Flourless chocolate & prune cake
Christmas Day desserts. Whether you are a traditionalist or not, I can guarantee most tables will have a dessert or two accompanied by bowls of fresh berries and whipped cream. I am swaying from tradition with the recipes I am bringing to the table this year instead of sharing another pavlova or trifle recipe. These desserts are created with festive flavours in mind to serve alongside, you guessed it, berries and cream. Growing up we always had a snacking tray of nuts, dried fruit, chocolate and cherries on the festive table. Some of the nuts would be in their shells still and the hand cracking was all part of the fun. The chocolate cake recipe is a tribute to that childhood memory. While the meringues are a different take on the ubiquitous use of whipped egg whites for the big day.
Nicola Galloway is an award-winning food writer, cookbook author and culinary tutor. homegrown-kitchen.co.nz
A recipe based on memory is a beautiful thing. This cake has an almost mousselike texture from the aerated egg whites. The key is the addition of the sugar to the egg whites to make a meringue, so the air isn’t so easily knocked out when combined with the heavier chocolate mixture. Of course some air loss is inevitable but this is less than when using whisked egg whites alone. Be careful not to overcook the cake, err on the side of slightly undercooked – see directions in recipe – to prevent the outside drying out and to get a decadent soft centre.
PREP TIME 30 minutes // COOK TIME 30-35 minutes // SERVES 10-12
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1 cup (160g) prunes, thinly sliced
cup (80ml) water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
150g butter, cut into cubes
250g quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces 4 eggs, separated
½ cup (100g) sugar
Cocoa powder for dusting 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Preheat the oven to 170ºC (fan 150ºC). Line the base of a 20cm cake tin, grease and dust the sides with cocoa powder.
First soften the prunes. Place the prunes, water, cinnamon and salt into a saucepan. Cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes until the prunes have softened and thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Place the butter and chocolate into a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water – make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir until melted. Remove from the heat, stir through the prune mixture and set aside to cool a little while preparing the meringue. Place the egg whites into a stand mixer, or use a bowl and handheld beaters. Whisk on a medium speed until soft peaks form then continue to whisk while adding the sugar 2 tbsp at a time until thick and glossy. Remove the bowl from the mixer if using.
Add the egg yolks to the chocolate, stirring well to combine. Mix a third of the chocolate mixture at a time into the meringue using a large metal spoon to gently fold together. Once there is no white meringue visible in the mixture, carefully scoop into the prepared tin.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until risen with a small wobble in the centre of the cake. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes then carefully transfer to a cooling rack. The cake will deflate a little as it cools but this just adds to the character. The cake can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 2 days then brought to room temperature for serving. To serve, dust the cake with cocoa, cut into wedges and serve with fresh cherries and whipped cream – or the vanilla cream from the meringue recipe.