Flourless chocolate cake

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Flourless chocolate cake
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream.jpg
Flourless chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream
Type Cake
Course Dessert
Place of origin Italy
Quinoa chocolate cake Quinoa Chocolate Cake CCBYSA2 Karen Neo.jpg
Quinoa chocolate cake

Flourless chocolate cake is a dense cake made from an aerated chocolate custard. [1] The first documented form of the cake was seen in Ferrara, Italy, [2] though some forms of the cake have myths surrounding their origins. [3] The dessert contains no gluten, which makes it acceptable for those with celiac disease, [4] gluten-free diets, and during religious holidays in which gluten and grains are not permitted. [5]

Contents

Overview

A traditional baking method for a variety of flourless chocolate cakes involves whipping the whites alone and then whipping the yolks into the sugar to increase the air content. The overall effect of this process is a sturdy, but light cake. [6] The chocolate and butter are melted together in either a microwave or double boiler. Once all the ingredients are combined, the resulting batter contains only the starch naturally present in the chocolate. [1] The use of Dutch cocoa powder instead of simple cocoa powder will allow the cake to have a denser fudge-like consistency that the cake is known for. [7] Flourless chocolate cakes typically use simple ingredients including: chocolate, butter, eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, and an optional dusting of powdered sugar, chocolate ganache, or berries. The Torta Caprese includes an additional ingredient of an almond meal. [6]

Origin

La Torta Tenerina is an Italian flourless chocolate cake that was first seen in Ferrara, Italy in 1900. It is the first recorded version of the cake. It has an alternative name, Queen of Montenegro, as it was said to be served when King Victor Emmanuel III took the throne of Italy making Elena Montenegro the Queen of Italy. In Ferrara, Italy La Torta Tenerina can be found on many restaurant and bakery menus. [2]

Special diets

In Jewish cuisine

Flourless chocolate cake is a common dessert among Jews during the holiday of Passover since leavened grains cannot be consumed during that holiday. [8]

In gluten-free diets

Flourless chocolate cake is a popular dessert in gluten-free diets. There are several varieties including topping the cake with a chocolate ganache, adding raspberries, or it is frequently served with vanilla ice cream, all of which can be enjoyed by those with gluten-free and celiac-appropriate diets.[ citation needed ]

The use of alternative sugars would allow this cake to be enjoyed by those on a keto diet as well. [9]

Versions and similar cakes

Torta Caprese, originating from the Italian island of Capri, is a traditional flourless chocolate cake popular in that region that includes almond flour. This cake has a number of myths surrounding its origins including a baker forgetting to add the flour and that it's a version of an Austrian cake called the Austrian Sachertorte. [3] A similar cake with little or no flour is known as "fallen" or "molten" chocolate cake and was popularized by, among others, Jean-Georges Vongerichten's restaurants. [10]

The River Café's "chocolate nemesis" is a version of a flourless chocolate cake, with only four ingredients, eggs, sugar, chocolate and butter. [11] [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Custard</span> Semi-solid cooked mixture of milk and egg

Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency from a thin pouring sauce to the thick pastry cream used to fill éclairs. The most common custards are used in custard desserts or dessert sauces and typically include sugar and vanilla; however, savory custards are also found, e.g., in quiche.

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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to chocolate:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supangle</span> Turkish chocolate pudding

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clementine cake</span> Cake flavored primarily with clementines.

Clementine cake is a flourless cake flavored primarily with whole unpeeled clementines and almonds. It may originate from an orange cake in Sephardic cuisine. In popular culture, the cake played a minor part in the plot of the 2013 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut cake</span> Cake prepared using chestnuts

Chestnut cake is a cake prepared using chestnuts. Chestnut flour prepared from cooked, ground chestnuts is used in its preparation, along with additional typical cake ingredients. It is sometimes prepared as a chocolate cake. Chestnuts are sometimes used in a frosting or glaze atop the cake, and it may be garnished with cooked or candied chestnuts. It can be prepared as a gluten-free dish.

References

  1. 1 2 Baking illustrated: a best recipe classic (1st ed.). Brookline, MA: America's Test Kitchen. 2004. ISBN   0-936184-75-2. OCLC   54454496.
  2. 1 2 Fabricant, Florence (2016-12-02). "Flourless Chocolate Cake Finds an Ancestor in Italy". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  3. 1 2 "Tales of a dolce born by mistake in a corner of Paradise". www.itchefs-gvci.com. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  4. "Flourless Chocolate Cake". Eat! Gluten-Free. 2020-06-15. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  5. Wolly, Brian. "A Gentile's Guide to Keeping Kosher for Passover". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  6. 1 2 "Italian Chocolate-Almond Cake". www.cooksillustrated.com. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  7. "Different Types of Chocolate and How to Use Them". www.cooksillustrated.com. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  8. "Flourless Chocolate Cake" . Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  9. Childress, Author Logan (2018-02-14). "Keto Flourless Chocolate Cake". Better Than Bread Keto. Archived from the original on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2021-04-17.{{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  10. "Molten Chocolate Cakes Recipe". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  11. "Chocolate Nemesis Recipe". Shop The River Café . Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  12. Coady, Chantal (2003). "Puddings Desserts & Drinks". In Esson, Lewis (ed.). Real Chocolate: Over 50 Inspiring Recipes for Chocolate Indulgence. Foster, Richard (photography) (1 ed.). London, England: Quadrille. ISBN   9781844000173. OCLC   51107302. p. 87: River Café chocolate nemesis revisited