My freshman year of college, long before I discovered the world of blogging, I developed a procrastinatory obsession with Foodgawker. Whenever Facebook stalking got boring, I’d sit at the little dark desk underneath my lofted bed and go through pages and pages of pretty dessert pictures, bookmarking them for the day when I didn’t share a tiny kitchen with 300 other people.

Over spring break of that year, my parents had a dinner party, and I volunteered to make a dessert from the dozens of recipes I’d collected. I chose a three-ingredient bittersweet chocolate cake from the Tuesdays with Dorie recipe group. It turned out fantastic- more chocolatey than sweet, almost like biting into a fudgy, cakey chocolate bar.

Stupidly, however, I didn’t think to save the recipe afterwards, and every once in awhile since then, I’ve searched for the original to no avail. The other day I thought of that cake, and decided that with my ridiculous memory and recent culinary skills, I should just go ahead and try to remake it sans guide. I dug up this post that listed the ingredients and cook time, added some extra flavor, then got to work!

Flourless Orange & Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Cake

Inspired by Tuesdays with Dorie

Yields one 9″ cake

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 16 ounces good-quality dark chocolate, broken into small pieces (I used half Lindt 70%, half Guittard 72% wafers)
  • 1 stick + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
  • 1 teaspoon good-quality sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest (about 1 large orange worth)
  • 5 eggs, separated
Procesure:
  1. Preheat the oven to 375*F. Thoroughly grease a 9″ cake or tart pan with butter, then dust it evenly with cocoa powder. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment or wax paper.
  2. In a double boiler over low heat, melt together the chocolate and butter until it’s completely smooth. Stir in the salt and zest, making sure no clumps of either are left. Set the chocolate mixture aside to cool.
  3. Meanwhile, use an electric mixer to beat the egg yolks together, then separately beat the whites until soft peaks form. Don’t overdo it!
  4. Add the yolks to the cooled chocolate mixture, and stir until they’re well incorporated. Next, fold in 1/4 of the whites at a time. Make sure no more white is visible.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, then bake for about 25 minutes, or until a test comes out just clean. Keep an eye on the oven, and don’t over bake it!
  6. Allow the cake to cool down until it’s just warm to the touch, then remove it from the pan and transfer it to a wire cooling rack.

Holy moly. This cake is a bit more time intensive and complicated than the recipes I usually post, but it’s still very doable by just about anyone and comes out incredible. Rich, fudgy, and so chocolatey that even Augustus Gloop would be satisfied with just one slice. It’s definitely more of a sophisticated dessert, with a pretty bitter chocolate taste, so it would make an excellent dessert for a fancy dinner party. Serve it with vanilla bean ice cream or fresh whipped cream for a pretty presentation!

I love the orange & sea salt combination, but you could play around with the flavors for a different taste. I’m thinking lavender, mint, rose, cinnamon, chili powder…open up the spice cabinet and go crazy.