Gateau au Chocolat (Rich Flourless Chocolate Cake)
Gateau au chocolat is a French-style chocolate cake built on a generous proportion of dark chocolate and butter, yielding a dense, moist crumb that sits closer to a truffle than a sponge. Many recipes use minimal flour or none at all, so the structure comes almost entirely from eggs and chocolate. Whipping the egg whites into a meringue and folding them into the batter introduces just enough air to keep the texture from feeling leaden, creating a quality that is simultaneously rich and melt-on-the-tongue light. After baking, the cake develops a thin, crackly shell on top while the interior remains soft and fudge-like, revealing an intensely dark cross-section when sliced. A dusting of powdered sugar or a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream provides visual contrast and a mild counterpoint to the concentrated chocolate. The cake improves overnight as the flavors deepen, making it well suited for preparing a day ahead of celebrations.
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Instructions
- 1
Melt dark chocolate and butter over a double boiler.
- 2
Whisk eggs and sugar until pale and ribbon-like.
- 3
Gradually fold melted chocolate into the egg mixture.
- 4
Sift in cake flour and cocoa powder, fold gently.
- 5
Pour into a pan and bake at 170°C for 28-30 minutes; the center should be slightly underdone.
- 6
Cool completely, then dust with cocoa powder to finish.
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