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Flourless Chocolate Cloud Cake

This flourless chocolate cloud cake is a wickedly elegant dessert that's deceptively easy to make. Just four ingredients--chocolate, eggs, butter, and sugar--come together for a crunchy-on-the-outside, airy-on-the-inside cake.

Prep Time
40 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
Servings: 8 to 12 servings
Calories: 595 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the cake
  • 8 ounces best-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate coarsely chopped
  • 1 stick unsalted butter cut into pieces, room temperature
  • 6 large eggs 2 whole, 4 separated
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or Cognac (optional)
  • Grated zest of 1 orange preferably organic
  • pinch of salt
For the finishing touches
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream chilled
  • 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • unsweetened cocoa powder for sprinkling
  • Chocolate curls for sprinkling

Instructions

Make the cake
    Cup of Yum
  1. Crank the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with a round of parchment.☞ TESTER TIP: Do NOT butter the sides of the pan or the paper; that's a definite no-no. The cake won't creep up the pan.
  2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over but not touching gently simmering water.
  3. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the butter until it's melted and utterly silky.
  4. In another bowl, whisk the 2 whole eggs and the 4 egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar until foamy.
  5. Slowly whisk in the warm chocolate mixture. Whisk in the Cointreau, orange zest, and salt.
  6. In a separate bowl, beat the 4 egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy.
  7. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until the whites form soft peaks that hold their shape.
  8. Gently fold 1/4 of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then carefully fold in the remaining whites.
  9. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top of the cake.
  10. Bake the cake until the top is puffed and cracked and the center is no longer wobbly, 35 to 40 minutes. Be careful not to overbake the cake.
  11. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack. The center of the cake will sink as it cools, forming a sort of crater. Run the tip of a knife around the edge of the cake and carefully remove the side of the pan.
Put the finishing touches on the cake
  1. When ready to serve, whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar and vanilla until softly mounding. Fill the sunken center of the cake, pushing the billowy cream to the edges of the cake in decorative swoops and swirls. Sprinkle the top lightly with cocoa powder and chocolate curls.

Notes

  • Separate your eggs carefully--Fat can make whipping egg white impossible, so make sure there's not even a speck of yolk in the whites.
  • Take your time--The egg whites give the cake structure, so take time to make sure they're well-beaten and reach the soft-peak stage. Be gentle when folding them into the chocolate. On the other hand, under-beating the eggs can result in a cake that deflates and falls apart.
  • Storage--The cake stores best without the whipped cream topping. Cover it with plastic wrap or a cake dome and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Top with the whipped cream just before serving.
  • Dietary--This recipe is suitable for gluten-free diets.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1portion Calories 595kcal (30%) Carbohydrates 46g (15%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 42g (65%) Saturated Fat 25g (125%) Monounsaturated Fat 12g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 233mg (78%) Sodium 75mg (3%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 40g (80%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8to 12 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 595

% Daily Value*

Serving 1portion
Calories 595kcal 30%
Carbohydrates 46g 15%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 42g 65%
Saturated Fat 25g 125%
Monounsaturated Fat 12g 60%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 233mg 78%
Sodium 75mg 3%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 40g 80%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.