This Flourless Chocolate Cake with Apricot Filling is made with finely ground nuts instead of flour. It also has 10 eggs in it. The yolks help hold it together and the whites let it rise. This is a rich and delicious cake for everyone; and a real treat for those who are gluten free. It is also perfect for Passover.
I usually don’t like preserves with cake; but with this Flourless Chocolate Cake with Apricot Filling, I made an exception. The apricot preserves add just the right amount of moisture and sweetness that this recipe needs. As an added bonus, you can make this cake at least two days in advance and keep it in the fridge until serving time! I’ve also frozen it and defrosted it on the afternoon before the evening I was going to serve it. Anyway you do it, this cake is a hit!
Don’t worry about the small eight inch pan. This is such a rich cake that your guests will need just a small piece to feel satisfied.
For a Flourless Chocolate Cake that is nut free, click on the link for Fudgey Flourless Chocolate Cake.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Apricot Filling
By Published: March 24, 2014
Yield:
- 8 inch cake (12 Servings)
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 5 ounces unsalted chopped pecans
- 12 tablespoons Non-dairy Margarine softened
- 10 large eggs room temperature
- 2/3 cup Sugar
- 8 ounces non dairy semi sweet chocolate use chips or chop chocolate bar coarsely
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or pinch of salt
- 2/3 cup apricot peserves
Equipment
- 8 inch springform pan
- electric food processor steel knife inserted
- 1 mixing bowl large enough to easily fold beaten egg whites into chocoate mixture
- electric mixer whisk attached
- 1 serrated knife with long blade
- 1 cake rack
- 1 long metal spatula
- waxed paper
Directions
- Preheat oven to: 350 F°.
- Spread two tablespoons soft margarine around the sides of spring form pan.
- Pulse five ounces chopped pecans in processor until they are very fine. Remove two ounces and pat them around the sides of the pan. Set aside.
- Separate eggs. Place whites in bowl of electric mixer. and yolks in mixing bowl. Whisk sugar into egg yolks. Set aside.
- Place chocolate and remaining margarine in microwave safe bowl or in the top of a double boiler. Melt chocolate until it is smooth when stirred. If using a double boiler, remember to stir chocolate and margarine as it melts over the hot water. If using microwave-timing depends on the strength of your machine. Start at 2 minutes and check it. Add 30 seconds at a time until chocolate is smooth when stirred. Let chocolate cool a few minutes before whisking it into egg-sugar mixture until it is well blended. Remove one cup of chocolate mixture to use later for frosting.
- Stir reserved pulsed nuts into remaining chocolate mixture. Set aside.
- Beat egg whites in mixer until foamy. Add lemon juice or salt. Continue beating on medium-high speed until whites are stiff not dry. They should hold their shape when a spatula cuts through them.
- Stir one quarter of the beaten whites into the chocolate-nut mixture to lighten it up. Fold in the remaining whites gently. Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Place on bottom shelf of oven and bake 45-50 minutes or until center of cake springs back when touched. The cake will have risen like a soufflé. Remove spring form pan from oven and place on cake rack. Run long spatula around the outside of the cake so that it falls evenly. Cool completely before removing outside rim from cake.
- Line a cake platter with four 4 inch strips of waxed paper. Make sure the strips extend at least three inches over each side of the cake platter. You need to be able to grab on to them and pull them out from under the cake when you've finished icing it. You also need an additional sheet of waxed paper to lay the top slice of cake on while you're spreading the preserves on the bottom slice.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the cake into two round layers. Rest the top layer on waxed (cut side up) and then slide the bottom layer onto the waxed paper strips. Spread the apricot preserves over the bottom layer. Place remaining layer on top. Cover the sides and the top of the cake with reserved frosting.
- Coarsely chop remaining pecans. Pat pecans around the sides of the cake. Let icing set and harden a bit before gently removing the wax paper strips from under the cake. Serve at room temperature or cold.
