I often think back to when I was a child and I used to wish time away. It didn’t help that my brother and sister were 8 and 11 years older than me, because I always wanted to be in their shoes experiencing the things they were – and I found it hard to understand that I couldn’t do many of those things because I was much younger.
Now that I am an adult, I really wish I was a child again. If only I had realised that things don’t get more fun, they just get more stressful. Now I have to worry about a mortage, bills, work, etc. All of that I can handle, what I really find hard is the speed at which the clock seems to tick now. With all the responsibilities of life, even though I know the clock is ticking at the same speed, it just doesn’t feel like it.
Last Friday I was sitting at work trying to multitask 100 things, and my mind wandered to Chew Town. It was early march so I figured that Chew Town’s birthday must be sometime soon. Lucky I checked… because it actually was on Friday!
So, Chew Town is officially four years old, and hasn’t time flown. In honour of Chew Town’s blogiversary, I’m bringing you another great celebration cake this year – The Best Flourless Chocolate Mud Cake. But before I get into how I found the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted (seriously!), it’s time for some yearly Thank You’s:
- Thank you to all of the readers of Chew Town. Over the past year, I have had many of you email me with your thoughts and feelings about Chew Town (and even some wonderful recipe ideas) – it has been so great connecting with you all and getting to know you a bit better.
- A massive thank you to the other wonderful members of the food blogging community who are always so supportive. It is wonderful to be on a food journey with all of you.
- Another big thank you to friends and family at work and at home who are all the Chew Town taste testers. I know all of our waistlines have grown as a result, and I am truly grateful for your support and feedback.
- It wouldn’t be an annual thank you, without thanking Scotty. Thanks for your patience, support and ideas to constantly keep Chew Town growing. You have forgone many a warm meal to the camera and allowed me to cook, photograph and edit every waking moment that I am not at work. Chew Town wouldn’t be Chew Town without you.
On to the cake!
This Flourless Chocolate Mud Cake recipe came my way just before Christmas. I was a plus one for a friend of mine at a Christmas thank you event Epicure Catering hosted in Melbourne late last year. It was such a fun event where over 120 people were each given a cake, chocolate ganache icing, and various bits and bobs to learn how to decorate. Epicure’s pasty chef Deniz Karaca was at the helm talking us through how best to ice and decorate a cake and I learnt a great many tips from him.
Deniz was the creator of this chocolate mud cake recipe, and he is one of the world’s very finest pastry chefs. He won the Australian and Australasian legs, and was third in the world final of the World Chocolate Master competition in 2013. So, if you are going to get an amazing chocolate cake recipe from anyone… this is the guy.
After taking my decorated cake away with me, and seeing how quickly it was devoured by Opera Australia’s Melbourne office, I realised I just had to make it again for the blog.
Thankfully, both Epicure and Deniz agreed to let me share this recipe with you. I’ve also added various Chew Town tips on how to bake and decorate your cake with fresh flowers in the recipe. I’m sure with just one bake, you will agree its incredible!!
The Best Flourless Chocolate Mud Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Flourless Cakes
- 400g Milk
- 135g Almond Meal
- 30g Butter
- 350g Good Quality Dark Chocolate
- 10g Baking Powder
- 300g Eggs
- 200g Caster Sugar
Chocolate Ganache
- 630g Cream
- 70g Caster Sugar
- 70g Glucose
- 500g Good Quality Dark Chocolate
- 70g Butter
Directions
CHOCOLATE FLOURLESS CAKES
Prepare the tins for the cake by lining the cake rings with baking paper. I used two 18cm tins and one 10cm tin. Cut a strip of towel (I used an old hand towel) to fit around each cake tin and have 3 safety pins ready.
To make the flourless cake, combine milk and almond meal in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil while stirring continually.
Meanwhile melt the chocolate and butter together in short bursts in the microwave stirring between each burst. Take the milk off the heat and combine with the chocolate and butter, then add the eggs, sugar and baking powder and mix well.
Fill the 10cm cake tin 3/4 full with the mixture, then evenly distribute the remaining batter between the two 18cm tins. Wet the three strips of towel with tap water and wrap around the outside of tins securing each with a safety pin (I won't go into the science of this, but it will result in your cakes rising perfectly even).
Bake at 165° Celsius for about 45 minutes (or until a skewer inserted comes out clean - the smaller cake will not need as long to cook.
Set aside to cool and then refrigerate till completely cool - preferably overnight if you have the time.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
While the cakes are cooking and cooling, make the chocolate ganache. Bring the cream sugar and glucose together in a saucepan till it boils. Pour it over the chocolate in a large bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes, then combine thoroughly using a whisk. Add the butter and combine again with a whisk. Pour into a large container then cover the surface with gladwrap and store outside the fridge in a cool spot overnight.
ASSEMBLY
To assemble the cake, trim the two larger cakes (if required - I didn't need to with the towel wraps) and cut the smaller cake in half horizontally using a sharp serrated knife.
Place the first large cake onto a round cake board and spread about 1/3 of the ganache onto the top of the cake. Place the second cake on top and press it down separately. Do the same with the two smaller cakes (using less ganache in between the smaller cakes) so you have two separate cakes, one small and one large.
Crumb coat both cakes on the outside with some of the ganache. Allow the crumb coat to set for a few minutes, then apply the rest of the frosting to each cake, pulling it lightly across the base layer. Transfer the smaller cake to the top of the larger cake and decorate as you like - I used fresh flowers, red currants and crushed pistachios. Rest in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
TIP ONE
A crumb coat is a very thin layer of ganache that is applied to a cake first to trap all the loose crumbs on the surface of a cake before your final layer of ganache is applied. It allows the final layer to apply smoothly and cleanly, without picking up a single crumb from the cake itself.
TIP TWO
If you would like to decorate with flowers, berries and crushed pistachios as I did, please note that the stems of fresh flowers cannot be inserted directly into the cake unless they were grown organically with no pesticides. If they haven't been (like mine) then you can use a method where you tape the stems with floral tape and insert them into the cake with straws (like I did with help from this video tutorial here).
This cake looks wonderful. Does your ‘handy hint’ about the hand towel wrapped around the tins making the cake rise perfectly work for other type of cakes? or only mud cakes? Many thanks
Hi Lyndsey, it works for all cakes the use a raising agent. Makes it so much easier for layered cakes as it means less cutting and trimming.
Wow congrats on your 4th blogiversary! And what a magnificent looking cake to celebrate! Have loved watching your blog grow over the years. Looking forward to reading so much more 😀
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Thanks Helen, it has been so wonderful having the support of other wonderful bloggers such as yourself!
happy blogversary! this is a work of art!
Thanks lovely!
First off, congratulations on four amazing years Chew Town! Amanda, this cake is a work of art, simply put a visual masterpiece as I am sure the cake is itself. WOW!
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Thanks Kevin. I’ve so enjoyed meeting so many food bloggers like you from around the globe and sharing stories and experiences.
Wow! You have come a long way in 4 yrs.
Congratulations & happy anniversary.
I fondly remember when you were little and wanted to grow up quickly so you could do everything your siblings did. Rest assured that not only are you able to do ANYTHING your siblings can do, you – you have surpassed them in CREATIVITY. I chuckle at the thought of all those years ago.
Love Mum
Thanks mum! This is one super cute message… that now everyone in the world can read! 🙂
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This is not food, this is art! It looks divine!
Belated happy 4th bloggiversary with massive hugs to make up for it xxxx I would bake you a cake…… but…. errr……. I just wouldn’t stand up to that awesomeness I see!
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this cake looks amazing! can i please ask if you are referring to glucose syrup or powder and if you know of any substitutes for this ingredient? thanks 🙂
Hi Jaala, I’m referring to glucose syrup in this recipe (I’ve never come across glucose powder). Liquid glucose is a sweetener used to keep baked items moist and soft. You can replace by using the folowing 1 to 1 – Corn Syrup, Golden Syrup (this has a stronger flavour though), Honey (though again this has a stronger flavour)
So i made this cake. 2 batches now actually. And both lots didnt rise at all? Is that right? Theres no way i would bother halving them to fill cos they’re only about an inch high as is?
Hi Sandy, Thanks for your message and feedback! It is very strange that the cake didn’t rise for you. Firstly, in testing the recipe itself, besides me testing it, I have had a close friend make this twice – once for his overseas wedding, and once for his Australian wedding party (I ate a piece of the second cake he made) and both turned out perfectly. Because it is a flourless mud cake, the recipe is not indented to rise like a flour cake will – but it definitely should rise for you. So, it might be something to do with the ingredients you are using. I would suggest checking the age of your baking powder as over time sitting in the cupboard it can lose its effectiveness. Also, the baking powder begins working the moment it hits the batter, so you want to get any recipe with baking powder in the oven as quickly as possible. The other thing you can try, is adding more than 10g of baking powder if its not creating the lift the cake needs. Alternatively, you can try replacing the baking powder with baking soda, but then the milk will need to be replaced with buttermilk (as baking soda requires an acidic substance to react with to make the cake rise). I really do hope that helps you Sandy! Warmest, Amanda
Hhhmmm. So the baking powder was new off supermarket shelf. But i will try adding a teeny bit more. Nevertheless. I just had all my colleagues raving about the caje i presented to morning tea to celebrate a birthday. So i will definitely be making it again! Thanks heaps!!
Hi Sandy, if the baking powder was new it should have risen for you! Definitely try using a little more next time and let me know how you go. The cake pictured above isn’t hugh, its definitely a medium sized cake. So glad to hear the flavours were bang on. If it still doesn’t work for you next time, I can make it again and see how it turns out. Thanks for your update!
Hi Sandy, if the baking powder was new it should have risen for you! Definitely try using a little more next time and let me know how you go. The cake pictured above isn’t huge, its definitely a medium sized cake. So glad to hear the flavours were bang on. If it still doesn’t work for you next time, I can make it again and see how it turns out. Thanks for your update!
Hi Sandy, I thought I would come back to you. I made this again recently in someone else’s kitchen while I was interstate and had problems with the cake rising. I realised that it didn’t work properly for 2 reasons – 1. their kitchen scales weren’t digital and so I’m certain the ratios weren’t perfect causing problems with the rise, 2. their oven ran hot so it caused the cakes to cook too quickly and deflate the cakes as I pulled them out of the oven. Either of those reasons might have contributed to you not having success with the cake.
I love this cake and have made it several times. It comes out perfect and gets devoured in one sitting! I’m just wondering could I do it using white chocolate? Is there anything I should change?
Hi Lauren, So glad you like the cake! It definitely is a regular in our household too (I made it last weekend for my father in laws 70th). The problem with a direct substitution of white chocolate for dark chocolate is that white chocolate is made from cocoa butter rather than chocolate. It seizes at much lower temperatures than dark chocolate, is sweeter and behaves differently in the cooking process. It would be possible to do, although the ratios will need to change and without testing it myself and working through it, I’m not sure I could provide advice at this stage. I would recommend finding a recipe for a white chocolate cake, and a white chocolate ganache and using that instead.
Is it really 300g eggs or 3 eggs?
Hi Desiree, it is most definitely 300g eggs. As mentioned in the post, this is a patissiere’s recipe and they always weigh all ingredients so that the recipe works every time. There are way too many variables with egg sizes which would radically affect the final result.
Love this recipe, I used it to make an engagement cake for my brother. We topped it with blueberries and some mint leaves for decoration, and served with double cream. Delicious!
Thank you for this recipe, I used it for my brothers engagement cake & everyone loved it! The only allergy among the guests was gluten, so this was perfect
Hello,
I googled “Best Flourless Mud Cake” and found your recipe. It definitely sounds wonderful.
Just a couple of questions:
Firstly is the 165 C fan-assisted, therefore approx 185 C for the baking temperature . Or is the temperature it needs to be baked at, so 145C fan-assisted? Makes a big difference.
Also I am just wanting to make a two-layer cake. Would I bake the recipe in 2 x 20 cm tins?
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
Angela from Brisbane