Just in time for Valentine's Day, this is a perfectly imperfect flourless chocolate cake. As it rises, a crispy crust forms on top, then it falls and the results are delicious. We use the solar oven to melt our chocolate as well as to bake the cake. Adapted for solar cooking from Bon Appetit.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: 8–10
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1” pieces, plus more, room temperature, for pan
- ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided, plus more for pan
- 10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (61%–72% cacao), coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Place solar oven in the sun to preheat. Lightly butter a 9 inch springform pan and dust with sugar, tapping out any excess.
Combine chocolate, oil, and ½ cup butter in your graniteware pot. Place covered pot in the Solavore Sport until all ingredients are beginning to melt (about 10 minutes). Remove from the oven and stir slowly until ingredients are combined and chocolate is thoroughly melted.
Separate 4 eggs, placing whites and yolks in separate medium bowls. Add cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, ¼ cup sugar, and remaining 2 eggs to bowl with yolks and whisk until mixture is smooth. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into chocolate mixture, blending well.
Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until frothy. With mixer running, gradually beat in ½ cup sugar; beat until firm peaks form.
Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture in 2 additions, folding just until incorporated between additions. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar.
Bake in the solar oven until top is starting to crack and cake is pulling away from edge of pan. Ours baked for 1.5 hours. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan (cake will collapse in the center and crack further as it cools).
Remove from springform pan and dust with powdered sugar if you choose to. This cake is delicious served with ice cream or whipped cream.
