My Flourless Walnut Cake is a 7-ingredient treat flavored with chocolate and coffee that is delightfully different!
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 35 minutesminutes
Total Time 55 minutesminutes
Servings 8servings
Ingredients
4ouncesraw, shelled walnuts
3tablespoonsfine breadcrumbs
3large eggsat room temperature
½cupsugar
4tablespoonsbittersweet chocolategrated
¼cupbutterat room temperature
1tablespoonstrong brewed coffee or espresso
For serving:
Additional walnut halves, confectioner’s sugar, and whipped cream
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Generously grease an 8-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper. Also grease the parchment paper.
Grind the walnuts and breadcrumbs together in a food processor. The walnuts should be quite fine, but don’t process too long or they’ll lose texture and become oily.
Separate the egg whites and yolks. In the top of a double boiler, over simmering water, whisk the yolks and sugar together until they have tripled in volume and become thick and very pale yellow.
Take the yolks off the heat and stir in the nut mixture and chocolate.
Beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time until completely incorporated.
Stir in the coffee or espresso.
Whisk the egg white to stiff peaks.
Stir a small amount of the beaten whites into the batter to loosen it.
Add the batter to the remaining egg whites and gently fold it in.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 35 minutes. Note – the cake will pull away from the sides of the pan during baking.
Remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before transferring to the serving plate.
Decorate with sifted confectioner’s sugar and additional walnuts, if desired. Serve with whipped, sweetened cream.
Notes
I like a simple topping of sifted confectioner’s sugar and toasted walnut halves along with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream on the side. It's also nice with vanilla ice cream, or a drizzle of warm caramel sauce.
The completely cooled cake can be stored wrapped in plastic wrap or in a reusable airtight container. Keep it in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to two months.
To serve from frozen, allow the cake to thaw out in the fridge for at least 24 hours before serving. I find that this cake is best served at room temperature and that you should only add your garnishes a few minutes before serving.