Flourless Dark Chocolate Soufflé Cake
When you take out the flour, it leaves more room for chocolate.
A classic French dish, a soufflé is a bit of an oxymoron. Famous for its light as air texture, while being heavy, rich, and decadent. Creating this heavenly dessert can seem intimidating, but it's simple, and the result is sensational.
This soufflé brings an intense chocolate flavor, so choosing high quality chocolate is essential. I'm a fan of Ghirardelli, but any quality chocolate will do. Bittersweet chocolate rather than dark would also be divine. If you're feeling saucy, substitute Kahlua for the coffee.
As you're bringing the ingredients together it's also essential you fold and don't mix. Folding the fluffy egg whites carefully into the melted chocolate batter is what creates the light as air texture. If you fold too fast, mix, or stir, the egg whites will collapse and your soufflé will be dense. Still delicious, I assure you, but dense. It's better to have traces of egg whites in the batter than to over mix.
When the soufflé is firm around the edges but slightly underdone in the center, it's perfect. You want the middle to collapse, preferably with a mound of sweetened whipped cream on top. Serve the soufflé immediately.
This dessert is elegant enough for a dinner party, but still a cozy, casual indulgence for a night in.
Flourless Dark Chocolate Soufflé Cake
*Serves 8
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes.
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces dark chocolate, very finely chopped (Ghirardelli recommended)
2 tablespoons brewed strong coffee
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 eggs, yolks and whites separated
extra butter and sugar for dusting the pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter a 9” springform pan. Dust the pan lightly with sugar.
In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter over low heat. Stir constantly until just melted. Remove from heat and stir in the coffee, vanilla, and cinnamon. Set aside and cool to room temperature.
In an electric mixer, on high speed, beat the egg yolks and sugar till pale and yellow, about 3 minutes. The mixture should thicken and hold small peaks.
With a rubber spatula, fold a quarter of the egg and sugar mixture into the chocolate mixture. Then pour the chocolate mixture (with the added eggs and sugar) into the remaining egg and sugar mixture, and fold gently to combine.
In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten the batter. Then add the remaining egg whites and fold till just combined. Be careful not to over-mix, see note.
Pour the batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake on center rack for 30 to 35 minutes. The edges of the cake should be set while the center is still soft. The cake will set as it cools. Cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes and then run a knife around the edges to loosen from the pan. Open the springform pan to release the sides and transfer the cake to a serving plate. Serve warm.
Baker's note: Folding the batter is done to keep the cake light and fluffy. It should be done with a rubber spatula, lifting the batter from the bottom and then to the top, in an upward circular motion. This is done so the egg whites don’t collapse, which would cause the cake to be dense. It’s better to have the batter under-mixed than over-mixed. It should be crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside.
