Gimme Some Oven’s 3-Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake Is the Epitome of Rich, Chocolatey Goodness

The promise of this recipe is almost unbelievable: A complete cake that delivers chocolatey decadence from only three ingredients. I knew I had to try it, as I was eager to discover whether such few ingredients — only eggs, chocolate, and butter (and a lot of them) — could truly create a dessert you’d be proud to serve to friends and family.

Get the recipe: Gimme Some Oven’s 3-Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake

You’ll start by lining and greasing an 8-inch springform pan, then wrapping the outside of the pan with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil (this is to prevent leaks from the water bath in which you’ll bake the cake). Then you’ll beat eggs with a stand mixer’s whisk attachment on high speed for about 5 minutes; the eggs will at least double in volume. While the eggs are going, you’ll melt chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (I used the latter) with butter — either in a makeshift double boiler or microwave. Once this mixture is fully melted, you’ll gradually fold in the beaten eggs until the mixture is homogenous.

You’ll spoon the batter into the prepared springform pan and place it inside a roasting pan; then you’ll add boiling water so that it comes halfway up the sides of the springform pan. The cake bakes in the water bath at 325°F until a thermometer inserted in the center registers 140°F. For me, this took 30 minutes, which is a little longer than the recipe states. You’ll lift the springform pan out of the water, cool the cake to room temperature, and refrigerate the cake until it’s chilled.

The finished cake is a thick stunner, measuring almost 1 1/2 inches in height. It ends up with a texture similar to cheesecake or thick pudding — very creamy and moist. It is impossibly decadent with a chocolate flavor so deep that it catches at the back of your throat. You’ll want to cut small pieces because this cake is rich, rich, rich. For me, the flavor was almost too chocolatey, if that’s even a thing. If that’s your jam, this is definitely the dessert for you. Although the ingredient list is very short, the preparation — requiring a stand mixer and hot water bath setup — is just a wee bit complex.

1. Try a mix of chocolates. The recipe uses a full pound of chocolate and recommends either semisweet or bittersweet. I used all bittersweet, but you could try a combination of the two for those rich bittersweet notes but also a little more sweetness.
2. Use a large bowl. You’ll melt the chocolate and butter together and then fold in those beaten eggs. The eggs gain far more volume than you might imagine, so make sure to use a bowl that’s large enough to accommodate them.
3. Stir in some salt. This would turn this into a 4-ingredient recipe, but a bit of salt (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon table salt) would smooth out, balance, and enhance the flavor.
   
   Overall rating: 8/10