Flourless Chocolate Cakes: Tips & Techniques

[lia]

I'm having one of those cravings that belongs in a certain other thread...and I'm going to make the Elizabeth David/Laurie Colwin flourless chocolate cake. No almonds in the house (the recipe requires 1/2 cup ground) but I do have hazelnuts...can I sub without destroying the most perfect chocolate cake in existence?

[chezcherie]

haven't done it with that particular recipe, but have subbed hazelnuts for other nuts many times in similar recipes, where ground nuts take part or all of the place of flour.

[etalanian]

You absolutely can! Enjoy the cake!

Eileen

[Ling]

another vote for "yes"

[helenjp]

If you don't care for hazelnuts, just send them ALL to me...right now...without questioning!

Hazelnuts are a good sub for almonds, although they have a much more pronounced flavor, they must be more similar in oil content etc., especially in comparison with walnuts.

[lia]

If you don't care for hazelnuts, just send them ALL to me...right now...without questioning!

Hazelnuts are a good sub for almonds, although they have a much more pronounced flavor, they must be more similar in oil content etc., especially in comparison with walnuts.

←

ha...thanks for all of your input, the cake came out fine...I wasn't worried about the flavor, just whether the texture would work. The flavor is actually a lot more mellow than I thought it would be...I thought the hazelnut would come out MUCH stronger...

[paulraphael]

I've experimented quite a bit with flourless chocolate torte recipes. In general I prefer the ones with unseparated eggs (these are more like baked custards; the ones with whipped egg whites seem more like souflés).

The finally recipe I developed uses three whole eggs, very lightly beaten. Since arriving at this, I've found a couple of similar recipes by pastry chefs I admire (Pierre Hermé and Gilles Bajole) that use a single whole egg plus three egg yolks.

I'm curious to know the idea behind this is--why it might be beneficial to use a much higher proportion of yolks to whites. I plan to try it next time, but it's helpful to understand the theory. Any thoughts?

[alanamoana]

I've experimented quite a bit with flourless chocolate torte recipes. In general I prefer the ones with unseparated eggs (these are more like baked custards; the ones with whipped egg whites seem more like souflés).

The finally recipe I developed uses three whole eggs, very lightly beaten. Since arriving at this, I've found a couple of similar recipes by pastry chefs I admire (Pierre Hermé and Gilles Bajole) that use a single whole egg plus three egg yolks.

I'm curious to know the idea behind this is--why it might be beneficial to use a much higher proportion of yolks to whites. I plan to try it next time, but it's helpful to understand the theory. Any thoughts?

←

these recipes are sort of like very lightly baked ganaches. the omission of whites is probably a textural consideration. while the yolks offer toughening (setting up of the batter), they are mostly fat and emulsifiers which would give a very nice mouthfeel to the finished product. egg whites are nonfat and mostly protein which helps set baked goods as well, but gives a different texture to the final product.

[paulraphael]

Do you think omitting the whites might produce a smoother or more succulent texture?

By volume, do whites tend to give more or less structural strength than yolks?

[Sethro]

Do you think omitting the whites might produce a smoother or more succulent texture?

By volume, do whites tend to give more or less structural strength than yolks?

←

I think this recipe applies to fondants or molten chocolate cakes without a seperate ganache or couveture center. Yolks can provice structure on their own, but with equal whites they are also going to provide lift. That lift would meke the molten center somewhat spongey/airy in texture, which would be less good.

The recipe's that result suflee-like are better for fondants with a seprate ganache/couveture center because, well because they are just better* cakes and the center will not incorporate any lift through baking regardless.

*better being subjective of course. more of a textural contrast between cake and center.

Edited March 12, 2007 by Sethro (log)

[shivohum]

Hi,

I tried baking a chocolate whiskey torte from Sherry Yard's "Secrets of Baking" (a generally excellent book). The problem was that the finished product had little bits in it, which I think were bits of cooked egg white, since there's nothing else in the recipe that could have that texture.

I'm trying to figure out what went wrong.

It's just cream and sugar heated and poured over chopped chocolate to create a ganache, then a couple of room temperature eggs whisked with some whiskey and then poured into the ganache.

Then she advises pouring the mixture into ramekins, but I put it into a bread loaf pan instead, and then put that in a larger pan and filled it partly up with hot water, also per recipe. I baked at 325, the recipe temperature until the torte was "firm to the touch," again as per recipe, and then let it cool slightly before serving.

But then the egg bit problem... any ideas on why this is happening? Thanks!

[plk]

The ganache might have been too hot when the eggs were added, especially if the recipe didn't call for you to temper the eggs by adding a little bit of the ganache in to the eggs to heat them up (while quickly whisking to avoid cooking the eggs) and then returning the tempered eggs to the ganache. Or, if it seemed like the problem happened during baking, maybe the eggs weren't fully incorporated into the ganache.

[shivohum]

The ganache might have been too hot when the eggs were added, especially if the recipe didn't call for you to temper the eggs by adding a little bit of the ganache in to the eggs to heat them up (while quickly whisking to avoid cooking the eggs) and then returning the tempered eggs to the ganache.  Or, if it seemed like the problem happened during baking, maybe the eggs weren't fully incorporated into the ganache.

←

Hrmm... I seem to recall, though I could be wrong, that the ganache was only lukewarm when I poured the eggs in. So that doesn't *seem* to be the problem. As for incorporation, the recipe said the eggs should be "gently stirred into" the ganache. I thought I did that and it seemed to achieve homogeneity. But is there some way I could have tested more thoroughly for that? Thanks.

[plk]

There shouldn't be any white or lighter-colored streaks. The first time I made a chocolate torte, I was so worried about deflating the air in the whipped eggs that I left light-colored streaks in the batter, which ended up being absolutely disgusting in the baked end product. So, I would make sure it's all the same color and also make sure the eggs have been whisked well enough.

Also, I can't say for sure, but using a loaf pan might have contributed to the problem. The only thing in that torte that is making it a solid "cake" is the eggs. I'm not sure that would really work in something as big and deep as a loaf pan. You might have had to bake it for longer to get the eggs to start to set, and that might have caused a problem with the eggs. When I make a chocolate torte, which I haven't admittedly done in a few years, I don't put it in single-serving ramekins either, but I use a round springform pan. I think it's about 8 inches. So, if you used something like that, at least the depth would be the same. Good luck!

[paulraphael]

I'm not sure about the specific problem you're having, if the ganache really was luke warm. I can imagine the loaf pan causing the recipe to not turn out as intended, though. Most of the chocolate tortes I've seen that are based on a ganache are intended to be underbaked in ramekins, so the center stays liquid. That's usually the point of the ganache batter (althought these are typically made with just yolks or mostly yolks; egg whites can muck up the texture of a molten center). Is that what the original recipe called for?

[miladyinsanity]

Sieve the mixture into your pan.

Though, the whiskey itself might have enough alcohol to 'cook' the egg white--isn't this a test for something or other, people who work in labs?

[shivohum]

I'm not sure about the specific problem you're having, if the ganache really was luke warm. I can imagine the loaf pan causing the recipe to not turn out as intended, though. Most of the chocolate tortes I've seen that are based on a ganache are intended to be underbaked in ramekins, so the center stays liquid. That's usually the point of the ganache batter (althought these are typically made with just yolks or mostly yolks; egg whites can muck up the texture of a molten center). Is that what the original recipe called for?

←

Nope, the original recipe called for whole eggs... in fact, I had had the same thought during the recipe and double-checked.

[shivohum]

Sieve the mixture into your pan.

Though, the whiskey itself might have enough alcohol to 'cook' the egg white--isn't this a test for something or other, people who work in labs?

←

Yeah after I had my problem result I thought about this very possibility. It was just weird because Sherry Yard's book is great -- I probably just didn't do something right (like incorporate the eggs properly into the ganache); if it had required straining, I thought she would have said so.

[choux]

If it wasn't a whole lot of 'bits' it could have been the chalazae of the eggs. You know, the stringy white bit. If the eggs are very fresh, they have prominent chalazae and you could definitely notice them. Straining will eliminate them.

[Geminigirl]

Sieve the mixture into your pan.

Though, the whiskey itself might have enough alcohol to 'cook' the egg white--isn't this a test for something or other, people who work in labs?

←

Yeah after I had my problem result I thought about this very possibility. It was just weird because Sherry Yard's book is great -- I probably just didn't do something right (like incorporate the eggs properly into the ganache); if it had required straining, I thought she would have said so.

←

Chef Jean Francois Arnaud always advise us to sieve anything liquid that has eggs in it, even if the recipe doesn't say so. It is to eliminate any stringy parts of the eggs and also the posibility or a stray egg shell bits.

geminigirl

[sugarseattle]

the flourless torte in the cook's illustrated baking illustrated book doesn't require folding so you don't have to worry so much about being overly gentle with whipped whites. i really like that recipe because it's only got 3 ingredients.

[paulraphael]

the flourless torte in the cook's illustrated baking illustrated book doesn't require folding so you don't have to worry so much about being overly gentle with whipped whites. i really like that recipe because it's only got 3 ingredients.

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With these tortes/cakes you should start by deciding what kind of texture you want. I've found three basic families: souflé based (light and fluffy, made with whipped egg whites), custard based (denser and mousse-like, made with whole eggs or eggs plus yolks), and ganache-based (even denser, usually made in ramekins with an underbaked center ... they're typically made with cream, and without egg whites).

After trying a ton of recipes, I found myself liking the texture of the second kind the most. They can be made really creamy and dense and intense, but still light enough that they melt in your mouth.

My version (very intense and easy to make) is here.

[gfron1]

I want to steal a recipe. Really, for the first time ever, I want another pros recipe and she won't share it. It was a flourless chocolate with Kahlua. Knowing her, she found it in a magazine. Does anybody have a recipe like that? It may have been the best flourless I've ever had, and up until now I've sworn by the recipe from theoldfoodie.

[andiesenji]

I've made this one which includes cajeta and is very rich.

I made it as requested by a friend but as I am not able to eat chocolate, I didn't taste it myself but it was very well accepted.

I actually used a cup of my homemade cajeta instead of the mixture in the recipe because I had it on hand.

[gfron1]

Thanks Andie...we'll give it a go. The cake was so moist, without being wet. And yet it had a solid structure. I have people bring food to me all the time to show me how great it is and am normally not impressed, but this cake was really damn well near perfect. I'll see if I can't make it this week sometime and report back.