This chocolate cake is a perfect dessert option when a guest needs to avoid gluten: No one else at the party will have a clue that it’s gluten-free! My secret weapon is Thomas Keller’s “Cup4Cup” gluten-free flour. I substitute it, literally cup for cup, for the flour in most recipes, and trust me, no one can tell the difference! Happy guests and a happy host!
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 40 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound plus 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, such as Lindt, broken into chunks
- 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Cup4Cup gluten-free flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature, separated
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Vanilla or coffee ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Place the one pound of chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted. Off the heat, immediately stir in the butter, flour, sugar, coffee granules and salt with a rubber spatula. Whisk in the egg yolks until smooth.
- Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until they form soft peaks. Scrape the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and fold them in very carefully with a rubber spatula, just until combined. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 15 minutes exactly. (Be sure your oven temperature is accurate!)
- Turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven, leaving the door slightly ajar. Allow the cake to cool in the oven for 1 hour. The cake will sink in the middle.
- Carefully release the sides of the pan and slide the cake onto a flat serving plate or cake stand. Place the 3 ounces of chocolate and the heavy cream in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and heat just until the chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Add a drop of cream if the mixture is too thick to pour. Pour the chocolate onto the sunken part of the cake, leaving the edge unfrosted. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of ice cream.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 423 |
| Total Fat | 32 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Carbohydrates | 37 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 32 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 121 mg |
| Sodium | 88 mg |
Reviews
I’m puzzled by the negative reviews. Yes, it’s made with dark chocolate so if you don’t like dark chocolate, this isn’t for you. The coffee ice cream I served with it was the perfect complement to the cake and offset any bitterness you might associate with dark chocolate. I can only guess that the reviews about the texture are tied to an inaccurate oven because my cake had a perfect texture; it was moist but held its shape and a sharp knife cut through it cleanly. One suggestion is to never shop for your chocolate in the baking aisle. Buy a high quality chocolate bar in the gourmet candy aisle. I used Scharffen Berger. The cooking method of leaving the cake in the oven with the door ajar after turning off the oven was much easier than the water bath required by similar recipes. I took this cake to a dinner party and it received rave reviews.
Delicious. Would never think it was gluten free. Served it to guests and we all enjoyed it.
Total fail. Made this 3 times in a row. It doesn’t work. I was to crumbly to cut and so wet inside. So I kept trying. Waste of my all day effort.
I would give this a zero if I could. I love Ina and the majority of her recipes are fantastic but this is absolutely terrible! Do ‘t waste your chocolate or time.
This was a disaster. I followed the recipe to a T but when I folded in the egg whites, the melted butter oozed out. It covered the oven floor and set off the smoke detector. It was my Christmas cake. Boo hoo.
Love this recipe!
I see the recipe as written calls for 1 tablespoon of Cup 4 Cup flour. Is that right or is it a misprint? Seems so little.
I used semi sweet chocolate because that’s all I had. I also used a 8 inch pan. It turned out great! I can’t speak to using bittersweet. I did not add the extra sugar, semi sweet was perfect. Also used salted butter. It came out sort of like a fudge brownie cake. Yum. Made homemade whipped cream for the top.
I can’t commend this recipe enough. It is the type of chocolate cake that makes your cheeks warm. I use regular bleached flour and a little extra instant coffee. I have found that a 9” spring form pan makes a very evenly cooked dessert. Also a pizza stone in the bottom of the over will help maintain the right temperature in your stove.
I was disappointed. The cake was way to bitter. I followed the recipe exactly and the cake fell apart when I served it. You definitely need to serve it with ice cream to balance it off because of the bitterness. I agree with one of the reviews about using semi sweet chocolate instead.