This was by far my best chocolate cake ever. Torte is a bit more precise, since this recipe doesn’t contain flour. I’ve topped it with zefir/zephyr marshmallows, very popular here in Belarus. They’re made with pureed apples, so they tend to taste a little tart compared to a regular marshmallow, but you may substitute these with whipped cream if you wish.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

213 g 70% semisweet quality chocolate chopped (1 1/4 cups)
113 g unsalted butter (1 stick)
150 g granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
43 g Dutch-processed cocoa (1/2 cup)
120 g heavy cream, chilled chilled (1/2 cup)

Topping

powdered sugar and zefir marshmallows or whipped cream as you prefer

Instructions

Preheat oven to 176C/350F. Lightly butter a 20cm/8in removable bottom cake pan.
Gently melt butter and chocolate together in a bowl over a double boiler, stirring occasionally. You may also melt them in the microwave at 30 second increments, stirring between each until just barely melted. Stir until smooth.
Whisk in sugar, salt, and vanilla. Let cool.
Add in eggs plus 1 yolk all at once, vigorously whisking until smooth. Whisk in cocoa powder until just combined. Batter will be thick.
In a small but deep bowl or measuring cup, use an electric mixer or immersion blender fitted with a whisk attachment to beat the heavy cream to medium peaks. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the batter until combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake has puffed up, the edges are set but the center is still slightly wobbly.
Remove from oven, cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Cake/torte will deflate slightly as it cools. Still warm, loosen edges from pan with a thin flexible knife or offset spatula so it un-molds easier when ready to serve. Let cool completely in pan.
Once cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours but preferably overnight. At this point, the cake can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 3 days as well as any leftovers.
This cake is best served chilled. Serve topped with zefir marshmallows or whipped cream and berries.

Notes

This is a sunken soufflé, so don’t panic if you see it dip in the center. It’s perfectly normal.

If you use quality chocolate in any chocolate cake, there is no need to include coffee to enhance its flavor.

Chocolate Soufflé Torte