High quality dark chocolate is a marvel in itself. Deep in richness, slightly fruity and floral in flavor, and complex in a mouth-coating bitterness that’s surprisingly pleasant, it’s no wonder that chocolate single-handedly transformed our expectations for pastry over the past two centuries.
Rather than muting the intense flavor of chocolate with hefty ingredients like flour and cups of sugar, a Chocolate Torte uses no flour and a small amount of sugar, allowing the chocolate to take center stage in a decadent way. Eggs are whipped for 6 minutes to trap air into their structure before being folded in with the chocolate. The air trapped in the eggs expands dramatically in the oven, and then falls as the cake cools, giving the cake a soft airy texture. Since no flour is used in the recipe, this dessert is inadvertently gluten-free, so you can serve it to almost anyone. Our only note is that you use the highest quality dark chocolate you can find because its flavor will stand out. Lastly, the beauty of this dessert is in its simplicity, so serve it by itself or with a few berries and some freshly whipped cream, but feel no need to embellish with anything more.
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter and line the bottom with a 9-inch circle of parchment paper. Set aside.
Step 2
Combine chocolate, butter, and espresso powder over a double boiler. Stir together until fully melted and incorporated. Remove from heat and set aside.
Step 3
With the whip attachment on a stand mixer, whip together eggs, sugar, and salt on medium-high until quadrupled in volume, about 6 minutes.
Step 4
Transfer egg mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add half of melted chocolate mixture and gently stir to combine. Add remaining chocolate and fold to fully combine.
Step 5
In stand mixer, beat cream to medium peaks (Note: There’s no need to clean the bowl and whisk attachment from the egg mixture). Fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Carefully transfer batter to prepared springform pan. Bake until the surface doesn’t move when shaken and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing from pan. Dust with cocoa powder and serve.
Chef's Notes
If you don’t want to bother with a double boiler, simply melt the chopped chocolate in the microwave by heating it on 30% power for 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until fully melted. Melt the butter separately and then stir into melted chocolate. Proceed with recipe as written.
