Flourless Chocolate Meringue Cake

Since I talked about my struggles with this project, I'm noticing that I've been handling my appetite a little better. For the time being, I've given up my habit of binging and really been trying to either a) put desserts out of sight and out of mind or b) allow myself a specific portion a day. It's only been a couple days, but I feel really happy that I'm sticking to this practice. That being said, I'm really scared I'm doing it for the wrong reasons. This might be somewhat of a bad thing to admit, but at the moment I'm really focused on trying to look beautiful, and I want others to perceive me that way. I know that I need to work on loving myself more and learning that my self-worth is not reliant upon how others view me, but it's difficult to leave that mindset behind. I don't want to eat too much because I want to be thin, because I think I'll look more beautiful that way. I don't want to admit this, but I've been spitting out more food. I just love food and eating too much to let go of it completely, but I'm scared of its effects on my body. I wish I could get to a point where I learn to eat just the right amount of food, but I don't know how. It's a difficult dilemma.

Overall, Sunday was a productive day. I finished my last midterm, but I procrastinated until the last hour, so I wasn't able to watch the Oscars. Oh well. I also baked some things for this project, the biggest of which was this Flourless Chocolate Meringue Cake from What's for Dessert. Claire has another flourless chocolate cake in Dessert Person, and the two look extremely similar. I'll go more in-depth on the differences between the two when I make that recipe, but the most significant is that this one has a layer of swirled meringue baked on top. I know I've said in previous reviews that I don't care for meringue, but because this is such a thin layer on top of the cake, I found it bearable in this application.    

This was not my first time making this recipe. I've made it once before, in late December of 2022 (so only a few months ago). One of my aunts is celiac, so I always like to show appreciation to her and make things that are gluten-free whenever she visits in December (her birthday is on the 26th). That being said, I don't love to dabble in the world of gluten-free flour substitutions, so I prefer recipes that are naturally gluten-free to serve to people who have those types of dietary restrictions. I've made several flourless chocolate cakes before in different iterations for family events, and I always feel the need to apologize because it seems like a very cliché and uncreative dessert for a gluten-free audience, but it always goes over well. 

The great thing about this recipe is that while there are some steps that may seem intimidating for beginning bakers, like melting chocolate over a double boiler and whipping egg whites, the whole thing comes together quite quickly and easily for how impressive it looks. It feels a lot more fancy and celebration-worthy than, say, banana bread, but it's something you can get started relatively last minute (a few hours before serving) rather than having to think about it days in advance like a layer cake. This cake uses almond flour as a substitute for wheat flour, and it also happens to be dairy-free, using oil as its primary fat. This recipe uses an equal number of egg whites and yolks, but while the yolks are whisked into the batter in a pretty standard way, the whites are whipped into a meringue. Most of the whipped egg whites are folded into the batter itself, which adds lift and lightness to the structure of the cake and prevents it from becoming too dense and fudgy. However, a cup of the whites are reserved for swirling on top of the cake to create a thin, decorative layer of meringue. The last time I made this recipe, I didn't think I swirled the meringue enough - there were some bits on top that got a little puffed rather than swirling seamlessly with the chocolate. I made an effort this time to swirl a little bit more, but I feel like I may have swirled a little too much - I think you need some distinctness of the two components. Nonetheless, I don't think you can mess it up that badly - it'll look relatively beautiful no matter how much or little you choose to swirl.

This cake has a really lovely texture - it's still very rich and chocolaty, and not exactly a cake that demands a huge slice, but the addition of whipped egg whites to the batter keep it from being too stodgy. Flavor-wise, it's pure, straightforward chocolate, which I love. I talked in another review about how I didn't know that "semisweet" chocolate meant dark chocolate, and I just learned that there is very minimal difference between semisweet and bittersweet chocolate as well. Generally, bittersweet tends to be slightly darker (~70-80%) than semisweet (~60-70%), but that terminology is largely up to the brands themselves to decide, and the two are virtually interchangeable in recipes. The chocolate I used was a little on the darker side of what I suspect Claire used, but it was delicious nonetheless. I don't feel as though the meringue adds a ton to the taste of the cake (I mean, I am solidly of the opinion that meringue tastes like nothing), and it really only adds a thin crispness to the texture (a good thing for me). It's really mostly there to add that visual wow factor to the cake, and for that I think it's a really welcome and encouraged addition.

As I alluded to earlier, this cake checks off a lot of boxes. It's relatively quick and simple to put together but looks and feels very appropriate for a fancy get-together, and it also happens to be both gluten- and dairy-free. There are a ton of flourless chocolate cake recipes out there, so there may be versions that are better than this one, but I think the swirled meringue topping is really what sets it apart visually and makes its extra special.

verdict: 9/10

will I make again? yes!