A sinful, boozy, gluten free Chocolate Cake recipe made by modifying a recipe from the Bourke street bakery book.
Cointreau is a type of orange-flavored liqueur that can add a delicious citrusy and slightly sweet flavor to cakes. It can be used in a variety of ways to enhance the flavor of cakes. Cointreau can be a great addition to cakes, but it’s important to use it in moderation and follow a recipe that specifically calls for it to ensure the best results.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
260 gms, dark chocolate, finely chopped
135 ml milk
40 gm yoghurt
4 eggs
105 gm superfine sugar, for eggs
4 egg whites
160 gm superfine sugar for egg whites
135 ml pouring whipping cream
55 gm unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
zest of 1 orange
60 ml Cointreau
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150C. Grease an 8 inch cake tin, preferable a spring foam cake tin, and line the side and base with baking paper, the paper should protrude about 1 inch above the tin, (the cake rises and then collapses once removed).
2. Place the chocolate in a large stainless steel bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water, try to use a big bowl, to hold the whole of the cake mixture. Stir the chocolate till it melts.
3. Put the milk and yoghurt in a saucepan over medium high heat, and let it boil, switch off the heat, you will have a curdled milk mixture. Set it aside.
4. Put the eggs and the sugar for the eggs in a bowl and whisk it for 10 minutes, or until it is light and has doubled in volume, set it aside.
5. In a very clean and dry bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, and then add the sugar for the whites, whisking until soft peaks form a shiny meringue. Be careful not to over whisk. Place it in the refrigerator.
6. Whisk the cream until soft peaks form and place in the refrigerator until needed.
7. You would now have melted chocolate, curdled milk, whipped eggs, meringue, whipped cream and cocoa powder, all ready to be mixed step by step.
8. Pour the curdled milk into the chocolate and use a whisk to mix it in. Add the orange zest and the Cointreau to the chocolate here. Then add the cocoa and whisk to completely incorporate, it will be a thick blob, but make sure its smooth.
9. Fold in the whipped eggs in three batches, making sure you completely incorporate the first batch before adding the next. A few white streak here and there, is fine, will get folded well in the next batches.
10. Lightly fold the meringue into the whipped cream, taking care not to knock out too much air. Fold this into the chocolate mix in three batches, making sure you incorporate the first batch before adding the next.
11. Using the rubber spatula, scoop the cake batter into the prepared tin, and tap it twice gently on the bench to level it out evenly.
12. Bake for 1 hr 15 minutes to 30, and don’t disturb the cake for the first 45 minutes.
13. Do the center wobbling test, and take it out of the oven, let it cool for 30 minutes before removing from the tin.
Note:The “center wobbling test” is a technique used to determine whether a custard, cheesecake, or similar baked dish is properly cooked. When a dish is properly cooked, it should be set on the outside but still have a slight wobble in the center. The wobble should be gentle, like a wave, and not too liquid or runny.
To perform the center wobbling test, gently shake the dish from side to side while it is still in the oven. If the edges of the dish are set but the center jiggles slightly, it is likely cooked properly. The dish will continue to cook and set as it cools, so it’s important not to overcook it.
Note : This is basically a cooked mousse which can be kept in an airtight container for 1-2 days and refrigerated for up to 5 days, but its the best within 4 hrs of baking. /it puffs up high during baking and the collapses once removed from the oven to form a dense center. It would taste the best with some ice cream or whipped cream, but I didn’t have any and it was simply flawless without them.
