Make Ahead
Flourless Chocolate and Raspberry Torte
- Serves 10
Author Notes
A rich, dark and decadent dinner party Flourless Chocolate and Raspberry Torte that you won't believe is GF and nut free too. And raspberries and chocolate are a marriage made in foodie heaven!
While the torte is straightforward enough to make, there are a few crucial points that would be remiss of me not to highlight;
Take some time to line the sides and base of the tin with waxed paper.
The eggs must be at room temperature – they will not whip up to the volume required otherwise.
Ensure that the bowl and beaters for the egg whites are scrupulously clean – any bits of grease or egg yolk and they will not whip up as voluminously. Unless you have 2 sets of beaters, start with the whites first and then move onto the yolks.
Use large bowls – the whites whip up to 4-5 times their original volume.
When you are whipping the whites, add the sugar a little at a time.
Use a large metal spoon to fold in the egg whites – rubber spatulas destroy the volume.
When folding the second and third batches of egg whites, be gentle – don’t knock out the air. The whites are the only leavening agent.
More photos including tutorial on my blog - http://selmastable.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/flourless-chocolate-and-raspberry-torte/ —Selma | Selma's Table
Ingredients
-
50 grams
unsalted butter
-
200 grams
70% cocoa, dark chocolate, broken up
-
6
large room temperature eggs, yolks and whites separated into 2 large bowls
-
225 grams
caster/superfine sugar, divided in half
-
1 teaspoon
balsamic vinegar
-
2 tablespoons
expresso powder
-
1/4 teaspoon
flakey sea salt
-
225 grams
ripe raspberries
Directions
- Place the butter and the chocolate in a heat proof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. The water should not touch the bowl – the steam will heat and melt the chocolate and butter. Stir it every so often until melted, amalgamated and smooth. Alternatively, place in a microwave safe bowl, cover loosely and heat on 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth – this should take about 2 minutes. I used the microwave. Leave it to cool whilst getting the rest of the ingredients ready.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F. Line the base and sides of the tin with waxed paper using a little butter to help it stick to the tin.
- Whip the egg whites in a large grease free bowl until foamy on a medium setting. Add the balsamic vinegar and whisk briefly.
- Increase the setting to high and start adding half the sugar very gradually. The mixture will start getting glossy and increase greatly in volume. Keep going until you get to the stiff peaks stage – when you pull your beaters out, the mixture forms a peak that doesn’t flop over. Set aside while you get on with the egg yolks
- Whip the egg yolks with the other half the sugar for about 3 or 4 minutes scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time – the mixture will turn from gloopy and bright orange to a pale, thick and creamy mass.
- Add the espresso powder and the salt and whip to incorporate.
- Add the cooled but still liquid chocolate/butter mixture and whip again until it is evenly mixed.
- Using a large metal spoon, fold in the egg whites to the yolk/chocolate mixture in 3 batches. The first batch is really to temper or loosen up and lighten the yolk/chocolate mixture; fold in the remaining whites carefully trying to keep as much of the volume as you can.
- Scrape into the prepared pan and top with the raspberries, pushing them in slightly.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out without any batter clinging to it.
- Cool in the pan, on a wire rack – it should collapse in the middle with a crisp meringue like shell and a fudgey centre, studded with raspberries.
- Serve in small slices with a little cream and a few fresh raspberries.
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