Flourless Chocolate Chipotle Cake with Spicy Ganache

“A party without cake is just a meeting,” once said the lovely Julia Child.

But who needs to wait for a party to eat a chocolate cake? A chocolate cake can make any boring day seem exponentially more interesting.

A simple, standout chocolate cake recipe lies in the cookbooks and recipe collections of many home cooks, as it well should. The best thing about having one of these base recipe? You can always change it.

The base recipe for this chocolate cake is a staple in my kitchen. It’s a riff off of the recipe for Sticky Chocolate Cake (kladdkaka in Swedish) in Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break. It’s thanks to my co-author Johanna that I started making my chocolate cake with ground almonds several years ago and I have never looked back.

Chocolate and chili are two flavors that I love together, and besides buying the occasional chocolate chili bar, I don’t often have the opportunity to combine them in my own kitchen, so when I do, it’s a good day. Using chipotle chili powder in both the cake base, and then covering the cake with a chocolate chipotle ganache, you get a slightly spice, chocolaty, smoky taste. The perfect thing to turn an average weeknight into something much more entertaining.

Taste the batter as you go, and if you feel like adding in a little more chipotle chili powder, have at it. Nothing wrong with a little more spice.

Flourless Chocolate Chipotle Cake with Spicy Ganache

Chocolate Chipotle Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (2.5 ounces, 71 grams) raw almonds

1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113 grams) unsalted butter

2 eggs

1/4 cup (1.75 ounces, 49 grams) natural cane sugar

1/3 cup (1 ounce, 28 grams) + 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder – from a responsible brand, of course

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

Chocolate Chipotle Ganache

1.75 ounces (50 grams) dark chocolate

1/4 cup (60 milliliters) milk or non-dairy milk

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

Flourless Chocolate Chipotle Cake with Spicy Ganache

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9-inch (23-centimeter) round baking dish. I like to flour the baking dish with ground almonds, if you do, just be sure to grind a little extra.

Finely grind the almonds in a food processor. Set aside a teaspoon or two to sprinkle over cake later.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and set aside.

Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a bowl. Using the whisk, slowly stir in the cocoa powder, salt and chipotle chili powder, and stir together until well blended. Add the almonds followed by the melted butter and stir until you get a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the baking dish.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The cake is done when it is set on top but still sticky on the inside. Check this by carefully tilting the baking dish; if the cake appears runny, it needs to be baked a little more.

Prepare the ganache by chopping up the chocolate into small pieces and placing in a bowl along with the chipotle chili powder.

Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Remove from the stove and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir the melted chocolate and milk together until well blended. Let the ganache sit for a little bit to chill and thicken.

Pour the ganache over the cake, sprinkle with the remaining ground almonds and let cool before serving.

Enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Chipotle Cake with Spicy Ganache