Looking for gluten-free desserts? Quite handy, then, to have a cake up your sleeve that doesn’t require any flour. This delicious and indulgent chocolate cake recipe uses ground almonds.

James Ramsden

Flourless Chocolate Cake
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Serves 6-8
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 150g/5½oz/generous ½ cup butter, softened
  • 200g/7oz dark chocolate, broken up
  • 150g/5½oz/¾ cup caster (superfine) sugar
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 150g/5½oz/generous 1½ cups ground almonds

To serve

  • cocoa powder
  • single (light) cream

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7.
  2. Line the bottom of a 20cm/8in diameter cake tin with greaseproof paper. Give the sides a little rub with butter.
  3. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. When the chocolate has fully melted, leave to cool for a minute or two.
  4. Meanwhile, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg yolks. Fold in the ground almonds. Fold the cooled melted chocolate through the mixture.
  5. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Very gently fold the whites through the cake mixture. Carefully tip into the cake tin and bake for 20 minutes.
  6. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
  7. When the cake is completely cool, run a palette knife around the edge of the cake tin, and turn out onto a plate. Dust with cocoa powder and serve with cream.

Pairing suggestion: Take your pick, though Cordon Bleu would be a winner.

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