Chocolate Pecan Cake - Flourless

This Chocolate Pecan Cake is a flourless chocolate cake. Unlike the chocolate torte, this has a light and airy texture from the ground pecans and whipped egg whites. The recipe does not use any flour so it makes a perfect dessert during Passover too.

Table of Content

• Why make this cake?
• Ingredients and substitutes
• Step by step instruction (pin)
• Tip - chocolate pecan cake
• Frequently asked questions
• You may also like
• Printable Recipe

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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.

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)

Why make this cake?

• The whipped egg whites make a light and airy cake.
• The cake is made with ground nuts instead of flour so it is rich and flavorful
• The base is of course chocolate, butter, and egg which makes this rich and decadent loaded with chocolate
• The base cake is delicious on its own but when topped with melted chocolate and pecans its is a perfect dessert to serve for a celebration such as Passover.
• The timeline and process for the cake does not get any easier.
  • Prepare pecan meal
  • Melt chocolate butter
  • Whip eggs
  • Combine and bake
  • Glaze

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.

Step by step instruction (pin)

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Cake

• Preheat oven to 275°F / 140°C/ Gas Mark 1
• Line a 9-inch round springform cake pan with parchment paper on the inside and wrap with aluminum foil on the outside - set aside`
  Pro tip - the parchment on the inside is for easy removal and the aluminum foil will prevent water from getting into the pan when baked in a water bath (similar to a cheesecake)
• Place pecan on a baking tray and toast them in the oven for about 10 mins. Remove and let cool completely. Set aside 8 to 10 pecans for the final decoration.
  Pro tip - choose similar size pecans for the tops as these will be coated with chocolate. I like to use small size pecans. I think they look pretty.
• Place the rest of the pecans in a food processor along with a few tablespoons of sugar (approximately 4 tbsp).
  Pro tip - it is very important that the pecans are cooled when processing otherwise you will make pecan butter, not pecan meal.
• Grind to a fine powder. Use a pulsing motion to prevent the pecans from releasing oil.
  Pro tip - the reason we add some sugar from the recipe is to prevent the pecans from releasing oil. Oily pecan meal will make a greasy cake.

• Turn the oven temperature on to 325°F / 165°C/ Gas Mark 3
• In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate and butter until smooth.
• Next, add in the ground nuts, cooled coffee, and vanilla extract. Combine well but do not over mix.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment whip the whole eggs. Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue to whip until light and fluffy.
• Finally, fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture until you have not white streaks.
  Pro tip - I like to start first with the whisk then switch to a spatula using a folding motion.
• Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Tap a few times to break any large air pockets.
• Place the cake pan on a baking sheet on the center rack. Add 2 cups of boiling water to the baking tray outside the cake pan.
  Pro tip - the water outside the pan will create moisture in the oven preventing the cake from drying out. So the cake essentially bakes in a wet steam oven rather than dry air.
• Bakes for about 30 to 35 minutes, The top will be crisp. There may be a few cracks on the top and you will see that the cake is almost done.
  Pro tip - 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, don't worry, it's normal for this cake.

Glaze

• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate, butter, and honey until smooth. Honey gives it a nice shine.
• Glaze the pecans - Half dip each pecan in the chocolate glaze as shown in the video for decorations. Place on 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 or pictures above.
• Let the chocolate set in the fridge for an hour or two. Once completely cooled. Use a hot knife to loosen the sides of the cake.
  Pro tip - dip the blade of a knife or off-set spatula in hot water and run it around the edges of the cake and pan for a clean release.
• Transfer to a serving platter. You can use a few crushed pecans for the sides if you wish. I did not.
  Pro tip - to cut clean slices, again dip the blade of a knife in hot water and whip the knife after each cut. This will give slices clean cuts with neat edges just like the bakery 😜
• Enjoy!

Tip - chocolate pecan cake

• The chocolate you use will determine how delicious this cake turns out. Get a chocolate bar from the supermarket but pick one you would enjoy eating. NO cooking chocolate, and not compound chocolate.
• Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave or double boiler. Chocolate can burn easily and holds its shape even when melted unless agitated so don't overheat it. Make sure to stir then heat some more as necessary.
• 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.
• When baking in a water bath make sure to keep the water to at least an inch above the pan.
• Also, don't forget to wrap the outside of the pan with aluminum flour to prevent water from getting into the pan.

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Frequently asked questions

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Printable Recipe