Flourless Chocolate Cake with Brown Sugar Meringue Topping
If you’re looking for a showstopping dessert, this flourless chocolate cake is it. It’s beautiful, delicious, and naturally gluten free. It makes a dramatic end to any meal and looks like a dessert that you made a trip to a fine bakery to purchase. Yet it’s easy to make at home, far easier than you might think. Don’t worry, that secret is safe with me.
I know that a lot of people are finding flour difficult or impossible to come by lately. I’m hearing from readers nearly every day who are trying to bake with what they have and work around what they have run out of or simply can’t find online or in their local stores.
On a day when I received several messages asking if I had any recipes that didn’t require much flour, I decided that there was only one to do: develop a flourless chocolate cake recipe to share with all of you. With a little work, I hoped that it would be so delicious that you’d never notice that it didn’t contain any flour.
Of course, I didn’t want to create just any flourless chocolate cake. While I find a flourless chocolate cake to be delicious, they can be so rich that they leave me wishing that they had a counterbalance, something to accentuate the flavor and texture without adding more richness.
So, as I surveyed my pantry and looked for inspiration, I started making a plan for the cake. I knew that I wanted it to include both melted chocolate and cocoa powder. Given the current situation we all find ourselves in, I didn’t want to use more butter and eggs than necessary. In short, nothing should be in the recipe without delivering on flavor and texture. If the cake didn’t need it, I wasn’t going to ask you to use your precious baking resources to make it.
That’s when it came to me. While cakes usually call for whole eggs, what if I used the yolks for a chocolate cake layer and reserved the whites to make a fluffy, light meringue to bake on top of the cake? Dividing the eggs in this way and using them separately might create just the sort of balance I was looking for.
I was thrilled when the first test of this recipe produced a cake with a fudgy chocolate layer topped with a perfectly baked meringue. The meringue layer was lightly sweetened, crisp on the exterior and fluffy like a fresh marshmallow inside. The combination of the chocolate cake and meringue was exactly what I had hoped for.
If you’re conserving the flour in your baking pantry or just craving a delicious and beautiful dessert, I hope that you’ll give this cake recipe a try. You don’t need a single grain of flour which also makes this dessert naturally gluten-free. This cake has been very popular here at the farmhouse these last few weeks. I hope that you’ll enjoy it as much as we have.
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Flourless Chocolate Cake with Brown Sugar Meringue
Ingredients
For the Flourless Chocolate Cake Layer:
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream (see note above for substitution)
- 4 ounces chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 egg yolks
For the Brown Sugar Meringue Layer:
- 3 egg whites
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Position the oven racks in the top and bottom third of the oven.
- While most recipes call for lining cake pans with baking spray and flour, I use my homemade pan release spread and granulated sugar. I prefer the light flavor and pretty appearance that the sugar imparts to the exterior of the cake over the look and taste of the floury film often left behind by a pan coated with flour. You can prepare your cake pans using your preferred method.
Prepare one 8 or 9 inch cake pan:
- Brush the bottom and sides of the pan with homemade magic pan release spread.
- Add a piece of parchment paper cut to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Brush the parchment paper with a thin layer of the homemade magic pan release spread.
- Cover the entire surface of the pan and parchment with a coating of granulated sugar.
Prepare a Mixing Bowl for the Meringue:
- Prepare a large mixing bowl and the beater(s) of your mixer by wiping with a paper towel lightly moistened with white vinegar. This will remove any trace of fat remaining from its last use, allowing you to create a fluffy, beautiful meringue from the egg whites. The vinegar will not impart any flavor to the meringue. You can learn more about this process by reading my post The Secret to Making Meringue.
- Separate the eggs, placing the whites in your mixing bowl and reserving the yolks for the cake batter.
Prepare the Cake Batter:
- Add the butter, cream, and chocolate to a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each session until the butter is melted and the chocolate is beginning to melt. Remove from the microwave and whisk to combine. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.
- Add the sugar, salt, vanilla, and egg yolks to the bowl. Whisk until well combined. The sugar will appear grainy. This is normal. It will take on a smooth texture while baking in the oven.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared cake pan. Place on the bottom rack in your preheated oven. Set a timer for 15 minutes.
Prepare the Meringue Topping:
- While the cake is baking, prepare the meringue topping. Beat the egg whites on high speed until they become frothy, approximately one minute. Continue beating while adding the ½ cup of granulated sugar one Tablespoon at a time. The egg whites will become white and creamy, resembling marshmallow cream.
- Continue to beat at high speed until the meringue has come to stiff peaks. You can test the meringue by removing the beater and holding it upright. If the peak of the meringue holds, it has come to stiff peaks and is ready.
- Add your brown sugar to a small bowl. Using a spoon or clean fingers, break apart any clumps of brown sugar until it is soft and crumbly.
- Using a spatula, move the meringue just enough to make an open area in the bowl to add the brown sugar. Add the brown sugar to the empty spot in the bowl, allowing it to rest on the bottom of the bowl. Adding the brown sugar in this manner will prevent it from deflating your fluffy meringue.
- Using your spatula, gently fold the meringue to incorporate the brown sugar. The brown sugar will be visible in the meringue. This is okay. It will become smooth as it heats in the oven. Gently fold just until the brown sugar is well distributed, taking care not to overwork the meringue.
- When the timer sounds for the 15 minute baking time for the cake layer, carefully remove the cake pan from the oven. Using your spatula, transfer the meringue mixture to the top of the cake. Use your spatula or an offset spatula to spread the meringue to completely cover the cake. You can swirl the meringue in small mounds which bakes up in a beautifully decorative way.
- Transfer the cake pan back to the oven, placing the cake on the top rack if space allows. Bake for 20 minutes until the meringue is set. The meringue will brown slightly and become dry on the surface with a marshmallow like interior. If you prefer your meringue to have a crisp interior, you can bake the cake for an additional 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. The cake can remain in the pan until cool.
- If you prefer to transfer the cake to a plate or platter, allow it to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before running a sharp knife or small metal spatula around the edge of the cake pan. Slide a large, wide spatula underneath the chocolate cake. Move the spatula underneath to loosen the cake from the entire bottom surface of the cake pan. Position the spatula under the middle of the cake. Tip the cake pan slightly as you move the spatula towards the cake plate. The cake should gently slide from the pan to the plate.
- Allow the cake to cool. Slice and serve. This cake can be stored at room temperature for a few days but is best eaten on the first and second day.