Bourke Street Bakery Flourless Chocolate Cake

Bourke Street Bakery Flourless Chocolate Cake

This cake is gorgeously rich, richer than a mud cake but also light and fluffy like a mousse or souffle, while being sticky and chewy around the edges like a brownie - all my favourite cakes in one. Thanks to Tara Stange for photocopying me the recipe!
Ingredients:
260g dark chocolate (55% cocoa)
135ml milk
40g yoghurt
4 eggs
105g caster (superfine sugar), for eggs
4 egg whites
160g caster (superfine sugar), for eggwhites
135ml pouring cream
55g unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
3 electric mixer bowls


Method:

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C. Grease a 20cm (8-inch) springform cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper - the paper should protrude about 2.5cm above the tin because the cake will fluff up during baking. I used two small cake tins for this recipe and although I was a little concerned that this might not work, it did - and well! So we had two smaller cakes that were perfect for our 5-person party and a leftover cake for the next day. The cake is so rich that small soft pieces with a bit of chewy crunch are just nice.


Break up chocolate into a stainless steel bowl that can sit over a saucepan of water, and bring water to a simmer to melt the chocolate. Once its melting (about 2 mins simmering) turn off the heat and allow the rest of the chocolate to melt with the still warm water.

Put the milk and yoghurt in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the simmer, stirring. Turn off the heat immediately once the liquid starts to curdle. Dont boil vigorously. You should simply have a curdled milky mixture.

Put the (whole) eggs and the sugar for the eggs in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk the eggs at medium speed for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is very light and has doubled in volume.

In a very clean, dry bowl whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then slowly add the sugar for the whites, with the mixer on high, until soft peaks form a shiny meringue. Be careful not to overwhisk. Place in refridgerator.

Whisk the cream until soft peaks form and place in refridgerator until needed.
You should have ready to fold together the melted chocolate, curdled milk, whipped eggs, meringue, whipped cream, cocoa powder and the cake tin(s).

Pour the curdled milk into the chocolate and use a whisk to mix it in.

Add the cocoa and whisk to completely incorporate.

Transfer to the master bowl (that can fit all ingredients), and then fold in the whipped (whole) eggs in three batches, making sure you completely incorporate the first batch before adding more.

Lightly fold the meringue into the whipped cream, taking care not to knock out too much air.

Fold the cream-meringue mixture into the chocolate mixture in the master bowl in three batches, making sure you incorporate the first batch before adding more.

Using a spatula, scoop the cake batter into the prepared tin(s) and tap it gently twice on the bench to even out the mix. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. If you can smell the cake cooking within the first 25 minutes your oven is too hot and you need to drop the temperature). Do not disturb the cake for the first 45 minutes of cooking. You may need to cover the top of the cake with baking paper and lower the temperature if the top of the cake is starting to brown. (I did this after 45 mins). Test to see if the cake is baked by gently placing your hand on top of it and wobbling it a little, you should feel that the cake has set through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

Yum!