Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe With Crème Anglaise

I’m joining a few friends today to share our favorite Valentine’s desserts. For us, a dessert for Valentine’s Day always means chocolate. The flourless chocolate cake we made today, served with a créme anglaise, reminds us of a dessert we had when visiting the Loire Valley a few years ago in the winter on a cold, rainy day.

After a day of visiting castles, we stopped at a little French country restaurant to get cozy, and this was the dessert we shared. We’ve been meaning to make it ever since, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. The cake is delicious on its own, but the créme anglais takes only a few minutes to make and trust me, it’s worth it!

The equipment you’ll need

• Round 9″ cake pan (springform pan if you prefer)
• Parchment paper
• Large bowl (for the batter)
• Small bowl (for the egg mixture)
• Double boiler
• Rubber spatula

The ingredients

For the flourless chocolate cake:

• Good quality dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate if you prefer
• Large eggs (room temperature)
• Sugar
• Unsalted butter
• Espresso powder
• Cocoa powder
• Vanilla extract
• Baking powder
• Salt

For the crème ainglaise:

• Milk
• Heavy cream or whipping cream
• Egg yolks
• Sugar
• Vanilla extract

Directions for flourless chocolate cake recipe

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Fill a rectangular cake pan with very hot water about 2 inches up the sides of the pan and place on the bottom rack of the oven. This will make the oven a bit steamy and make the cake nice and moist.
3. Cut a 9″ round of parchment paper for the bottom of the pan.
4. Very generously grease the round cake pan with butter. I use a stick of butter. Once I’ve greased it, I place 1 tablespoon of butter on a paper towel, microwave it for a few seconds until it is soft, and then grease the pan (bottom and sides) again, smearing the softened butter on every bit of the pan. This will ensure the cake is released when removing it from the pan. Place the parchment paper on top of the greased pan and butter the parchment paper as well.
5. Roughly chop the chocolate and cut the butter into pieces. Place chocolate and butter in the double broiler and stir until it has all melted and is velvety smooth.
6. Whisk the sugar, eggs, espresso powder, and vanilla extract, and then add it to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.
7. Whisk in the cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, place the cake on the middle of the oven rack, and bake for 30 minutes. The cake is done when a cake tester comes out clean.
9. Let the cake completely cool. Then, run a sharp knife around the edges of the cake and invert it onto your serving plate. When ready to serve, pour some crème anglaise over each slice of cake and serve immediately.

For the creme anglaise:

1. Combine milk and cream in a heavy medium saucepan. Add vanilla and over medium-low heat, bring milk mixture to a simmer. Remove from heat.
2. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture into the yolk and sugar mixture. Return to saucepan and stir over low heat until custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. It takes about 5 minutes (do not boil or overcook as the egg yolks will scramble). Strain sauce into a bowl. Cover and chill (can be made 1 day ahead).

How do I store the leftovers?

If you are lucky enough to have leftover cake, you can store it on the kitchen counter, loosely covered in foil, for a couple of days. If you don’t plan on having it in that time frame, I recommend slicing pieces, individually wrapping them in plastic wrap, and placing them inside an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. 

If you enjoyed the delicious dessert recipe, you may want to check these out as well.

• Slab apple pie
• Martha Stewart’s skillet chocolate chip cookie
• Creamy orange posset with brûlée topping