Chocolate Flourless Cake with Raspberry Sauce – If you can’t make it out for a Valentine’s Day dinner, this chocolate flourless cake with raspberry sauce will make for an evening of well-planned hedonism!
Today’s recipe is an unapologetically rich dessert. As a devout lover of all things chocolate, I couldn’t let Valentine’s Day pass me by without making a decadent dessert befitting the holiday. We all need a little culinary romance from time to time, after all. I included real fruit in this recipe with a homemade raspberry sauce, so that’s my something healthy. I hear chocolate is healthy too, so they say… The sauce is made from frozen raspberries since they aren’t in season, but red desserts are, so I went with it. Not to mention, it’s to die for when smothering this flourless chocolate cake…
I’m excited for Valentine’s Day this year because Dan and I are going out on a real dinner date for the first time since May! Seriously… that’s like 9 months, and that’s way too long! We used to go out all the time, but then the kids and bills thing happened. As someone who loves fine dining, it’s been pretty tough. But I’m sure that in 15 years, when I’m surrounded by teenagers who can’t wait to be left alone and have the house to themselves, I’ll look back on this season of life longingly. In the meantime, Dan and I have learned to create our own dates. I make a quick and easy kid dinner for my little one and get him settled into bed. Then, Dan and I make something more sophisticated together, whether it’s a savory dinner (I have one planned for my next post), or a rich dessert like this Chocolate Flourless Cake with Raspberry Sauce. And a bottle of wine, of course!
If you don’t have dinner reservations this Valentine’s Day, don’t sweat it! Not all is lost. Consider carving out some time to cook something completely hedonistic with someone you love, open a bottle of wine, light some candles, and create your own romance this February!
- 8 oz 60% bittersweet chocolate
- 1 C (2 sticks) butter
- 1½ C granulated sugar
- 1 C cocoa powder
- 6 large eggs
- 1 tsp real vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 12 oz frozen raspberries
- ½ C water
- ½ C granulated sugar
- 1½ Tbsp corn starch
- 1 C heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp real vanilla extract
- Grease a 12 inch springform pan with butter and then line the bottom of the pan with a piece of round parchment cut to the size of the pan. Preheat your oven to 325º F.
- Melt the bittersweet chocolate and butter over a double boiler while taking care to mix every minute. To make a double boiler you will need a medium sauce pan and either a small metal or glass mixing bowl. Bring 2-3 inches of water to a simmer at the bottom of the pot. While maintaining a simmer, place your bowl on top of the pot so that it's not touching the water, but so that the heat is trapped in the pot underneath it. This will keep your chocolate from burning.
- Sift 1 C of cocoa powder into the boiler while continuing to heat and stir frequently. After the cocoa is mixed in, stir in the sugar. Continue to heat and stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved and then remove from the heat.
- Combine the eggs, vanilla, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat on high for 5 minutes until the eggs are light and fluffy.
- Gently fold the beaten eggs into the melted chocolate until evenly combined, taking care not to over-mix. Pour the mixture into the springform pan.
- Bake at 325º F for 30-35 minutes. After removing the cake from the oven, allow it to rest for 10 minutes and then gently remove it from the springform pan by removing the sides of the pan, and then sliding the parchment lined bottom off of the bottom of the pan. Allow it to cool completely for 1-2 hours before serving.
- While the cake is cooking, make the raspberry sauce. Place the frozen raspberries in a fine mesh colander and allow the juices to drip into a bowl as they thaw out. Once thawed, use a spatula or wooden mallet to push any remaining juice through the colander. Discard the pith and reserve the juice.
- Combine the reserved raspberry juice, water, granulated sugar, and corn starch in a saucepan. Whisk the ingredients together until the corn starch is completely dissolved. Heat the sauce over medium-low heat until it's bubbling and then cook until thickened for about 2 minutes. Serve chilled.
- For best results, chill a metal mixing bowl and your beaters in the freezer before making.
- Combine heavy cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract in the chilled metal bowl. Beat on high until the cream just becomes light and fluffy and forms stiff peaks. If you over-beat, it will begin to turn into butter.
- Whipped cream is best if it's served immediately, but it can be stored up to 10 hours in the refrigerator in an airtight container. If refrigerated, quickly beat for about 15 seconds before serving.
I know… But it’s Valentine’s Day!
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oh i so need a good date night with my husband on Vday! can we join? LOL! kdding. I’ll take this for sure though.
haha… sorry you’re not welcome on or Vday dinner… But seriously, if you’re ever in Philly be sure to look us up! I hope you get lots of yummy chocolate this Valentine’s Day!
What gorgeous photos! We are actually moving on Valentine’s Day this year. So romantic, I know. Maybe I will make this cake for an early celebration this weekend. I’m a total sucker for raspberry sauce!
I don’t envy you at all with moving in February! Brrr! I hope it goes well and that your able to sneak some time in to enjoy the holiday. Even if it’s on a different day!
This is so great for Valentine’s day! There is NOTHING like chocolate and raspberries together, and this decadent cake looks amazing. My husband and I have at home dinner dates often as well, it is such a fun way to spend time together!
Oh my word! I’m crazy about chocolate and raspberry! Funny story… my mother-in-law said that someone brought chocolate raspberry chocolates into her work for Vday and no one ate them because none of her coworkers liked chocolate and raspberry. How is that even possible?! Weirdos!
This is one of my absolute favorite desserts – definitely perfect for Valentine’s Day! Beautiful photos too!
Thanks Kathryn! This is one of my go-to recipes because I love it and it’s such a crowd pleaser!
I’d love to give this a try! Chocolate with raspberry is a such a delish combo!
Thanks Melanie!
Excellent blog post. I certainly appreciate this site. Keep
writing!
This cake looks simply luscious! Perfect for Valentine’s Day!
Thanks Ashley!
I will gladly skip the reservations and make this cake! Who needs dinner????
I like the way you think! 😉
I am making this now ro take to a dinner. It is in the oven now. Two observations so far… folding the eggs into the chocolate took longer than i thought. And not having a 12″ springform pan, i used my 10″ which was the largest i had. I feel that was even too large. I will let you know how it turns out. The raspberry sauce looks great. Making that next, after a brief rest.
Hi Donna! I hope your cake turned out! If it didn’t, based on what you’re saying, I think I may know what went wrong. If you feel that it took a long time to fold the eggs and the chocolate together and if you feel that there wasn’t enough batter for your pan there’s two possibilities. Perhaps you didn’t beat your eggs long enough? They need to be beat a full 5 minutes on high until they are light and fluffy. Another possibility is that you over mixed the eggs into the chocolate. When you beat them until they were fluffy, the air in the eggs were actually what was going to give your cake body (instead of flour). If you work them into the chocolate too much, they’ll lose that airy quality that you need. I hope that helped!
I only have a 9 inch spring form pan – can I use it and bake longer or should I adjust the recipe or just go buy a 12 inch pan?
You can probably get away with a 12 inch pan. Maybe turn your oven down 15 degrees so that it’s less likely to burn on the edges.
This was one of the best desserts I’ve ever made!!! It will be a go-to recipe for sure. Yum!!!
Thanks for letting me know that it turned out so well for you! This recipe is one of my personal favorite too. What can I say, I LOVE chocolate!