Chocolate Cloud Cake
by Nigella. Featured in NIGELLA BITESIntroduction
On days when I want the warmth of the hearth rather than the hurly burly of the city streets I stay in and read cookery books, and this recipe comes from just the sort of book that gives most succour, Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax.
The cake itself is as richly and rewardingly sustaining: a melting, dark, flourless, chocolate base, the sort that sinks damply on cooling; the fallen centre then cloudily filled with softly whipped cream and sprinkled with cocoa powder.
As Richard Sax says, "intensity, then relief, in each bite".
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
On days when I want the warmth of the hearth rather than the hurly burly of the city streets I stay in and read cookery books, and this recipe comes from just the sort of book that gives most succour, Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax.
The cake itself is as richly and rewardingly sustaining: a melting, dark, flourless, chocolate base, the sort that sinks damply on cooling; the fallen centre then cloudily filled with softly whipped cream and sprinkled with cocoa powder.
As Richard Sax says, "intensity, then relief, in each bite".
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Yields: 8-12 slices
For the Cake
- 250 grams dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
- 125 grams unsalted butter (softened)
- 6 large eggs (2 whole, 4 separated)
- 175 grams caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons cointreau (optional)
- grated zest of 1 orange (optional)
For the Cream Topping
- 500 millilitres double cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cointreau (optional)
- ½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (for sprinkling)
For the Cake
- 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
- 6 large eggs (2 whole, 4 separated)
- ¾ cup superfine sugar
- 2 tablespoons cointreau (optional)
- grated zest of 1 orange (optional)
For the Cream Topping
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cointreau (optional)
- ½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (for sprinkling)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350ºF.
- Line the bottom of a 23cm / 9 inch springform cake tin with baking parchment.
- Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or a microwave, and then let the butter melt in the warm chocolate.
- Beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with 75g / ¼ cup of the caster sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture, the Cointreau and orange zest.
- In another bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the 100g / ½ cup of sugar and whisk until the whites are holding their shape but not too stiff.
- Lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites, and then fold in the rest of the whites. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the centre is no longer wobbly. Cool the cake in its tin on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools.
- When you are ready to eat, place the still tin-bound cake on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove the cake from its tin. Don't worry about cracks or rough edges: it's the crater look we're going for here. Whip the cream until it's soft and then add the vanilla and Cointreau and continue whisking until the cream is firm but not stiff.
- Fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake, and dust the top lightly with cocoa powder pushed through a tea-strainer.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350ºF.
- Line the bottom of a 23cm / 9 inch springform cake tin with baking parchment.
- Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or a microwave, and then let the butter melt in the warm chocolate.
- Beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with 75g / ¼ cup of the superfine sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture, the Cointreau and orange zest.
- In another bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the 100g / ½ cup of sugar and whisk until the whites are holding their shape but not too stiff.
- Lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites, and then fold in the rest of the whites. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the centre is no longer wobbly. Cool the cake in its tin on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools.
- When you are ready to eat, place the still tin-bound cake on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove the cake from its tin. Don't worry about cracks or rough edges: it's the crater look we're going for here. Whip the cream until it's soft and then add the vanilla and Cointreau and continue whisking until the cream is firm but not stiff.
- Fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake, and dust the top lightly with cocoa powder pushed through a tea-strainer.
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Show more commentsThis is a marvellous recipe. A “cheats” version which I sometimes make and doesn’t need the grated orange zest is to use Terry’s dark chocolate orange instead of the dark chocolate . As I am lazy I confess I sometimes also don’t bother separating the eggs but I whisk them for at least five minutes using an electric beater to get as much air in as possible.
Absolutely delicious. Added butterscotch schnapps instead of Cointreau. Lots of mmms and yums while people devoured this :)
Made this on new years eve. Split the recipe in two for a smaller size, still great and still full afterwards! Plenty for tomorrow.
Woke up early today and made this cake, very smooth, precise and easy recipe. In the whipped cream, I ended up adding an extra 1 and a 1/2 tablespoon of Contreau, 2 tablespoons sugar and the zest of an orange to give it a slightly less mild orange flavour.
This is the cake I bake for my own birthday every year! I will have nothing else, it's the treat I wait for not just for the deeply satisfying taste but also for the pleasure of baking it the night before. I dollop a fresh cloud of whipped cream on it and eat it with my family for breakfast!
I am in love with your brownies .. definitely going to try this one soon .
Oh my gosh, I can’t count how many times I’ve made this cake since I first purchased Nigella Bites years ago. It is always a hit & people ask for the recipe every time.
Never thought gluten free could be so yummy! Made this in cupcake form for easier handling and distribution! Makes 18 standard size cupcakes. Filled lined cupcake tin to top and baked at 350F for 20-25min. Delicious!!!
I was so excited making this cake, and thrilled with the mousse/like consistency - it was only when I went to the fridge after the cake was cooked and ready to serve that I saw the block of butter that I had evidently forgotten to put in! Surprisingly, the cake was still not only edible but really delicious - a flourless and dairy free cake!!
So I've made this twice and the 2nd time I burnt it (fan over - forgot) but it was salvageable. So I chopped it up like brownies and served with hot chocolate sauce, choc buttons and cream. It has now been declared the best pudding in the world and get's asked for at every possible occasion.
I was really impressed with how this turned out. I did this without the Cointreau but will add this next time when I bake it for my Grans Birthday! :-)
This cake is divine. Light and delicious. I follow the recipe exactly and it comes out perfect every time. In fact, my birthday is next month and I'm going to make it for myself and my friends.