Chocolate Pecan Cake - Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
This Chocolate Pecan Cake is a luxurious flourless chocolate cake aka gluten-free chocolate. This simple, easy and effortless recipe gets its light and airy texture from the pecans and whipped egg whites. With chocolate in the batter and as a topping this is a chocolate lover's ultimate dessert. The recipe does not use any flour so it makes a perfect dessert during Passover too.
Chocolate Cake Perfect for Passover (Save/Pin)
I came to Israel in 2005. Every year for Passover the whole family gets together for dinner and everyone brings their contribution to the table. I usually was always the one in charge of dessert and a side dish. BUT Passover means no flour. So I had to think of a dessert that was without flour.
Well, I bought this Chocolate Pecan Cake and everyone loved it. Since then I have been making this dessert every year for Passover. Yup! Every year! It's now become a family tradition. Everyone expects me to bring this for Passover now. They now call it a Veena's Passover Chocolate Cake.
The recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks '[easyazon_link identifier="1840811765" locale="US" tag="vesarofca-20"]Best ever Baking' by Carole Clements.[/easyazon_link] I made changes to the original recipes. But, I absolutely adore this book. I've had this book with me forever and It never fails me.|
Note: If you are making this for Passover/Pesach, make sure all the other ingredients in the list including chocolate and sugar are kosher for Passover. (Kaser le Pesach)
Ingredients and substitutes (Save/Pin)
- Pecans - This recipe uses pecan meal instead of flour. Now pecan meal is just pecans pulsed in the food processor until ground fine.
- Nuts - if pecans are not your choice of nuts go ahead and use other nuts as well. I have tried this with cashews and almonds as well as walnuts and almonds. A word of advice when using walnuts - while they are a perfect combination with chocolate they are high in fat so they tend to release too much oil and they do have a strong flavor. It would be recommended to use half walnuts and half almonds instead.
- Chocolate - This cake is all about the chocolate so it is really really important that you use good quality chocolate. I like to use 70% cocoa, but a minimum of 60% would be highly recommended.
- Eggs - Sounds like a lot of eggs compared to the other ingredients but that's what keeps this recipe so light and airy.
- Cream of tartar - this helps stabilize the egg whites when beating to stiff peaks but if you can't find it, omit it and beat the egg whites with just a pinch of salt.
- Unsalted butter - I always prefer to use unsalted butter but salted works just as well. Omit the salt in the recipe if you choose to use unsalted butter.
Useful Tips and Tools
- If you bake often, it would be a good idea to invest in a cake mixer like a K-Mix or Kitchen Aid. Having said that, you don't have to buy an expensive stand mixer, a simple hand mixer works great too.
- I believe in measuring ingredients by weight, which makes my kitchen scale one of the most valuable items when baking.
- And, the same goes for my measuring cups and measuring spoons. It's always a good idea to have these handy and use them when baking rather than trying to guess measurements.
- I think one set of baking pans is a must for any home baker. For my coffee cakes, I like to use my 8 x 8 square baking pan or 9 x 3 inch round baking pan or 9 x 13 sheet cake pan.
- Once baked, always invert your cakes on a cooling rack. This encourages air circulation and prevents the steam from pooling at the bottom of the pan.
- Every oven works differently. So, the baking times are just guidelines. In the case of cakes, a skewer inserted in the center is a great indication. If the cake bakes too quickly or too slow compared to the time given it might be a good idea to check if your oven needs calibration. An oven thermometer is a great little gadget to help keep the oven temperature in check. All you need to do then is adjust the temperature accordingly.
Tips when making nut meal (Pecan-meal)
- If you toast and cool the nuts before you pulse they taste better and they even pulse better.
- Start by adding the nuts to the food processor - pulse a few times until coarse ground.
- Then add a tablespoon or two of sugar or powder sugar from the recipe and add it to the food processor.
- The sugar will prevent the nuts from releasing any oil and grind them further finely.
- Continue with the recipe using the remaining sugar. The sweetness will be adjusted when you add this pecan meal.
How to Make a Chocolate Pecan Cake (Save/Pin)
- Prepare an 8" baking pan for baking.
- Dissolve coffee in boiling water and set aside.
Toast & Grind Pecans
- Preheat oven to 120 C /240 F and toast the nuts for about 10 mins. Remove the nuts.
- Then turn the oven up to 350 F / 170 C.
- Place the Nuts and ⅓ of the sugar in a food processor.
- Grind to a fine powder. Do not over grind as the nuts will get oily and become a paste.
- You can use a sieve to make sure it is ground fine.
Melt Chocolate
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl at 30-sec intervals until melted.
Whisk Eggs
- Place the eggs yolks and ⅓ of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until light and fluffy. Set aside.
- In a clean greaseproof bowl - whisk the Egg Whites, salt, cream of tartar and remaining ⅓ of the sugar.
- Whisk until stiff peaks form but still shiny.
Combine
- Add the Chocolate Mixture to the Egg Yolks mixture followed by the Vanilla.
- Next, add in the ground nuts and cooled coffee.
- Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture... first with the whisk then switch to a spatula using a folding motion.
- The batter is now ready for baking.
Bake in a Water Bath
- Pour batter in the prepared baking pan.
- Place the pan on the center rack, add 1 cup of boiling water on the rack outside the pan. This will help keep the cake moist.
- Bakes for about 30 to 35 minutes, The top will be crisp.
- There may be a crack on the top and you will see that the cake is almost done.
- If you insert a skewer it will have some cake crumbs but not wet gooey batter.
- Let cool in the pan completely, the center will sink so don't worry, it's normal.
Prepare the Glaze
- Melt the Chocolate, Butter, and Honey in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Half dip a few pecans in the chocolate glaze as shown in the video for decorations. Place on a parchment paper and in the fridge to set for a few minutes.
- Pour the rest of the chocolate glaze on the cake.
- Place the nuts on the cake as shown in the video.
- Let the chocolate set in the fridge. Once completely cooled.
- Use a hot knife to loosen the sides of the cake.
- Transfer to a serving platter.
- You can use a few crushed pecans for the sides if you wish too!
Description
Instructions
- Prepare a 9" baking pan for baking.
- Dissolve coffee in boiling water and set aside.
Toast & Grind Pecans
- Preheat oven to 120 C /240 F and toast the nuts for about 10 mins. Remove the nuts.
- Then turn the oven up to 350 F / 170 C.
- Place the Nuts and ⅓ of the sugar in a food processor.
- Grind to a fine powder. Do not over grind as the nuts will get oily and become a paste.
- You can use a sieve to make sure it is ground fine.
Melt Chocolate
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl at 30 sec intervals until melted.
Whisk Eggs
- Place the eggs yolks and ⅓ of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until light and fluffy. Set aside.
- In a clean grease-proof bowl - whisk the egg whites, salt, cream of tartar and remaining ⅓ of the sugar.
- Whisk until stiff peaks form but still shiny.
Combine
- Add the chocolate mixture to the egg yolks mixture followed by the vanilla.
- Next, add in the ground nuts and cooled coffee.
- Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture... first with the whisk then switch to a spatula using a folding motion.
- The batter is now ready for baking.
Bake in a Water Bath
- Pour batter in the prepared baking pan.
- Place the pan on the center rack, add 1 cup of boiling water on the rack outside the pan. This will help keep the cake moist.
- Bakes for about 30 to 35 minutes, The top will be crisp.
- There may be a crack on the top and you will see that the cake is almost done.
- If you insert a skewer it will have some cake crumbs but not wet gooey batter.
- Let cool in the pan completely, the center will sink so don't worry, it's normal.
Prepare the Glaze
- Melt the chocolate, butter, and honey in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Half dip a few pecans in the chocolate glaze as shown in the video for decorations. Place on a parchment paper and in the fridge to set for a few minutes.
- Pour the rest of the chocolate glaze on the cake.
- Place the nuts on the cake as shown in the video
- Let the chocolate set in the fridge. Once completely cooled.
- Use a hot knife to loosen the sides of the cake.
- Transfer to a serving platter.
- You can use a few crushed pecans for the sides if you wish too!
Equipment
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can. This cake can be kept in the fridge for up to a week and can be frozen for up to a month. Make sure to wrap it well to prevent freezer burns and thaw in the fridge a day before you need it.
Absolutely. Try almonds, cashew nuts, hazelnuts. I would avoid walnuts and macadamia as these are very high in fat and do not work the same in this recipe.
It is always recommended to whip eggs at a low speed, then moving up to high speed as well as adding sugar slowly, one tablespoon at a time. Often when air is beaten into the egg too quickly the batter, when baked, tends to deflate or skin. This is an issue not just with gluten-free but often regular wheat flour cakes too.
I have not tested this cake with gluten-free flour so I cannot recommend it. However, I do have a tried and tested gluten-free chocolate cake that is absolutely delicious.
No, the result would not be this light and fluffy. However, I do have a flourless chocolate cake that does not have any nuts.
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