Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Cloud Cake is my family’s favorite chocolate dessert and easy enough to make midweek. Everyone loves a homemade dessert although personally, Karis and I would prefer a bag of salt and vinegar chips! It’s always nice to have a tried and true dessert in your back pocket. I first discovered it in Nigella Lawson’s book “Nigella Bites.” I think I’ve made this cake 100 times and can practically make it in my sleep. It requires minimal amount of ingredients and is flourless, which is handy here in gluten-free Los Angeles.

What I love about this cake is that I can make it in about 45 minutes and it requires very few ingredients. It’s rustic looking. It’s all about the decadence of the dark chocolate, the lightness from the egg whites and the cream topping to pull it all together.

The recipe calls for a minimum of 70% Dark Chocolate, my husband likes it really dark, so I mix 84% and 70%.

Many recipes suggest melting chocolate in the microwave, I prefer to melt on the stovetop.

When adding the egg whites, you don’t need to overly incorporate it into the chocolate.

If you follow the directions as stated, I promise the results are foolproof. Play around with cooking time, I like to check the cake after 20 minutes as my springform is black and oven temperatures vary. I take it out at the point when the center is no longer jiggly.

What’s your favorite tried and true easy dessert?

Chocolate Cloud Cake

Serves 8-12
From start to finish 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients

For the Cake

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
9 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
6 large eggs (2 whole, 4 separated)/
¾ cup superfine sugar

2 tablespoons cointreau (optional)
grated zest of 1 orange (optional)

For the Cream Topping

2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cointreau (optional)
½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (for sprinkling)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Line the bottom of a 9 inch springform cake tin with baking parchment.
3. Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or a microwave, and then let the butter melt in the warm chocolate.
4. Beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with ¼ cup of the superfine sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture, the Cointreau and orange zest.
5. In another bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the ½ cup of sugar and whisk until the whites are holding their shape but not too stiff.
6. Lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites, and then fold in the rest of the whites. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the center is no longer wobbly. Cool the cake in its tin on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools.
7. When you are ready to eat, place the still tin-bound cake on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove the cake from its tin. Don’t worry about cracks or rough edges: it’s the crater look we’re going for here. Whip the cream until it’s soft and then add the vanilla and Cointreau and continue whisking until the cream is firm but not stiff.
8. Fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake, and dust the top lightly with cocoa powder pushed through a tea-strainer.

Notes

We did not use Cointreau or orange zest but feel free to try with one or both!
Shaved chocolate is a nice alternative to the cocoa powder.

Recipe credit: Nigella Lawson and Richard Sax