Terri's Chocolate Mousse Cake
Submitted by mary51
Flourless chocolate mousse cake with bittersweet chocolate, butter, and six eggs baked in a water bath. Dense, fudgy, and impossibly rich with just 4 ingredients.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
65 minREADY
95 minThis is a flourless chocolate cake that barely qualifies as a cake. It’s closer to a baked mousse, dense and fudgy in the center with a thin, crackly crust on top. Only four real ingredients: bittersweet chocolate, butter, eggs, and sugar. Nothing to hide behind, which means quality chocolate is everything here.
Ten ounces of bittersweet chocolate melted with butter forms the base. Six eggs get separated. Yolks beaten with ¾ cup sugar until pale and thick, then the chocolate gets folded in. Whites beaten stiff with the remaining sugar, then folded in gently to keep as much air as possible. That air is the only leavener. No flour, no baking powder.
The water bath (bain-marie) is what makes this mousse-like instead of brownie-like. The surrounding hot water insulates the cake from direct oven heat, so it cooks slowly and evenly without drying out or cracking. The three-stage baking (hot start, low finish, cool-down in the oven) is essential for a smooth, creamy interior.
Pro Tips
- Use high-quality bittersweet chocolate (60-70% cacao). This cake is almost entirely chocolate, so cheap chocolate means a cheap-tasting cake.
- Fold the egg whites in two batches. The first batch loosens the heavy chocolate mixture. The second batch goes in gently to preserve volume.
- Don’t skip the overnight refrigeration. The cake needs that time to fully set. It will look underdone when it comes out of the oven, and that’s correct.
- Bring to room temperature before serving. Cold chocolate is muted. Room temperature lets the full flavor come through.
Variations
- Add a tablespoon of espresso or strong coffee to the melted chocolate for deeper flavor.
- Serve with creme anglaise, whipped cream, or fresh raspberries.
Ingredients
Directions
Butter an 8 inch springform pan, line with parchment paper, then butter paper and dust lightly with flour.
To prevent leaking, line outside of pan with double thickness of heavy duty aluminium foil.
Melt chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally, in top of double boiler set over simmering water.
Cool slightly. Meanwhile, using electric beater, in a large bowl, beat egg yolks with ¾ cup sugar on high until very light and lemon coloured, about 5 minutes; scrape down sides occasionally.
Beat in melted chocolate mixture until well blended.
In separate bowl, beat egg whites until frothy.
Gradually beat remaining sugar; continue to beat whites until stiff.
Gently fold in remaining egg whites. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Place springform pan in larger pan filled with hot water, coming halfway up sides of springform pan.
Bake on lower half of preheated 375℉ (190℃) oven for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to 275F and bake 30 minutes. Turn off heat, prop door open slightly and leave cake in oven for 40 minutes.
Remove pan from water; let cake cool completely in pan.
Refrigerate overnight until cake sets.
Carefully remove from pan and invert onto serving platter.
Bring to room temperature before serving.
Dust with icing sugar. Slice and serve with creme anglaise or whipped cream.
SERVES: 8 to 10
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