Dark Chocolate Flourless Torte with Strawberry Sauce

Chocolate and strawberry together is the ultimate combination of decadence. In this dessert, the two classic flavors join forces once more as a sweet-tart strawberry sauce smothers an ultra-rich dark chocolate flourless torte.

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Did you know that studies have shown that if you feel better about the food you eat, your body reacts to it as though it’s healthier? I feel so validated learning this information, since I’m the type of person to consider anything with fresh fruit healthy. So if you need to, think of this super rich torte as a chocolate frittata. It does have five eggs.

I love tortes because they are like fudge in cake form. For this one, I played with one of my favorite flavor combinations: chocolate and strawberry. It’s like a pan full of decadent chocolate-covered strawberries, but deconstructed. The heavy dark chocolate is balanced by the sweet-tart berries for a perfect blend of flavor.

What You Need to Get Started

You can easily find all of the ingredients for this dark chocolate flourless torte with strawberry sauce at your grocery store:

• Pantry: Dark chocolate, Granulated sugar, Brown sugar, Vanilla extract, Almond extract
• Fridge: Butter, Eggs
• Produce: Strawberries
• Equipment: 9-inch Pie pan, Parchment paper, Microwave-safe bowl, Whisk, Saucepan, Mason jar

Let’s Make a Dark Chocolate Flourless Torte

If you are one of those fudgy-brownies-over-cakey-brownies types, like I am, then chocolate torte is for you. Instead of using any flour at all, it’s held together by eggs, sugar, and probably a little bit of magic. Bonus: it’s gluten-free, so easier to share with everyone!

Keep in mind that this torte does need to chill overnight, or for at least eight hours, so you should start it the day before serving. The beginning part of this recipes comes together quickly, however, so preheat your oven and line a pie pan with parchment.

The trick to controlling both the chocolate flavor and the darkness of this torte is going to be in your chocolate selection. I like to go with something in the 70-75% range for this recipe. However, you can work with something a little bit lighter if you’d like.

We’ll start by melting the chocolate along with the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. You can chop the chocolate finely if you’d like it to melt faster, but I just break it into pieces, and let the microwave do the hard work for me. We’re lazy bakers around here.

Zap it in thirty-second increments, stirring after each. When the chocolate pieces are mostly melted, you can stop microwaving and allow the residual heat to help melt what’s left. This will help prevent your chocolate from burning.

Next, add in both of the sugars and some vanilla and almond extract. The almond here is pretty subtle, adding just a slight undertone to the chocolate flavor. If you need to leave it out for allergies, you can replace it with vanilla. Or if you love that almond flavor, feel free to double it.

I use both brown and white sugar here, but feel free to experiment. The small amount of brown sugar will add a little bit of extra richness to the torte. However, it also adds moisture, so I wouldn’t increase the ratio to more than half-and-half.

Stir everything together, and allow the sugars to start dissolving into the warm chocolate. It will be a little bit gritty at this point, but don’t worry, it will smooth out soon. Set the bowl aside for about five to ten minutes, allowing the chocolate to cool slightly.

We let the melted chocolate cool because the next step is to add the eggs. If the chocolate is too hot, the eggs may start to cook a little bit, which is definitely not what you want. Instead, begin by thoroughly whisking the first egg into the cooled chocolate.

Add the remaining eggs in the same manner, one at a time, fully incorporating one egg into the mixture before adding the next. The first couple will be easier than the later ones, which may resist. But be patient, and they will stir in as well.

There isn’t really much risk of over-mixing here. Eggs are the only leavener in this, since there is no baking powder or soda to react together. There’s also no gluten formation happening because it’s a flourless torte, so keep mixing in those eggs fully.

Then you’ll have this ultra glossy, not at all gritty, ribbony chocolate goodness in front of you. I get really distracted at this step, because it looks like the perfect chocolate pudding, all smooth and flowing beautifully off the whisk…

But anyway, it’s full of raw eggs, so unfortunately I don’t suggest trying it yet.

Instead, transfer the batter into the prepared pie pan. I used a standard pie tin which gives it a nice slope, but you can also make this in a cake pan if you prefer straight sides. The parchment is really useful when you need to unmold it later, so I definitely recommend using it.

Make sure to scrape out every last bit of chocolatey goodness into that pan with a silicone spatula, then use the spatula to smooth it all out to the edges. Bake the torte for about twenty-five minutes. It will puff up somewhat, especially on the edges, but will mostly collapse as it cools.

You will know that the torte is done when the center no longer jiggles independently from the rest of the cake. However, it will not be entirely set all the way through. Don’t worry if there are some bubbles on top, since you’ll be covering it with sugar anyway.

After baking, let the torte cool to room temperature on a trivet. Then transfer it to the fridge to chill completely overnight. It’s important that the torte is full chilled before you unmold it, or it may fall apart.

If you are the planning-ahead type, you can make this torte even further in advance. Keep it covered in the fridge until you are ready to serve it, or even freeze it for a couple months.

How to Make Strawberry Sauce for a Chocolate Torte

While you are waiting for that torte to chill and solidify into rich chocolate fudgy goodness, it’s time to prepare the strawberry sauce. You can also make this sauce in advance, and refrigerate it in a sealed jar for a week or so.

Get started by prepping your berries. I like to hull and quarter mine. You can chop them smaller if you prefer, but since we will be mashing them as they soften, I don’t bother. Combine them with sugar and a splash of water in a medium saucepan.

To make the sauce, cook over medium-high heat, and bring the mixture to a boil. At first, the berries will begin to release some of their own juices, and then those juices will begin bubbling. The berries will soften, and that’s when you want to begin smashing them with the spoon against the sides and bottom of the pan.

As the water cooks off, it will thicken into a syrupy sauce. When it’s thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, and stay in place when you use your finger to make a streak, it’s ready.

Turn off the heat, and transfer the sauce to a glass jar. This recipe will make just under two cups of strawberry sauce, which is perfect for a pint-sized jar. Leave the lid on loosely as the sauce cools to room temperature.

Remove the torte from the fridge and carefully flip it over onto a large plate. Then peel off the parchment paper. Flip the torte back over so it’s right-side-up. The edges will be a bit higher than the center, creating a perfect well for your strawberry sauce. Add a thick layer of it right on top, and then cut to serve. If you prefer, you could also slice the torte first, and spoon sauce over the individual slices.

How to Serve Flourless Torte with Strawberry Sauce

This dark chocolate torte screams dessert. But since it’s made with a whole bunch of eggs, I think it can be classified as breakfast if you’re into that. Either way, serve it with a chocolate old fashioned or zero-proof strawberry shrub julep for a fun way to accent the flavors.

You could easily make this torte the centerpiece of a dessert table by surrounding it with complementary or contrasting flavors. Try it with rocky road black bean brownies, cherry cheesecake napoleons, and mini rhubarb cakes.

For something really fun, add slices of this chocolate torte to your ice cream bar, and serve with the strawberry sauce on the side. Try it with strawberry ice cream or coffee ice cream. And don’t forget some colorful and sweet birthday cake martinis!

Use Up Leftover Ingredients

• You can do so much with extra dark chocolate, like peppermint patty brownies or a chocolate peanut butter pie.
• Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits to use, so try them in rhubarb scone strawberry shortcakes, or cinnamon coffee cake with roasted berries.
• Use one of my favorite secret ingredients, almond extract, in some mini skillet chocolate chip cookies.

Not into strawberry sauce? Try this similar miso chocolate torte with butterscotch sauce instead!

Special Equipment

• 9-inch Pie pan
• Parchment paper
• Microwave-safe bowl
• Whisk
• Saucepan
• Mason jar

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