Chocolate cloud cake
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Don’t you agree?
I first came across a picture of a Chocolate cloud cake years ago and fell instantly in love with its heavenly looks. Its whimsical name also charmed me. I’d never heard of a Chocolate cloud cake before and I immediately dreamed of a divinely delicious chocolate cake that was as light as air itself.
The cake looked so intimidating that it took me almost six years to muster up the courage to make one, on account of my assumption that something so heavenly would invariably be hellishly difficult to make.
Well, I was wrong. After six years in the waiting, I discovered that this flourless chocolate cake is extremely easy to make. I also discovered that the cake itself is not as light as air. Rather, the ‘cloud’ in this Chocolate cloud cake is a reference to the light, whipped cream that crowns the cake. The cake itself is gorgeously moist, intensely rich with a subtle hint of orange and yet not too dense (thanks to the whipped egg whites).
I used a recipe which was originally published by Richard Sax in his cookbook, Classic Home Desserts
As I was making this for a family dinner, I couldn’t help myself and topped it with chocolate flakes, but trust me, the cake will still have its wow factor if you serve it without.
- 250g dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa), broken into small squares
- 150g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (plus extra to grease the cake tin)
- 6 large eggs (2 whole, 4 separated)
- 175g caster sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
- zest of one small orange
- 500 ml double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- dark cocoa powder (for sprinkling)
- 20g dark chocolate (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, and grease and line a 20 cm spring-form cake tin.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water (making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl).
- Remove from the heat and stir until the mixture is smooth, then set aside.
- Whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer, gradually adding 100g of caster sugar. Continue to whisk until soft peaks form, then set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks together with the remaining 75g of caster sugar.
- Add the melted chocolate, Grand Marnier and orange zest and combine well.
- Stir in a generous spoonful of the egg whites and once combined, gently fold in the remainder of the egg whites.
- Transfer the mixture to the pre-lined tin and bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until the cake is cooked.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool in its tin*.
- Once cool, remove from the spring-form tin and transfer to a serving plate.
- When ready to serve, pour the cream and vanilla into a mixing bowl and whip until it holds its form (take care not to over-whip your cream).
- If you wish to decorate the cake with chocolate flakes, melt the extra chocolate and spread a thin layer onto some cling film then place in the freezer for about 5 minutes. Once solid, roughly break into large pieces.
- Fill the crater with the whipped cream** and sprinkle with cocoa.
- Top with chocolate flakes if desired.
- *Don’t be concerned when the cake sinks and forms a crater – this is supposed to happen.
- ** I topped the cake with cream by using a piping bag to create the cloud-like forms, however you could generously spoon the cream into the cake’s crater and spread to the edges.
Laura@Baking In Pyjamas
19/10/2014 at 11:05 pm (10 years ago)Delicious, it looks heavenly. This has been featured as one of my favourites over at Sweet and Savoury Sunday. Stop by, grab a button and link up again with us this week. Have a great day!
Laura@Baking In Pyjamas
19/10/2014 at 8:21 pm (10 years ago)I’ve been wanting to make this cake for a while too. It look so heavenly and decadent, I may just have to bake one myself. It looks beautiful Rachel.
Rachel
21/10/2014 at 2:33 pm (10 years ago)Thanks Laura, you should definitely give it a try. It’s really was surprisingly easy to make, although did require the use of a few mixing bowls!
Jolena @therubykitchen
16/10/2014 at 3:43 am (10 years ago)This looks divine!
Rachel
16/10/2014 at 2:50 pm (10 years ago)Thanks Jolena 🙂 I can’t believe how long it took me finally bake this cake! If you get a chance, make sure you give it a try. If you enjoy it as much as I did, it’s bound to become a firm favourite. Just make sure you let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Trang
15/10/2014 at 2:04 pm (10 years ago)Mmmm this cake looks soooo good! I love the combination of chocolate and orange 🙂
Rachel
16/10/2014 at 2:43 pm (10 years ago)Thanks Trang 🙂 This really did taste as good as it looks! If you love the chocolate and orange combo, then you really should give this a try. Just remember the amount of Grand Marnier that I added produced a really subtle orange flavour, so you might want to add a splash more for a stronger taste. 🙂
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter
14/10/2014 at 11:52 pm (10 years ago)Wow, this cake looks gorgeous Rachel! I haven’t tried making the flourless chocolate cake before and I’m so glad to see the results here. Can’t wait to try it , it sounds fantastic!
Rachel
16/10/2014 at 2:40 pm (10 years ago)Hi Kelly, it’s lovely to hear from you. This was my first time baking a flourless chocolate cake as well, and thanks to this recipe, it sure won’t be my last! I made it for a family get together and it was a real crowd pleaser. Please let me know how it turns out, I’d love to know! 🙂
Medeja
10/10/2014 at 9:28 pm (10 years ago)This cake looks heavenly!
Rachel
10/10/2014 at 10:38 pm (10 years ago)Thanks Medeja 🙂 If you get a chance, you really should try it. Trust me when I say, it won’t disappoint!