First Prize Chocolate Fudge Cake

Just one cup of flour holds twelve ounces of melted chocolate and six eggs together in this ridiculously rich chocolate cake, which is precisely what makes it taste more like a dense fudge truffle than a typical cake. Closer in spirit to flourless chocolate torte than birthday cake, this is a serious dessert for serious chocolate lovers.

The instant coffee powder is the secret weapon. Just a couple tablespoons dissolved with the melted chocolate intensifies the chocolate flavor without making the cake taste like coffee. This is a classic baker’s trick that boxed mixes do not include but most great chocolate desserts use.

Folding stiff-beaten egg whites into the chocolate base provides the only lift in this cake, since there is no baking powder or soda. The whites need to be properly stiff to hold the cake from collapsing into pure fudge, but not over-beaten to the point of dry and lumpy, which makes folding impossible.

The overnight chill is non-skippable. Right out of the oven this cake is soft and crumbly, almost like a brownie. Twelve hours in the fridge transforms the texture into something denser, smoother, and more truffle-like, exactly the award-winning result that gives the cake its name.

Pro Tips

• Wrap the springform pan exterior tightly with heavy-duty foil to prevent any chocolate batter from leaking through the seal
• Cool the chocolate mixture fully to room temperature before adding to the butter, warm chocolate breaks the emulsion
• Cream the butter and sugar for the full five minutes, this air is part of the leavening
• Fold the whites in three additions, lightening the chocolate base first with a quarter, then folding the rest in two more parts
• Top may crack as it cools, that is correct and expected, the powdered sugar dusting hides it perfectly

Variations

• Use dark chocolate (70% cacao) instead of semisweet for an even more intense bittersweet flavor
• Add a tablespoon of brandy, rum, or Grand Marnier to the cooled chocolate for boozy depth
• Serve with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream or fresh raspberries to cut the richness
• Top with chocolate ganache instead of powdered sugar for a glossier more decadent finish