Paula Deen Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cake

Paula Deen flourless chocolate fudge cake takes 1 hour 55 minutes and just four ingredients, bittersweet chocolate, butter, eggs and sugar, to make a dense, fudgy dessert. It's an easy flourless chocolate dessert for holiday tables, Sunday dinner or church suppers, and it's naturally gluten-free.

Fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate in batches, gently, because that is the only thing lifting this cake. Stir them in hard and you lose the air, and the cake bakes up flat and heavy.

Paula uses no flour at all, so the cake gets its structure from beaten egg whites and melted chocolate. Letting the chocolate cool before the yolks go in keeps the eggs from scrambling, and the 1-hour rest sets the center so slices hold their shape.

Paula Deen Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cake

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: DessertCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Medium

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

360

kcal

Whipped egg whites folded into melted chocolate and butter bake into a rich, fudgy cake with a soft center and a lightly crackled top. It sets as it cools, so the slices cut clean.

Ingredients

• 6 separated large egg
  

• 12 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
  

• 9 tablespoons cut into small bits unsalted butter
  

• 1/2 cup sugar
  

Directions

• Prep the pan: Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Then line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the top of the paper too.
• Whip the whites: Beat the 6 egg whites in a mixer bowl with the whisk attachment, or with a hand-held mixer. Keep going until stiff peaks form, then set them aside.
• Melt the chocolate: Put 12 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate and 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small bits, in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt them in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth.
• Add the sugar: Whisk 1/2 cup sugar into the melted chocolate until combined. Then let the mixture cool before the eggs go in.
• Mix the batter: Whisk the 6 egg yolks into the cooled chocolate, one at a time. Then use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the whipped egg whites in batches.
• Bake the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes. It's done when the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
• Cool and release: Let the cake cool in the pan for 1 hour. Once it's cool, gently release it from the springform pan.

Tools for this recipe

• Nordic Ware 9-inch springform pan, KitchenAid 5-speed hand mixer, Reynolds unbleached parchment paper, Lindt Excellence 70% cocoa bars, 12 pack. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use semisweet chocolate instead of bittersweet?

You can, and the cake will taste a little sweeter and less intense. Since the only sugar besides the chocolate is 1/2 cup, bittersweet gives you the deeper chocolate flavor the recipe is built around.

How do I store leftover flourless chocolate cake?

Cover it and keep it in the fridge, where it holds for a few days. The texture gets denser and fudgier when it's cold, so let slices sit out for a bit before serving if you want them softer.

Can I make this cake ahead of time?

Yes, it's a good make-ahead dessert because it needs to cool and set anyway. Bake it a day ahead, keep it covered in the fridge, and release it from the pan when you're ready to serve.

What if I don't have a springform pan?

A springform pan is what makes it easy to release this delicate cake without flipping it. If you only have a regular 9-inch round cake pan, the parchment lining helps, but go slowly when you lift the cake out.

Why did my flourless chocolate cake turn out flat and dense?

Most often the egg whites lost their air, either from being under-whipped or from being stirred in too hard. Beat them to stiff peaks and fold them in gently, in batches, so the batter stays light.