Chocolate Pecan Cake

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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

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 'Best ever Baking' by Carole Clements. 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. (Kasher le Pesach)

Ingredients and substitutes

• 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.

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.

Step by step instruction (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.
• Bake 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!

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Frequently asked questions

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