This is something I have been making for years, and it pleases me to make and serve to people time after time. There is also nothing more satisfying about eating something decadently chocolatey without feeling like a big lump of dough afterwards. This cake is just that. I give you my classic flourless chocolate cake recipe that is super simple and easy to make. Make it in advance if you have people coming over, or just out of the oven, even the next day this cake takes on a new life in a delicious light and cheesecake-y textured form. You can also experiment with swapping the almond meal in this recipe to hazelnut or pistachio meal to make life a little exciting. The chocolate high never stops.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

You will need:
1tsp brandy
1/2tsp of coarse seasalt
1tbsp espresso or strong coffee
200g good quality dark chocolate (about 70% minimum, I use Callebaut brand)
1/3 cup caster sugar
150g unsalted butter (I use grass fed butter)
3/4 cup almond /hazelnut / pistachio meal
5 eggs, separated

whipped cream (for serving – optional)

Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease and line a springform cake tin. Melt the butter and chocolate (broken into small pieces) over a saucepan of boiling water. Make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir regularly to ensure the chocolate melts evenly. Add the sugar and salt, then the coffee and brandy. Stir to combine and take off the heat to start cooling. Add the nut meal and mix well until there are no big lumps left. Once the mixture isn’t so hot, beat in the egg yolks one at a time.

Beat the egg whites in a clean separate bowl until soft peaks form. Mix 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold the rest in, making sure you keep the airy texture of the batter without over mixing. Pour into the springform tin and slide it into the oven and bake for 40mins, until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. Cool completely before slicing and serving with whipped cream.