Flourless chocolate cake

Knowing people who are allergic to gluten has allowed me to try recipes that they can eat.  We have a monthly department meeting, and I signed up to make dessert.

Hmm... what could I make that is gluten-free?  How about a flourless chocolate cake? I found a recipe from Nigella Lawson's cookbook, Kitchen. This recipe can also be found online.  Her version is a flourless chocolate lime cake with margarita cream.

I decided to leave out the lime and the margarita cream because I didn't have any lime or margarita ingredients.  Overall, it was an easy recipe, but it was helpful having a freestanding mixer (one of my lovely wedding gifts which I LOVE).

I baked it early in the morning, and I had to remind my hubby not to be tempted to eat it.  I did tell him that I would save him a slice.  I recommend cutting into 10 slices because it's a pretty rich cake. I doubt anyone will complain.

Ingredients:

• 150g dark chocolate, chopped
• 150g soft unsalted butter, plus some for greasing
• 6 eggs
• 250g caster sugar
• 100g ground almonds
• 4 teaspoons best-quality cocoa powder, 
•  icing sugar, to dust (optional)
• 1 x 23cm springform or other round cake tin

Method

Serves: 8-10

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4, line the base of your cake tin with baking parchment and butter the sides.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together either in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave (following manufacturer’s instructions), then set aside to cool slightly.
3. Beat the eggs and sugar together until about tripled in volume, pale and moussy. I do this using a freestanding mixer, but a hand-held electric model would be just fine too; obviously, by hand is possible but would demand tenacity and muscle.
4. Mix the ground almonds with the cocoa powder and fold this gently into the egg and sugar mixture, followed by the slightly cooled chocolate and butter.
5. Pour and scrape this mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40–45 minutes (though start to check at 35); the cake will be just firm on top, but still have a bit of wobble underneath.
6. Remove from the oven and sit the cake in its tin on a wire rack to cool. Once the first heat has left it, drape a clean tea towel over the cake to stop it getting too crusty, though a cracked and cratered surface is to be expected; it’s crunch I’m avoiding here.
7. When cold, unmould, dust with icing sugar.