Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake with Sea Salt
Melted chocolate and whipped eggs stand in for flour and leavening, so the crumb stays dense and fudgy under a thin, cracked top.
- Serves
- 10
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Written
Method
-
Heat oven to 375°F and butter an 8-inch springform pan, lining the bottom with a round of parchment.
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Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler, stirring until smooth and glossy.
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In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and thickened, about 2 minutes.
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Stream the warm chocolate into the eggs in a thin stream, whisking constantly so the eggs don’t scramble.
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Sift in the cocoa powder and fine salt, then fold in the espresso until no dry streaks remain.
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Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the top has set into a thin, cracked crust but the center still jiggles slightly, 22 to 25 minutes.
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Cool completely in the pan on a rack — the cake will sink as it cools, which is normal, not a failure.
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Run a knife around the edge, release the springform, and finish with flaky salt before slicing.
Notes
There’s no flour in this cake and no baking powder either — the eggs, whipped with the sugar before the chocolate goes in, are the only thing holding it up, which is why it falls slightly as it cools. Don’t chase a taller cake by overbaking it; the center should still look slightly underdone when it comes out, because it firms up completely once cold.
Serve it at room temperature, not straight from the fridge, or the texture reads more like a truffle than a cake. A dollop of unsweetened whipped cream is the only thing it needs, though a spoon of poached fruit works too.