French Chocolate Cake

5 from 2 votes

This nearly flourless French Chocolate Cake is dense, full of rich chocolate flavor and yet surprisingly light in texture. It’s an elegant dessert choice for chocolate lovers.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Cooling Time45

Total Time1 50

Course: Dressing

Cuisine: American, French

Servings: servings

Calories: 277kcal

Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Equipment

Ingredients

½ cup granulated white sugar divided
4 ounce bittersweet chocolate baking bar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
¾ cup unsalted butter cubed
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs at room temperature, separated
¼ cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
dash of salt
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9-inch springform cake pan with parchment paper and spray the paper and the sides of the pan generously with nonstick cooking spray.
Set aside 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar. Break the chocolate into pieces and place them in a large, heavy-bottomed pan along with the cubed butter and remaining sugar. Cook over LOW to MEDIUM-LOW heat until the chocolate and butter have melted, and the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla, and leave the mixture to cool slightly.
While chocolate mixture is cooling, beat the egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer until foamy. Add the salt and beat until the mixture becomes puffy and white and you can see peaks when you pull the beaters out. Sprinkle reserved sugar over egg whites, and beat until stiff and glossy. Set aside.
Beat the egg yolks into the slighly cooled chocolate mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the flour just until combined.
Beat ⅓ of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then carefully fold in the remaining whites with a spoon or rubber spatula. Carefully pour the batter into the prepared pan, and tap the pan gently to release any air bubbles. Place the pan on a baking sheet.
Bake for about 35 minutes to 45 minutes, until well risen and the center feels almost set, but not completely. If the cake appears to rise unevenly, rotate after 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven, set the pan on a wire cooling rack, and remove the sides only. Do not attempt to remove the cake from the base before it's completely cooled as this cake is very fragile.
Sprinkle the completely cooled cake with confectioners' sugar. Remove from base, carefully peel off parchment paper and move to a serving platter.

Notes

The total baking time will be less if the cake is baked in a springform pan that is larger than 9-inches.

Allow your eggs to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before starting. If you forget, don’t fret! Just place whole eggs in a bowl with warm (not hot!) water and let them sit for about 5 to 10 minutes.

To line your springform pan, you can purchase pre-cut parchment rounds or cut your own parchment paper. To ensure the cake will release from the pan, coat the parchment paper and the sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.

To properly measure your flour, spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off.

If the cake doesn’t seem to be rising evenly, rotate it about halfway through the baking time.

For the best, dense fudgy result, be careful not to overbake this cake. It will continue to cook a bit as it cools on the base of the springform pan.

After baking, set the pan on a wire cooling rack. Remove just the sides of the springform pan and allow the cake to cool completely on the base. Once cooled, run a knife along the edges to gently separate the cake from the base and use a spatula to help lift and move it to a serving platter.

Nutrition