Flourless Nutella Cake 08-Jan-2013

I am so so so excited to share this recipe with you today. Yes, it’s only 2 ingredients. And I mean really two ingredients. Not one of those recipes that say two or three ingredients and then one of the ingredients is something like “pre-made dough”” or “cake mix”. (Not that there is anything wrong with those recipes.)

All you need is Nutella and eggs. That’s it.

Chef’s notes:

• The key to the texture of the cake and to not end up with something “eggy” is the whipped eggs which are whipped until triple the volume. This creates the cake texture and it should not end up just tasting like sweetened eggs because the eggs have so much air whipped into them. So it’s important to whip the eggs long enough with a stand mixer. I don’t know if a hand mixer is powerful enough.

• In addition, when you fold in the eggs and Nutella together, it needs to be done in small batches and not all at once or you risk deflating most of the egg meringue you’ve made.

• Finally, make sure to weigh out the Nutella, and make sure you get all that Nutella into the actual cake as I know it can be sticky and often people leave a lot of the Nutella behind in their measuring cup.

Ingredients:

• 4 large or extra large eggs
• 8 1/2 ounces Nutella (weigh this out on a scale)

Directions:

1. Grease a 6 or 7 inch round springform pan. Then line with parchment paper on sides and on bottom. (One of the cakes I made, I simply sprayed pan but it still sticks, so it is best to line with parchment paper. By spraying with oil first, the parchment paper stick ons better.) Preheat oven to 350F. Beat eggs on highest speed with stand mixer until about triple in volume, about 6 minutes. The egg consistency is the key to making this recipe work, so don’t try to save time on this step. Eggs must be beaten until triple in volume as that is what creates the cake. \

2. Measure out Nutella into a glass bowl. Microwave Nutella for about 20 seconds to make it softer. Add in 1/3 of the egg mixture. Gently stir with a spatula in the same clockwise direction until all of the egg is mixed in and no streaks remain. Then add another 1/3 of egg mixture and fold again until no egg streaks remain. Pour in remaining third and make sure to scrape the foam that sticks to the mixing bowl into the batter and stir until no streaks remain. Make sure to do this in 3 batches because otherwise the whipped eggs may lose too much of the air that has been whipped into them if you try to do it all at once.

3. Pour batter into springfoam pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean. Let cake cool completely before removing from pan and cutting and serving.