Flourless Chocolate Mud Cakes
A twist on the traditional cupcake, these flourless chocolate mud cakes are perfect for those with a gluten or wheat intolerance. While I won't go as far as to call these gluten free (there may be some traces of wheat thickener used in the chocolate and the decorations) but I have happily consumed these without any ill effects... although my naturopath will kill me when he sees the sugar content!
The 'flourless' cake is a little tricky the first time as it requires preparing the eggs separately, fluffing up the whites and creaming the yolks to create the texture so please follow the recipe the first time you bake these. Almond meal (ground almonds) is used in place of the flour, giving the cake a fluffy richness that is impossible to explain until you taste it for yourself.
Ingredients
- 100 grams of butter
- 150 grams of dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup of caster sugar
- 150 grams of almond meal
Method
- Put butter, chocolate and vanilla in a bowl which can be placed over a saucepan of hot water (do not get any water in the chocolate)
- Melt the chocolate by resting it in the saucepan and heating the water - this is a gentle way to melt chocolate without burning it. Stir regularly until all melted.
- Put aside and allow to cool to room temperature. I cheated and put mine in the freezer for 5 minutes. I used a stainless steel bowl so this chilled the edges and brought the temperature down very quickly, but this can be a disaster if you leave it too long because the chocolate will begin to set again. Just keep in mind the goal - room temperature melted chocolate, butter and vanilla.
- Separate egg whites and egg yolks into 2 different bowls, putting half of the sugar into each. Do not get any yolks into the whites as this will prevent them from fluffing up.
- Beat the whites until they form soft peaks.
What are soft peaks?
This is basically when the egg mixture holds its own weight, or holds its shape enough that small peaks form in the mixture. For the 4 eggs it will take about 5 minutes on a medium speed with an electric mixer. Don't try to use a whisk, you'll get a sore arm and a load of frustration. The whites will start to turn from transparent to pure white, then will gradually become firmer. Don't beat too much or your peaks will be hard and this changes the texture of your cake. I used my food processor which has a plastic attachment that can be used for beating.
Are your peaks more like sloppy drizzle? I have personally messed up this part many times but have corrected the recipe by adding half a cup of cocoa and a tablespoon of icing sugar - it makes them more fudgey rather than fluffy.
- Beat the yolks until they are creamy.
- Add chocolate mixture (make sure it is room temperature) to the YOLKS, stirring until all ingredients are blended.
- Add almond meal, making sure all ingredients are blended well because the next step has to be done gently.
- Fold in the egg whites, 1/3 at a time, making sure to be gentle with the whites when stirring to keep the air bubbles from popping.
- Spoon mixture into either muffin tins or cupcake cases and bake for 30 minutes in a medium oven (180C)
Decorate the cakes with your choice of icing, jam, cream, fudge, ganache or cheat with a spread like nutella ...
