During our "Problem Solvers Show," an audience member named Laura asked: Entertaining these days is getting a little harder because a lot of my friends and family have become gluten free. Any dessert ideas on what I can make that everyone will enjoy?
Celeb entertainer David Burtka has just the thing! A delicious flourless chocolate cake.
Adapted from Life Is A Party by David Burtka. Copyright © 2019 by David Burtka. Used with permission by Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved.
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ¼ sticks), plus more for greasing
- ½ cup good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup good-quality semisweet chocolate chips
- Kosher salt
- 5 large eggs, separated
- ⅔ cup sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder, for topping
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325˚F. Butter a 9-inch round metal cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper trimmed to fit.
Fill a medium saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring it to a strong simmer over medium heat. In a heatproof medium bowl, combine the bittersweet and semisweet chocolate chips, butter, and a pinch of salt and set it over the simmering water (the bottom of the bowl shouldn’t touch the water). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is well combined, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the bowl from the saucepan, and set the chocolate aside to cool slightly.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer), combine the egg yolks and ⅓ cup of the sugar. Whip on medium speed until the mixture is slightly thick and forms ribbons when you lift the whisk out of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Add the chocolate mixture and beat until just combined. Pour the mixture into a separate large bowl and thoroughly clean and dry the mixer bowl and the whisk attachment.
Put the egg whites in the clean mixer bowl and beat on medium speed with the clean whisk attachment until foamy. Sprinkle with remaining ⅓ cup sugar, then beat until the egg whites hold medium peaks, 4 to 5 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, smooth and even out the top, and bake until the cake no longer jiggles when you tap the pan, 40 to 45 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack and let cool completely, then run a small spatula or knife around the sides of the pan to release the cake. Using a sifter or fine-mesh sieve, sprinkle cocoa powder over the top of the cake.
In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream and almond extract and beat until the cream holds medium peaks, 3 to 4 minutes.
Slice the cake and serve each slice with a generous dollop of the whipped cream.
