Torta Tenerina (Gluten-free Chocolate Cake) Recipe

For the past couple of weeks, I've been reading Dolci: Italy's Sweets, a dessert cookbook that details the regional desserts of Italy. The recipes are compiled by Francine Segan who took the time to test recipes from anybody and everybody's grandmother (and from pastry chefs, and classical Italian baking bibles..). 

Try as I might, I couldn't really see big names (and egos!) like Gordon Ramsay endorsing another person's recipe, no matter how spectacular the recipe may be. Which is a shame, because just because they can cook great savoury food doesn't always mean they make fantastic desserts. I learnt plenty from Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course, but one episode on dessert-making advocated whipping cream at room temperature to get the best volume. (Pastry chefs would advise only egg whites should be whipped at room temperature. Cream should be whipped straight out of the refrigerator, both to get the best volume, as well as for hygiene purposes). 

I have more trust in recipes when they are compiled by an author whose priority, in this case, is for readers to recreate Italian deserts as authentic as possible, and is fine with giving readers a good recipe even if it's not her own. 

This Torta tenerina makes a crisp, macaroon-like outer layer and a dense, incredibly moist center. As the cake cools, it collapses a little, creating a picturesque cracks on the top of the crust. Francine says to use a top-notch chocolate, but the cake doesn't really seem to bring out the flavour of my chocolate, so I'll just stick to a mid-range chocolate, and save my best chocolate for my favourite flourless chocolate cake recipe.

Torta Tenerina 
Adapted from Dolci: : Italy's Sweets by Francine Segan

Ingredients
100g Butter, melted
200g Dark chocolate
175g Sugar (the original amount was 200g, which was too sweet for my taste.)
4 large eggs, separated
2 tbsp Potato starch or cornstarch

Steps
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a 9-inch springform cake pan with baking paper, and lightly butter and coat the sides and bottom of the pan with cocoa powder. 

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl set in a saucepan of gently simmering water. (When a recipe calls for melted butter and chocolate, I usually melt the butter first directly over the smallest possible fire, then add chopped chocolate to the pot and continue stirring. If needed, take the pan away from the fire for a couple of seconds and continue stirring until all the chocolate melted. I never had a problem with burning chocolate with this step.) 

In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar and egg yolks with an electric mixer until creamy and pale yellow. Add the chocolate mixture and beat until creamy. Add the potato starch, and mix until well combined.

In a separate large bowl, using clean, dry beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff. Slowly, using a clean spatula, fold the egg whites, a little at a time, into the chocolate mixture until combined. Spread the batter evenly into prepared cake pan. (I would have used a water bath, though it wasn't mentioned in the original recipe. If using a water bath, it likely needs a longer baking time.) Bake for 20-30 minutes, until just set and firm in the center. (Jiggle the cake pan to see whether it has set.) Do not overbake; the cake will continue to set in as it cools. Cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes (the top will collapse and the crust will crack a little) before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Additional notes
Bake for a shorter period of time to make a lava cake, or bake longer as per the original recipe. The molten portion would taste sweeter than the set portion of the cake, so you may wish to cut down on the sugar if making a molten lava cake. 

You can make this cake in individual-serving ramekins, and adjust the cooking time accordingly.