Rich and decadent with a crackled top and soft, mousse-like centre. This flourless chocolate cake has all the delicious and delicate qualities of a soufflé without the time sensitive fuss.
The first time that I ever tasted a fallen chocolate soufflé cake was on an ill-fated picnic many years ago during an unusually warm spring. The weather was so pleasant that I commented to a friend how lovely it would be to have a picnic. My friend readily agreed. Since we were both passionate cooks, we promptly set about creating our elaborate menu. When it came to dessert my mind went immediately to a recipe I had been eyeing in an issue of Gourmet magazine for a fallen chocolate soufflé cake.
So excited by the prospect of our alfresco lunch, we failed to consider that the warm spell was a bit of an anomaly and that early spring on the BC West Coast is no time for outside dining. By the time we arrived at the park the weather had deteriorated. There was a biting, cold wind and dark grey clouds overhead threatened rain.
Not wanting to admit defeat we defiantly set up our table and proceeded with our picnic. We must have provided an immense amount of amusement to the bundled-up passersby as we hurriedly ate our lunch, huddled under our jackets and shivering in the cold. But, we managed to make it back to the car before the rain clouds opened up.
The memory of that picnic has stayed with me. I often think fondly of how cold we were, how much my friend complained, and how stubborn I was to not admit defeat. Disastrous though our picnic was, the food was not, and I have enjoyed making this dessert ever since. I eventually made some tweaks to the recipe – including swapping cocoa powder for flour which has the added bonus of making this dessert gluten free. My recipe for fallen chocolate soufflé cake is based off of that recipe I made so many years ago.
What is a Fallen Soufflé Cake?
As the name suggests, this cake is designed to fall and collapse after baking. Meringue is folded into a flourless batter which causes the cake to puff up during baking and then collapse as it cools. Similar in texture to a soufflé, this cake is light and airy inside with a crumbly and crackled top. The centre of the cake is a cross between a cake and mousse. The result is a decadent treat that absolutely must be served with piles of whipped cream to cut the sweet richness.
Ingredient Notes
Dark Chocolate: Chocolate really is the star of this recipe. Now is the time to splurge on the best dark chocolate that you can. The type you choose should be based on your taste preference, but avoid milk chocolate. The lower cocoa content and extra milk in the chocolate may affect the integrity of the batter by introducing more liquid into the recipe. Stick with a semi-sweet, bittersweet, or other dark chocolate. The chocolate that I use here is Baker’s Dark Chocolate 70%. Chop it into small pieces.
Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter in this recipe. There is a lot of butter in this cake so you want to be able to control the amount of added salt. If you end up using salted butter, then decrease the salt in the recipe to compensate.
Eggs: For baking I generally use large eggs. Here you will be separating them, adding the egg yolks to the chocolate mixture and beating the egg whites with sugar for meringue.
Vanilla: Use a good quality pure vanilla extract.
Instant Coffee Powder: I like to add coffee powder to this chocolate recipe. It really enhances the flavour of the chocolate, but it is optional and can be left out. Make sure you use instant coffee or espresso powder and not coffee grounds.
Cocoa powder: Since there is no flour in this recipe the cocoa powder helps add body to the batter. Use a good quality cocoa powder if you can. But, given the small amount it isn’t really as critical as the chocolate.
Whipping cream: A cake as rich and chocolatey as this needs to be topped with whipped cream. You only need to lightly sweeten the whipped cream as the cake is sweet enough.
How to Make Fallen Chocolate Soufflé Cake
This is a very forgiving recipe and not technically complicated. I would start by getting all your ingredients out and ready to go. Separate your eggs and measure out your ingredients so that it’s easy to add things as you go.
Begin by placing the chopped chocolate and unsalted butter into a large, heat-proof bowl. Place this over a pot of simmering water and allow the chocolate and butter to melt, whisking together.
Once the chocolate and butter are melted, add half of the sugar, the coffee powder, and the kosher salt. Leave over the heat for another minute or two and whisk to combine.
Remove from the heat and add the cocoa powder. Whisk to combine. Add the egg yolks, 1 or 2 at a time, whisking constantly so they don’t scramble in the hot chocolate. When everything is whisked together, set the chocolate mixture aside.
For the meringue, beat the egg whites in a mixer with a whip attachment on high. Once the egg whites start to foam, slowly add in the other half of the sugar while continuously beating until all the sugar is added. Beat until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg whites into the chocolate batter. Add a quarter of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture and whisk together to lighten the batter. Then gently fold the rest of the egg white in 3 more batches, using a spatula. Keep folding until all the egg whites are mixed in. Be careful not to whip the batter too vigorously.
Pour into a greased, parchment lined 9” springform cake pan and bake at 350 deg F for 35 minutes. The cake will look puffed and cracked on top. It should wobble slightly when shaken. Insert a toothpick into the centre; it should come out with some moist crumbs attached. Be careful not to over-bake the cake.
Let cake cool on a rack before serving. The cake will fall in the middle and it may be hard to cut cleanly while warm given its soft centre. Nonetheless, this flourless chocolate cake is all about deep, dark chocolatey taste and not necessarily looks. It definitely tastes best the day it’s made.
Pairing & Serving Suggestions
This fallen chocolate soufflé cake should be served with mountains of lightly sweetened whipped cream and is the perfect end to any meal. The addition of the coffee powder suggests a good cup of coffee or even a specialty coffee with added liqueur.
For a dessert wine pairing you can’t go wrong with a fortified wine like port. The sweet, raisin fruit flavours of a tawny or vintage port are always a good compliment to dark chocolate. Two local dessert wines that I have paired with this cake are the NV Tawny Port from La Frenz Winery and the Late Harvest Merlot from Moraine Estate Winery. Both are on Naramata Bench in Penticton.
