The popular flourless chocolate cake gets a Valentine’s Day makeover with an infusion of cardamom and rose flavors. This modern recipe takes the classic Indian flavors of cardamom and rose, commonly used in sweets, and elevates the chocolate cake to a whole new level.
This year’s Valentine’s Day, for me, is all about chocolate, roses, and love! But all of that isn’t just for my loved ones; it’s for me too! You know what I’m saying? I’m talking about self-care and self-love. We often hear about being kind and loving not only to others but also to ourselves. However, do we truly apply it in our lives? I can speak for myself and admit that I’m learning to be kinder to myself. Dearest friends have told me multiple times that I can be quite hard on myself. Well, I’ve taken their feedback seriously, and starting this year, I am going to work on not being too critical of myself.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
I’m treating myself to something special this Valentine’s Day – my absolute favorite dessert that I often order when dining out – Flourless Chocolate Cake. This cake tastes like a combination of a brownie, cake, truffle, and mousse. I adore its creamy, silky texture and decadent flavor. Even though this chocolate cake doesn’t contain any flour, it derives its richness from ingredients like eggs and butter used in the recipe. I’m adding an Indian touch into this soft and fudgy dessert by incorporating one of the classic Indian spices, green cardamom, and enhancing it with a delightful floral sweetness and aroma from roses that I recently acquired during my travels to Marrakech!
Cardamom and Rose Flavors
Cardamom and rose are a heavenly match! They are extensively used in Indian cuisine, both in savory dishes like biryanis and traditional desserts like rabdi. The flavor and aroma of any dish that combines these two ingredients are simply addictive and intoxicating. I’m a big fan of both and enjoy incorporating them into the recipes I create, especially around Valentine’s Day.
Classic Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe
While I’ve enjoyed flourless chocolate cake at various restaurants, this was my first time baking it myself. As usual, I perused several recipes on Pinterest to get a high-level understanding of the process. From what I gathered, it’s obviously made without any flour, using a combination of chocolate and cocoa powder whisked together with butter, sugar, and eggs. Since this cake is made without any flour, it is gluten free and absolutely decadent. The order in which the ingredients are used in the recipe, as well as the process, differs from the typical chocolate cake made with flour. The choice of chocolate in the recipes can vary – semi-sweet, dark, or even extra dark (70% or more) works!
My Recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cake
So, after studying the overall process and the variety of ingredients, I began developing my own recipe. Being a fan of dark chocolate, I opted for the 72% intense dark Ghirardelli chocolate. Additionally, I used a heart-shaped spring form pan that I had to bake the cake, despite warnings in many recipes I found. I mean, it’s Valentine’s Day, after all! It certainly calls for hearts and roses, doesn’t it? And the springform pan worked just fine. To infuse the cake with the Indian flavors, I used ground cardamom as one of the dry ingredients and rose water as one of the wet ingredients to make the cake batter. It all came together beautifully and the cake turned out to be rich, dense, moist and absolutely decadent. Check out the short recipe video below and see it for yourself!
Start by melting the butter and chocolate in a small, heavy bottom saucepan over medium low heat, stirring frequently until blended and smooth. It will take about 4-5 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat, then stir in the salt, ground cardamom and rose water. Set aside to cool until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and make sure to adjust the baking rack in the middle slot.
Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is frothy, pale yellow in color and almost doubled in volume.
Slowly pour in half of the cooled chocolate mixture and using a spatula, gently fold in till the chocolate is almost incorporated into the egg mixture.
Add in the cocoa powder and pour in the remaining chocolate mixture and continue to fold it gently until everything is well mixed.
Spray or brush oil inside the cake pan. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick when inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the cake pan for about 10 minutes and then carefully invert it onto a wire cooling rack. Let it cool completely before transferring onto a serving platter.
Dust it with cocoa powder and sprinkle some rose petals on top.
Serve at room temperature.
The cake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. (see Notes)
Choose the dark chocolate with an intensity of 60% or more
Like Chocolate Chips? Use it!
You can use the same amount of chocolate chips in place of the chocolate bar.
What about the Pan?
A regular cake pan will work but a springform pan is better to bake flourless chocolate cake so that it comes out easily, without flipping or sticking to the pan.
Make ahead of Time
You can refrigerate the flourless chocolate cake. Bring it to room temperature by taking it out of the refrigerator about 2 hours before serving.
Freezing Tips
Flourless chocolate cake freezes well. Wrap it well in a plastic wrap and place it in a freezer safe bag or an airtight container. Thaw it on the counter to room temperature for about 4 hours before serving.
Recipe Variations
Substitute rose water with the same amount of orange extract or orange zest.
Hi I’m Vasanti
…and I ❤️cooking ‘n clicking!!
I share a modern take on Indian cuisine made using nontraditional techniques and ingredients, while staying true to its authenticity. You’ll also find classic recipes from my beloved Maharashtrian culture and heritage.
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