Fluffy Flourless Chocolate Cake with Bailey's Whipped Cream

This cake is not your usual dense and moist homemade chocolate cake. Nope, this cake is so incredibly light and fluffy that you might find yourself going back for another piece because one just didn't cut it! I decided to make chocolate ganache to be the filling for my cake, and I'm so glad I did. It added a delicious fudgyness that wouldn't have otherwise been there. At the time I had been out of heavy whipping cream (sad face) so I decided to go with a whipped Bailey's buttercream frosting instead. Bailey's is probably one of my favorite frosting flavors, ever. It was very good, though next time I will go with a Bailey's whipped cream frosting. I also cut the recipe in half, as it is just my husband and me, so that's why my cake only has two layers.

Fluffy Flourless Chocolate Cake

12 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped

6 tablespoons water

12 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

1 1/3 cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

To Make cake layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease four 9-inch circular cake pans and line bottoms of circles with a piece of parchment paper.

Melt chocolate with water in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring. Cool to lukewarm.

In your stand mixer, beat yolks, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt until thick and pale for about 5 minutes.  Stir in melted chocolate until combined.  In a separate HUGE bowl, beat 12 egg whites until they hold stiff peaks (clean your beaters).  I use hand held mixer with a very large stainless steel bowl for this-

Add remaining sugar and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks. Fold one third of whites into melted-chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining whites carefully.

Spread batter evenly over four baking pans.   Bake until the cake has puffed and the top is dry to the touch, maybe 16 minutes.  I rotated my cake pans once to ensure they cooked evenly.  Once the cake is done, cool the cake pans on cooling racks for about 10 minutes.

If you wish, sift cocoa powder over top of cake layers.  Then place a piece of waxed paper over the top of the cake pans. Place a cookie sheet over paper and invert cake onto it, gently peeling off wax paper lining. For best results, place all of the layers in the freezer for at least 2 hours or until they are firm enough to be carefully lifted without breaking.

Chocolate Ganache Filling

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Stir in the rum if desired.

Allow the ganache to cool until thick, then whip with a whisk until light and fluffy.

Bailey's Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted

4 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur

*or substitute 4 tablespoons cocoa and 1 teaspoon vanilla for the liqueur.

Directions:

Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar and Bailey’s in a clean bowl, and whip until stiff peaks form.

Cake assembly:

Remove cakes from freezer, and place one cake on a serving plate. Spread 1/3 of the chocolate ganache over cake layer, and then repeat with second and third cake layers. Place the fourth and final layer on top, and frost cake with the whipped cream. Sprinkle with miniature chocolate chips, if desired.

Cake Recipe Adapted from Gluten Free Mommy