Today I want to share with you a gluten free, grain free, completely flour free Chocolate Mousse Cake. While desserts aren’t necessarily food for fertility, I believe that well spaced indulgences can be included in an otherwise nutrient dense diet. For those of you who liked the Black Bean Brownies, this will blow your mind too. For those of you who didn’t……you finally have your flourless cake option!
Chocolate Mousse Cake
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cup cocoa powder (carob works well too)
- 1 and 1/4 cup butter
- 6 eggs
- 2/3 cup sucanat or other dry sugar
- 2 Tbsp Kahlua (or substitute real vanilla extract and dismiss the tsp of vanilla below)(also – Kaluha may contain gluten)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Method of Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 inch round pan. In a double boiler (you may also use a glass or metal bowl that fits snugly over a pan of simmering water) melt the butter and stir in the cocoa powder. Let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk 2 of the eggs and the additional 4 eggs yolks (reserving the whites!) until well combined. Stir into the eggs only 1/3 cup of the sugar, the chocolate mixture (if it’s to warm it will begin to cook the eggs! As a precaution always stir while pouring in the warm mixture), Kahlua, vanilla, and a small pinch of salt. Blend until combined. In a mixer with balloon whisk attachment (can be done by hand as well) beat the 4 remaining egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. While beating, gradually add in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Once combined turn off.
Stir a large spoonful of the beaten egg into the chocolate mixture to help lighten it for ease in folding the rest of the whites in. Once the spoonful has been incorporated, gently fold in the remaining egg whites.Pour into the pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the top cracks.
Now, even as wonderfully fluffy as it looks, the nature of this cake is to fall. Cool for a few hours before serving to allow it to rest as needed. Slice and serve!
Purely Delicious.
Recipe: Chocolate Mousse Cake {gluten free-grain free}
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cup cocoa powder carob works well too
- 1 and 1/4 cup butter
- 6 eggs
- 2/3 cup sucanat or other dry sugar
- 2 Tbsp Kahlua or substitute real vanilla extract and dismiss the tsp of vanilla below(also – Kaluha may contain gluten)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 inch round pan.
- In a double boiler (you may also use a glass or metal bowl that fits snugly over a pan of simmering water) melt the butter and stir in the cocoa powder.
- Let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk 2 of the eggs and the additional 4 eggs yolks (reserving the whites!) until well combined.
- Stir into the eggs only 1/3 cup of the sugar, the chocolate mixture (if it’s to warm it will begin to cook the eggs! As a precaution always stir while pouring in the warm mixture), Kahlua, vanilla, and a small pinch of salt.
- Blend until combined.
- In a mixer with balloon whisk attachment (can be done by hand as well) beat the 4 remaining egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.
- While beating, gradually add in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar.
- Once combined turn off.
- Stir a large spoonful of the beaten egg into the chocolate mixture to help lighten it for ease in folding the rest of the whites in.
- Once the spoonful has been incorporated, gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
- Pour into the pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the top cracks.
- Cool for a few hours before serving to allow it to rest as needed.
- Slice and serve!
Notes
This recipe was adapted from the Williams and Sonoma “Christmas” cookbook.
*linked to Gluten Free Recipe Parade at Heavenly Homemakers
Donielle Baker
Quinoa and Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes
I have a question about Rapadura or Demeara sugar…I know you don’t list it here but the sucanat made me think about it. First, what is the diff btwn the 3 types of sugar? Second, I can not find rapadura or deamera sugar anywhere. Are these just brand names for sucanat? Which I believe is the same as Florida Crystals to begin with…
And then there’s raw sugar, this is different than sucanat too you think?
I used to just buy sucanat and be done with it but now I’m trying to distinguish btwn them all.
My gut says sugar is sugar is sugar BUT now that I’m majorly trying to get my diet better—maybe there are subtle difference that would make a diff to someone with PCOS/insulin resistance.
Thanx!
On another note–I tried yet another brand of kombucha last nite…I actually almost liked it! I drank all of it….but it made me feel somewhat intoxicated…like throughout my whole body. It was a weird feeling.
I’m thinking being off sweets for long enough, I could drink it. I am reeeeeeeeeeeally sick of plain water and I’ve been drinking alot of mocha cocoa lately (with cream, not milk) and that’s just chock full of calories and SUGAR (even my homemade brew lol). If I drink herbal tea, it’s the same deal, lots of honey. It so sucks I can’t tolerate stevia 🙁
@Hélène, As long as the Rapadura, Sucanat and Demeara sugars all say “evaporated cane juice” or “dehydrated cane juice” on the bag, they are all the same thing. Raw sugar is very different and is actually not far removed from white sugar, due to the amount of processing. I’m sorry you can’t tolerate Stevia. It’s such a wonderful form of sweetening! I don’t use any of the brand name Stevias out there, since all of those go through a fair amount of processing before they are released. I use the powdered form of the plant and make sure it has time to steep, like a tea, in order to release its sweetness. I haven’t noticed any aftertastes and though it can get overpowering if you use too much, doesn’t have the affect on my blood sugar that any other form of sugar does. I use a chop stick for measuring it into my coffee and use about 1 inch of stevia lined up on the edge of the chop stick (I don’t measure, just dip the stick into the powder). I hope this helps! Good luck on your quest to find sweetness that agrees with your gut!
@Hélène, Sarah’s right, it depends on what it says after the brand name (rapadura, sucanat, and demera are normally the brand of sugar I believe) What you’re looking for is “whole cane sugar” when you buy sugar! This way it includes the other nutrients….it’s a whole food.
I personally stick to only whole cane sugar, honey, or maple syrup!
I also find that after I cut out sweets completely for a few weeks, I didn’t need to sweeten everything so much. 🙂
I say YUM! I want to try this!
Hi,
Really happy to see this recipe. I have looked & looked for a flourless chocolate cake recipe that did not require baking chocolate- this is the first I’ve seen. I’m in Rwanda where baking chocolate is not available, but cocoa powder is. So, thanks! 🙂
@lisa, Great! And actually the recipe I started playing around with used baking cocoa but I didn’t have any on hand. Any time you find one that calls for the baking chocolate just use 3 Tbsp of cocoa and 1 Tbsp of butter or oil per ounce of chocolate!
To make baking chocolate, you just add some more fat to the recipe and use the cocoa powder. I don’t have the recipe for it right here. Maybe google a substitute for baking chocolate? I think it was like 2T per 1/2c. or something. But don’t rely on my memory! 🙂
Ok, so is raw sugar not good, it’s just dirty sugar like I’ve been telling all my friends for yrs? But Rapadura and Demera are just another brand like Sucanat or Florida Crystals and they’re all —-cane juice crystals, rite? I have never been so confused about something LOL. I really thot the demeara was different for some reason.
I am using blackstrap molasses in my mocha cocoa now. I am aiming for a tbsp, but not there yet. For the Iron and Calcium (I’d like to get up to 1T, twice a day). I guess it’s really absorbable from blackstrap and i don’t do much dairy at all; i leave it for the kids & maybe eat some yucky store cheddar, not raw or pastured. I still use some sugar too, but down quite a bit from wat I was. I think Im cutting out the coffee next cup too. I LOVE that mocha flavor, but its just one more thing i have to overcome its bitterness, like cocoa powder. I just use 1/2tsp decaf coffee in a large mug, but I think it may be worth it. I’ll save it for special treats.
Hi, Donielle,
I just baked this cake today. I only tried a little piece of it (I’m saving it for my husband’s birthday tonight), but the taste seems good. My concern is that the cake didn’t rise and get nice and fluffy like yours did. Do you know what might affect that? I did bake it in a springform pan. It was my first time to do so, and it leaked a little bit, but I was able to contain it. I also had to use splenda as a sweetener–I know, not preferable, but I have a sensitivity to sugar and maybe to honey, too, and am still trying to figure out what I can eat. I tested the cake with stevia the other day, and that didn’t work well–way too sweet! So splenda has to do in a pinch. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as posted. I’m not a baker, so I’m still trying to figure out what could have caused the cake not to rise (your pic of the fluffy cake looks so good–I was looking forward to seeing that!).
Thanks!
Paige
@Paige, Paige, did the eggs whip up nice and light even with the splenda? Because it’s getting the eggs into a consistency like whip cream that helps it ‘puff’.
@donielle, Yes, the eggs whites whipped up well into stiff peaks. We had some of the cake tonight, and it tasted good, but I’ll definitely try a different sweetener the next time I make it. I’ve heard some good things about Xylitol, so I may try it next. It would be interesting to find out if I have the same experience with it. I guess it’s just trial and error. Thanks!
@Paige, Hmmmm….interesting.
Though as a word of caution, you may want to really research the alternative sugars you’re trying to use. Personally I would cut any sugar out of my diet rather than use things like splenda, agave, stevia, and xylitol.
To help with a sugar sensitivity, you could look into something like the Special Carbohydrate Diet to help rebalance insulin levels. That way after awhile, you could probably use some natural sweeteners for a couple indulgent treats.
This looks delicious! Would it work to use coconut oil instead of butter, though, to make it dairy-free?
Also, I never knew that cream of tartar is not necessary if you’re using a copper bowl to beat egg whites! Cool beans!
@~M, Yes, you can totally use coconut oil instead of butter in this recipe if need be. I’ve done it that way a couple of times.
This looks soooooooo good. I’m surprised it works just using cacao powder as a flour substitute, but I believe you. Can’t wait to go home and make this.
Hi there!
So happy to have found your website, as it totally coincides with my lifestyle and goals. I just came across this recipe, and thought I might share something I noticed? You have said it is Gluten free, however it does have some Kahlua. I’m sure most hard core Celiac sufferers would know this anyhow, but I wanted to point out that Kahlua may contain gluten. I know it is only a small amount in the recipe, but figured it was worth sharing.
Cheers!
@L. Biddle, Thanks! I thought I had put a disclaimer in there – I’ll go add that now. 🙂