoon lemon juice into the pan. Heat to a simmer until fruit breaks down slightly. Strain to remove seeds and refrigerate. Can keep refrigerated up to a week.