Salted Flourless Chocolate Cake

An incredibly easy way to impress your guests on Passover (and other times of the year!) is to serve a home-baked flourless chocolate cake for dessert. With its luscious fudgy texture and intense cocoa taste where flaky Maldon sea salt enhances the experience, this effortless cake is bound to be a big hit every time.

Salt has a fascinating way of complementing chocolate in desserts. Salt acts as a flavor enhancer, bringing out the natural richness and depth of the chocolate while also balancing its sweetness making the overall taste experience more complex and satisfying.

Additionally, Maldon sea salt provides a pleasant contrast in texture. The slight crunchiness of the salt crystals complements the smoothness of the chocolate, adding an extra layer of sensory delight to each bite.

This cake is so darn delicious that it doesn’t even need frosting or fancy garnishes. A simple dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder and/or powdered sugar is all it takes to make it shine.

Salted Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe

Salted Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

6 large eggs
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
8 T. unsalted butter
1/2 c. + 2 T. granulated sugar, divided
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. fine sea salt
maldon flaky salt to taste
unsweetened cocoa powder
powdered sugar
edible flowers

Salted Flourless Chocolate Cake

Method

Separate eggs while cold. Place yolks in a medium bowl. Place whites in a larger bowl. Let eggs come to room temperature. Meanwhile melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler of a large pyrex glass bowl over a barely simmering pot of water. The bowl should not touch the water.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray non-stick cooking spray directly onto the bottom and insides of a 9″ round springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Stir the melted chocolate and butter together, remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Beat yolks with a hand mixer. Slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until thicker and pale yellow in color. Add a quarter of the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Add in the rest of the egg mixture, vanilla, fine sea salt and mix well.

Beat egg whites on medium-low until bubbles form all over the surface. Slowly add 2 tablespoons of sugar. Raise speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.

With a large metal spoon or spatula, scoop a third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Stir well to combine. Then fold in the remaining egg whites in two additions.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top.

Bake for 5 minutes, then quickly sprinkle Maldon salt over the top of the batter. Quickly close the oven door and continue to cook for 25 minutes. This way, the salt will stick to the cake.

Remove from oven to a wire rack to cool. Let cake sit in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the sides. Continue to cool on wire rack until completely room temperature.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Salted Flourless Chocolate Cake

To Serve

Place cake on a platter. Sift cocoa and powered sugar over the top. Garnish with edible flowers, if available.

Notes

Traditionally, powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar is made by grinding granulated sugar into a fine powder. However, to prevent clumping, a small amount of cornstarch is often added to powdered sugar during the manufacturing process. This cornstarch helps absorb moisture and maintain the powdered sugar’s texture.

In some contexts, “powdered sugar” might refer to the pure sugar without any additives like cornstarch, while “confectioner’s sugar” might indicate the version with added cornstarch. However, in many places, the terms are used interchangeably to refer to the same product regardless of whether cornstarch is added.

If your family does not eat corn on Passover, as many Ashkenazi Jews do not, it’s a good idea to check the ingredients list to see if cornstarch has been added. Or make your own.

Recipe inspired by The Nosher.