I made this flourless chocolate cake for our annual cousins’ Christmas get-together after my cousin, the host, requested a dessert that was gluten-free.
I was a bit hesitant as I’d made a flourless chocolate torte before that I wasn’t too crazy about. You can read that blog post here.
But the new recipe I found was different enough, and by Donna Hay whose recipes I love and trust, so I decided to give it another shot. Besides, I really wanted to use my cake stencils and my last attempt hadn’t gone so swimmingly.
The result? A decadent, dense but creamy chocolate concoction. And one I’d make again. If you need a gluten-free dessert, this one comes together quite nicely and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a flavour combination people like more than hazelnut and chocolate (Nutella, anyone?).
If you’ve never had a flourless cake before, it doesn’t rise very much and it tastes like a cross between a very fudgey brownie and a hazelnut chocolate mousse.
The hazelnut liqueur-whipped cream also came together quite nicely in my mixer, almost to my surprise as I washed some dishes. It’s a nice way to offset the sweetness of the cake, so try not to skip this step.
So – you might be wondering how did the stenciling go? Much better this time, perhaps because I read the accompanying instruction. This time, I dusted the cake with cocoa powder to absorb the moisture, coated one side of the stencil with shortening, then place the stencil shortening-side up on the cake. Then I sifted icing powder all over the cake, and it stayed on no problem. In the past, the stenciled design seem to absorb into the cake, leaving one ugly hot mess.
If you’d like to buy your own cake stencils, I really like the vast selection at Bake Deco, which you can check out here, and get it shipped to you. I’ve ordered silicone bakeware from them before and I was pleased with the service. Or you might also get lucky at Michaels or one of your local suppliers.
Substitutions: None. I used Frangelico for the hazelnut liqueur.
Would I make this again? Yes, if I needed a gluten-free dessert, because truth be told I prefer a flour component as it makes the dessert lighter and more airy.
Grade: Four stars out of five, one point docked because at the end of the day I do prefer a traditional flour cake.
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