Flourless Chocolate Date Cake Recipes

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE-DATE CAKE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring dates and bourbon to a simmer; cook, stirring, until almost all of liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; cover and let cool. Purée in a food processor until smooth. (You should have about 1 cup.)
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Line bottom with parchment; butter parchment. Dust pan with cocoa, tapping out any excess.
• In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, melt butter and chocolate, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in 2/3 cup date purée. Let cool; whisk in egg yolks, kosher salt, and cinnamon.
• Beat egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Slowly add 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff glossy peaks form. Fold one-third of whites into chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining whites. Transfer to prepared pan, smoothing top with an offset spatula.
• Bake until set, cracking a bit on edges, and shiny in center, about 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Run a paring knife around sides of pan; remove from pan and transfer to a cake plate.
• In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring remaining 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Let boil, without stirring, until deep golden brown, swirling pan to color evenly, and washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to keep crystals from forming, 10 to 11 minutes. Remove from heat; carefully pour in cream (it will spatter), stirring to combine. Stir in remaining 1/3 cup date purée. Pass caramel through a fine sieve to remove lumps. Let cool until thick but pourable, about 30 minutes.
• Pour caramel over cake, spreading with an offset spatula so it drips over sides. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Slice cake with a knife dipped in hot water, then wiped down between slices; serve with whipped cream.

FLOURLESS WALNUT-DATE CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch-round cake pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Put the walnuts, cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor; pulse until finely ground but not powdery. Whisk the egg yolks, orange zest and vanilla, if using, in a small bowl.
• Beat the egg whites and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until foamy. Beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until soft peaks form, about 8 minutes. Fold in the yolk mixture and dates, then fold in the ground walnut mixture. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack, then run a knife along the sides and invert the cake onto a platter.
• Make the glaze: Put the chocolate, margarine and honey in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave until the margarine melts, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Cool slightly, then pour over the cake. Top with walnuts.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease one 10 inch round cake pan and set aside.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the water, salt and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside.
• Either in the top half of a double boiler or in a microwave oven melt the bittersweet chocolate. Pour the chocolate into the bowl of an electric mixer.
• Cut the butter into pieces and beat the butter into the chocolate, 1 piece at a time. Beat in the hot sugar-water. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Have a pan larger than the cake pan ready, put the cake pan in the larger pan and fill the pan with boiling water halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
• Bake cake in the water bath at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 45 minutes. The center will still look wet. Chill cake overnight in the pan. To unmold, dip the bottom of the cake pan in hot water for 10 seconds and invert onto a serving plate.