Bete Noir - Classic Flourless Chocolate Cake

Mmmm. Flourless cake... in all of its fudgy goodness. There are many many flourless chocolate cakes out there, most of them tasty in their own right. Our version is called the Bete Noir. It is scrumptious and it is probably our most popular dessert. I am here to teach you how to make it.

Here's what you need:
36 oz unsweetened baker's chocolate (we use dark chocolate)
1.5 cups water
1.5 pounds butter
4 cups granulated sugar
15 egg yolks

Here's how you put it together:


Place chocolate and butter in a large mixing bowl.



Bring the water and 3 cups of the sugar to a boil for one minute. If your mixing bowl is metal, you can place it right on top of the heating simple syrup to begin the melting process. If your mixing bowl is plastic, that is okay... it will just take longer to melt in the next step.

Slowly pour the simple syrup mixture into the mixing bowl and stir until the chocolate and butter are completely melted.



Mix the 15 eggs yolks with the remaining cup of sugar.

Fold the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture until smooth and creamy.

Bake in a water bath at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, or until set. The deeper your water bath, the longer it will take to bake.

After baking, turn upside down on a cutting board and knock the whole thing out of the pan. This works really well if you have used parchment paper. Use a hot, clean knife to cut.


We serve our Bete Noir with raspberry & white chocolate sauces. Pretty!