Food Processor Flourless Chocolate Meringue Cake

This wonderful and simple to make flourless chocolate cake comes to us from the talented and fun TV star Mary Berg. This is the first book for Mary and I was so happy to get a copy of it thanks to her and Appetite by Random House. It’s called Kitchen Party and it’s a book full of effortless recipes for every occasion.

Mary loves food and loves sharing it with others. She shares 100 recipes that are totally mouthwatering but also totally simple to prepare. Her recipes from the ingredients to the directions are clear, simple to find and follow. She loves to entertain and shares all her favorite recipes for entering which are super approachable and make entertaining more fun instead of all work and stress. Her book is divided into different occasions for entertaining from brunch to cocktails, dinner parties, special occasion menus and even go a party of Two. Not only does she share inspiring recipes for these occasions but she also shares some of her favorite menu plans making it even easier to entertain.

I couldn’t wait to make her Food Professor Flourless Chocolate cake. I mean it’s made in the food processor - how amazing is that already?!? I love baking and cooking hacks like this. It really is so simple to make and it gets even better in taste and texture the day after which makes it the perfect make ahead dessert. I have been wanting to make Nigella Lawsons cappuccino pavlova for a while now and decided this might be my opportunity to. I have also wanted to make a flourless meringue cake for a while too so decided to put the two together and it was a marvelous marriage. I used Mary’s recipe for the cake, Nigella’s meringue (but I made it mocha instead of just cappuccino) and Martha Stewart’s methodology for this recipe, so you know this cake has to be good!!

The cake is decadent and fudgey. The intense cocoa flavour is made more distinct with the hint of espresso powder in it. I included Mary’s full recipe with her delicious mascarpone and fruit topping. I also included he meringue version. Both are fantastic so it’s really what you are feeling up to. The meringue baked over the cake is light and fluffy, slightly chewy and with crackly and crunchy edges that actually stay crunchy days after. The meringue puffs up quite a bit when it bakes as does the cake but have no fear it deflates quite quickly so no need to panic. The best part about making this meringue is that there is no need to stress about it cracking - it’s inevitable and totally acceptable for it to have a crackly topping. Whatever topping you chose one thing for sure is that you won’t regret either. This cake is pretty fab and you could easily have it just as it is with just a dusting of powdered sugar. We will definitely be making this again and again - And again! Enjoy!

Recipe

Makes an 8 inch cake

Ingredients

For the cake

• 1 tablespoon + ¼ cup cocoa powder

• 10 ½ oz dark chocolate, at least 55% cocoa chopped

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• ¾ cup very hot coffee

• 6 eggs, separated

• 1 cup unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

• Grated zest of 1 orange 1 teaspoon kosher salt   For the non-meringue topping

• 1 cup mascarpone

• 1 cup whipping (35%) cream ¼ cup icing sugar

• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• Grated zest of 1 orange, divided

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur or orange juice

• 2 pints of whatever fruit your heart desires
  

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F, grease an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray, and dust the inside with the 1 tablespoon of cocoa.  
2. For the cake, place the remaining cocoa, the chocolate, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and blitz until finely ground and combined. Pour in the hot coffee and process until smooth. Add in the egg yolks, butter, vanilla, orange zest, and salt and blitz to combine. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.  
3. Meanwhile, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold about one-third of them into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the remaining whites, taking care to be very gentle in order to maintain as much volume as possible. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until souffléd and the top of the cake looks dry and matte. Let the cake cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight to settle. (If you are making the meringue topping bake the cake for 25 minutes and then continue under the directions below for the meringue topping)  
4. When you’re ready to serve, make the topping. Whip together the mascarpone, cream, icing sugar, vanilla, and half of the orange zest until light and fluffy. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining orange zest, granulated sugar, orange liqueur (or juice) and fruit. Dollop this mascarpone cream onto the chilled cake and top with the fruit.
   

Recipe Notes

The top of the cake will fall once you take it out of the oven, but that’s all part of the plan. It makes for a super-fudgy cake with lots of room for topping with mascarpone cream and berries. A 9-inch springform pan will also work here; just check for doneness at the 40-minute mark.

For the mocha meringue topping

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cup (250 grams) sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (not instant coffee granules)
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  

Directions

1. While the cake is baking mix the sugar with the instant espresso powder and the cocoa powder in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a clean, grease-free metal bowl whisk the egg whites and salt on high until they are holding soft peaks and frothy . Keep whisking while you add the sugar-mocha mixture a tablespoon at a time.
3. When you have a firm meringue, fold in the corn starch and vinegar using a grease-free metal spoon.
4. Dollop the meringue mixture gently over the half baked cake. Smooth the top of it and place bake in the oven and bake for another 25-30 minutes until the meringue is lightly golden and very puffy (do not worry if there are cracks in it - it will also deflate as it cools)
5. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let stand 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen, and release sides of pan. Let cool, about 30 minutes, before slicing and serving.