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Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake - Quirky Cooking 

I know it may seem like all I ever do is bake sweet things (mostly chocolate sweet things) and eat them, but I really don’t… I do love to bake, but generally I only make decadent things like this for special occasions, like Mother’s Day or birthdays or when friends come to visit. And I only eat a tiny bit – there’s always plenty of people willing to help eat it. And I tweak them to make them healthier. So I hope you’ll excuse me for posting another one, and I promise to post something healthier next time! 

This is my take on the classic French flourless chocolate, coffee and almond cake. I love it, because it’s grain free, and I love nut flour cakes as they stay moist for days. I made mine with walnuts instead of almonds – you could use almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts, and pecans would probably work well too.  Unlike my Flourless Pecan Cake, however, this one isn’t a light cake – it’s a dense, fudgey cake, delicious for dessert with some berries and maybe a drizzle of cream (cashew cream, for me!)… And just for fun, you can also make mini Flourless Espresso Cakes like these ones I made for my friend’s ‘birthday cake’, covered in chocolate ganache. She loved them!

Note: You can find vanilla powder for this recipe in my online store!

Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake - Quirky Cooking
Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake
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Ingredients
  1. 5 egg whites
  2. a pinch of cream of tartar
  3. 100g raw walnuts or almonds or hazelnuts
  4. 150g Rapadura
  5. 200g dark, bitter chocolate
  6. 2 Tablespoons very strong espresso coffee, liquid not instant (or 3 Tablespoons instant coffee)
  7. 1 tsp rum or brandy essence (or a tablespoon of the real thing)
  8. 150g butter or coconut oil
  9. 5 egg yolks
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 F). Butter (or grease with coconut oil) a 20cm round cake tin, sift cocoa over the butter so cake won't stick, and set aside.
  2. Insert the butterfly into the Thermomix bowl and whip the egg whites and cream of tartar on speed 4 until stiff - about 3 minutes. Set aside and clean out Thermomix bowl, drying well.
  3. Grind up nuts on speed 9 until fine - don't overdo it, or they'll be too oily. About 8-10 seconds should be enough. Set aside.
  4. Grind up Rapadura until fine, about 30 seconds on speed 9.
  5. Add the chocolate, broken into pieces, and grind on speed 9 until fine.
  6. Add coffee, essence, and butter/ghee and melt at 50 degrees, 3 minutes, speed 2.
  7. Add ground nuts and mix well on speed 5 for 10 seconds.
  8. With motor still running on speed 5, add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well between each one.
  9. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the beaten egg whites to the mixture and mix in on speed 3. Scrape mixture into a large bowl, and gently fold in the rest of the egg whites with a rubber spatula.
  10. Turn mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40 - 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool before removing from cake tin. Don't worry if the crust cracks and collapses a bit, that's normal.
  11. Dust with a little powdered rapadura to serve (milled in the Thermomix, speed 9) and top it with some raspberries and mini rapadura-sweetened choc chips, if you like! Or just serve with cashew or coconut cream.
Quirky Cooking https://quirkycooking.com.au/
Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake - Quirky Cooking 

Before folding in egg whites 

Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake - Quirky Cooking

After folding in egg whites

Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake - Quirky Cooking

22 thoughts on “Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

  1. Linda says:

    Y U M !
    Looks amazing Jo.

    We love your blog AND your recipes. Your fried rice is still our family favorite and hubby is sculling the non dairy chocolate protien shakes lately……!

  2. Denise says:

    This looks divine Jo, can’t wait to try it.It’s just crying out so I can make use of my second bowl!!

  3. Jo Whitton says:

    Thanks Linda! Glad to hear you’re enjoying my blog! 😀
    & Denise, if you have two bowls you’ll find it much simpler! I actually had 2 Thermomixes & 3 bowls going that day, with all the cooking I was doing! But I thought I’d better not write out the recipe like that – lol!

  4. Jo Whitton says:

    Phiazy, I would cut this into 12 slices, as it’s so rich. For little kids you could even halve those slices. Just add some ice cream or raspberry-coconut cream sorbet, and you’ll have plenty! 😀

  5. Madame Thermomix says:

    This looks fabulous and easy, Jo, many thanks. It will do the trick as a gluten-free cake for my local tearoom. Thanks for tweeting all your best suggestions for me, too! I’m off to the store to buy some chocolate and almonds now… if I can stop drooling at this recipe 😉

  6. Anonymous says:

    Hi Jo love your blog! Do the nuts get taken out after step 6 and the egg whites beaten in the TM bowl by themselves?
    Thanks
    Elissa.

  7. Jo Whitton says:

    Thank you! You can either beat the egg whites at the start and set aside til the end (as in the recipe), or clean out the bowl after the chocolate mixture is made, and beat the egg whites last, then fold into the chocolate mixture. I use two bowls and beat the egg whites last, then fold into mixture. 🙂

  8. Jo Whitton says:

    I think you could – maybe just use about 70-80g honey and cook a bit longer at a little lower temp. OR if you want to use stevia, just add about half a tsp and then taste to see if it’s sweet enough. Not sure how that will affect the texture though.

  9. Anonymous says:

    I made this for our Warrior Dash treat. I used Frangelico instead of rum and it was divine. Good work

  10. Yummymummy says:

    Hi Jo, I made this today for Father’s Day, everyone loved it! I used 150g dry roasted hazelnuts and Frangelico instead of rum.
    I prefer this to the Torta Caprese, as I have had trouble with that cake; too dry, too bitter according to the kids, despite it having more sugar than your cake. I’ve made that one 3 times!
    I do find the whites bleed a bit while waiting for the rest of cake mixture to be ready. Definitely a favourite!

  11. florence says:

    Have been wanting to make for yonks! just in the oven now. how long will it last, and how should i store it?
    thanks!

    • QuirkyJo says:

      In the fridge would be best unless you live in a cool dry place. 🙂 Should last awhile in the fridge.

  12. Julie says:

    this was a winner! I did it with almonds and no alcohol and will try it with walnuts (as your recipe book suggests) next time 🙂 Thanks Jo.
    BTW, I only used 90grams of coconut sugar but I will have to check if my dark choc was 55% or 70% as I bought it from the bulk bin.

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