Flourless Chocolate Cake

A simple and decadent dessert for Passover--and year-round.

Passover’s dietary restrictions are difficult enough, but making a kosher-for-Passover dessert that tastes great can seem like another form of slavery. The absence of leavening agents leaves many a baker bereft at the prospect of an overly dry, leaden Passover dessert.

Enter the flourless chocolate cake. Clearly, this dessert does not have its roots in the Exodus from Egypt, but is has rightfully been appropriated by the Jewish people as a Passover favorite. Simple and decadent, this cake has many varieties, most with just a few ingredients.

Think of it as fudge for grown-ups. It can be made a day or two in advance of the seder, then spirited out of the fridge an hour or two before serving.

Try to use the best-quality chocolate and vanilla you can find, and if you’re not serving this dish after a meat meal, by all means substitute butter for the margarine.

 

Ingredients

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla*

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup sugar

6 large eggs, slightly beaten

10 oz good-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar*

1 cup margarine or butter

Mint sprigs and assorted berries for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 10-inch springform pan, then line bottom of pan with parchment paper. In a small saucepan, combine chocolate and margarine and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted. Remove from heat and let cool. In a large workbowl, combine sugar, cocoa, and salt with a whisk until incorporated. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add 1/3 of chocolate mixture and stir until incorporated; repeat with remaining 2/3 of chocolate. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, until just set but still soft in the center. Let cool completely. Sift confectioner’s sugar over the top of the cake, and garnish with mint and berries.

Prep for Passover like a pro with this special email series. Click here to sign up and you’ll receive a series of helpful, informative, and beautiful emails that will help you get the most out of the holiday.

Discover More

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut Almond Crust Recipe

The perfect treat for Mother's Day or any spring occasion.

Kitniyot: Not Quite Hametz

The Passover debate surrounding rice, millet, corn and legumes.

Matzah Brei

A recipe for a popular Passover breakfast treat.