Chocolate Prune Cake

Picture by R

Wow, this cake is ugly, was my first thought, as I pulled it out of the oven. But one sprinkle of powdered sugar after, and it's transformed. Plus, with the summer sunset filtering through the window, the cake looks almost better in the picture than it does in real life.  

This flourless cake is lighter than the other ones that I usually churn out, which is a pleasant surprise. I tend to max out at half a slice of the other richer cakes if there's no sauce to serve alongside, but this cake by its lonesome was Goldilocks: not too rich, not too light.  

Adding prunes is an interesting take on the classic flourless chocolate cake, which works well despite my initial misgivings. No one had any problem scoffing down this cake. Everybody grabbed seconds, and among the 6 of us, it disappeared in no time at all.
Thanks guys. Next experiment - Chocolate Beet Cake!. 

Chocolate-Prune Cake

One 9-inch (23 cm) cake, 10 to 12 servings

Original Recipe from David Lebovitz

For the prunes:

170g (6 ounces) pitted prunes, diced in small pieces

80 ml (1/3 cup) rum, or another liquor (see notes)

1 tablespoon sugar

For the cake:

340g (12 ounces) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

170g (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed

6 large eggs, separated

large pinch of salt

30g (2 tablespoons) sugar

Additional soft butter and cocoa powder/flour for preparing the pan

1. Combine prunes, rum and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a small saucepan and simmer for a few minutes until most of the rum is absorbed. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand until cool.

2. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC).

3. Butter a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan. Dust the inside with flour or cocoa powder, and tap out any excess.

4. Melt the butter in a saucepan over the smallest flame possible, and add chocolate and stir until smooth. Remove from heat immediately. Stir in the prunes and any liquid left in the pan.

5. Stir the egg yolks into the cooled chocolate mixture.

6. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with the salt until they begin to hold soft peaks. Continue whipping, adding the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until the whites hold their shape when you lift the whip.

7. Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture thoroughly, then fold in the remaining egg whites just until no streaks of whites are visible. Don't overfold.

8. Bake the cake for 40 to 1 hour, until the cake feels set close to the edges of the pan but the center is still rather soft to the touch and moist-looking. Let cool.

Serving: Run a thin knife around the cake to loosen it from the pan and remove the springform mold. Because the cake is very moist, it could be challenging to get a clean slice. Dip the knife in very hot water then wipe the blade dry and use it to slice the cake, dipping the knife in the hot water and wiping it off between each cut.

Notes (from David Lebovitz):

Feel free to swap out another dried fruit for the prunes (sometimes called "dried plums"), such as figs, cherries, or apricots, although do give the prunes a try they have a wonderful affinity to dark chocolate. You can also use another liquor, such as port, red wine, or bourbon. For those avoiding alcohol, black tea makes a good substitute, especially one that's flavored with black currants.

Storage: This cake can be made up to three days in advance, and stored at room temperature. It can also be frozen for up to two months.