Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

This cake is without a doubt a celebration cake.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

This gorgeous, rich chocolaty confection comes from my lovely friend Jenna Weber over at Eat, Live, Run. I just adore Jenna, and today we are celebrating the launch of her very first book: White Jacket Required: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

This is an autobiography studded with wonderful and comforting recipes, one of which, with Jenna’s blessing, I am sharing with you here today.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Flourless Chocolate Cake is by nature, rich and decadent and completely chocolaty! It would really be so delicious even on its own, but it is somehow made even better with the addition of vanilla buttercream frosting. And because I had so many ripe figs, I couldn’t help but crown the beautiful cake with freshly sliced figs. I could see how this would be similarly wonderful with fresh berries.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

I hope the simplicity and the beauty of this recipe will encourage you to read Jennas story and explore her recipes further. But she can always be found over at Eat, Live, Run where she generously posts non-stop creative and tasty recipes.

To make this gorgeous cake, this is what you do:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly butter two 9-inch cake pans, then dust each lightly with flour and set aside.

Next, you make the cake layers. In a small saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate and butter together.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

While mixture is melting, whip eggs in a stand mixer at high speed.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

After about 3 minutes, when eggs start to become thick and pale, add sugar slowly.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Continue whipping on high until the mixture is thick, pale, and ribbony, about 6-8 more minutes.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Slowly fold melted chocolate into the egg-and-sugar mixture, gently turning with a rubber spatula so that batter stays light and airy.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Pour batter into cake pans and bake for 30 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool in cake pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cakes and transfer from pans onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

While cakes are cooling, make the frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until combined. Add milk and vanilla extract, and continue beating on high until the frosting is thick and light, about 5 minutes.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

When the cake layers are cooled completely, spread one third of the frosting on top of one layer, and top with the other layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Reprinted with permission from White Jacket Required: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story © 2012 by Jenna Weber, Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

Recipe: Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

  • Makes two 9-inch cake layers
  • For the cake
  • -10 ounces (about 2 cups) semisweet chocolate
  • -5 ounces butter
  • -6 eggs, at room temperature
  • -½ cup granulated sugar
  • For the frosting
  • -2 sticks (½ pound) butter, softened
  • -2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • -1 tablespoon milk
  • -2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly butter two 9-inch cake pans, then dust each lightly with flour and set aside.
  2. Make the cake layers:
  3. 2. In a small saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate and butter together.
  4. 3. While mixture is melting, whip eggs in a stand mixer at high speed.
  5. 4. After about 3 minutes, when eggs start to become thick and pale, add sugar slowly.
  6. 5. Continue whipping on high until the mixture is thick, pale, and ribbony, about 6-8 more minutes.
  7. 6. Slowly fold melted chocolate into the egg-and-sugar mixture, gently turning with a rubber spatula so that batter stays light and airy.
  8. 7. Pour batter into cake pans.
  9. 8. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool in cake pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cakes and transfer from pans onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. While cakes are cooling, make the frosting:
  11. 9. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until combined. Add milk and vanilla extract, and continue beating on high until the frosting is thick and light, about 5 minutes.
  12. 10. When the cake layers are cooled completely, spread one third of the frosting on top of one layer, and top with the other layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.
  13. Reprinted with permission from White Jacket Required: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story © 2012 by Jenna Weber, Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
  14. Author Bio
  15. Jenna Weber, author of White Jacket Required: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story, is the author of the highly successful food blog Eat, Live, Run. In 2007, she attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Orlando, Florida. White Jacket Required is her first book. She lives in San Francisco, California. Go to www.eatliverun.com for an up-to-the-minute look at Weber’s world of food.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 30 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 12

 

Print Recipe  

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

This cake is without a doubt a celebration cake.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

This gorgeous, rich chocolaty confection comes from my lovely friend Jenna Weber over at Eat, Live, Run. I just adore Jenna, and today we are celebrating the launch of her very first book: White Jacket Required: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

This is an autobiography studded with wonderful and comforting recipes, one of which, with Jenna’s blessing, I am sharing with you here today.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Flourless Chocolate Cake is by nature, rich and decadent and completely chocolaty! It would really be so delicious even on its own, but it is somehow made even better with the addition of vanilla buttercream frosting. And because I had so many ripe figs, I couldn’t help but crown the beautiful cake with freshly sliced figs. I could see how this would be similarly wonderful with fresh berries.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

I hope the simplicity and the beauty of this recipe will encourage you to read Jennas story and explore her recipes further. But she can always be found over at Eat, Live, Run where she generously posts non-stop creative and tasty recipes.

To make this gorgeous cake, this is what you do:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly butter two 9-inch cake pans, then dust each lightly with flour and set aside.

Next, you make the cake layers. In a small saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate and butter together.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

While mixture is melting, whip eggs in a stand mixer at high speed.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

After about 3 minutes, when eggs start to become thick and pale, add sugar slowly.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Continue whipping on high until the mixture is thick, pale, and ribbony, about 6-8 more minutes.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Slowly fold melted chocolate into the egg-and-sugar mixture, gently turning with a rubber spatula so that batter stays light and airy.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Pour batter into cake pans and bake for 30 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool in cake pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cakes and transfer from pans onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

While cakes are cooling, make the frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until combined. Add milk and vanilla extract, and continue beating on high until the frosting is thick and light, about 5 minutes.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

When the cake layers are cooled completely, spread one third of the frosting on top of one layer, and top with the other layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting from Heather Christo Cooks

Reprinted with permission from White Jacket Required: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story © 2012 by Jenna Weber, Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

Recipe: Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

  • Makes two 9-inch cake layers
  • For the cake
  • -10 ounces (about 2 cups) semisweet chocolate
  • -5 ounces butter
  • -6 eggs, at room temperature
  • -½ cup granulated sugar
  • For the frosting
  • -2 sticks (½ pound) butter, softened
  • -2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • -1 tablespoon milk
  • -2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly butter two 9-inch cake pans, then dust each lightly with flour and set aside.
  2. Make the cake layers:
  3. 2. In a small saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate and butter together.
  4. 3. While mixture is melting, whip eggs in a stand mixer at high speed.
  5. 4. After about 3 minutes, when eggs start to become thick and pale, add sugar slowly.
  6. 5. Continue whipping on high until the mixture is thick, pale, and ribbony, about 6-8 more minutes.
  7. 6. Slowly fold melted chocolate into the egg-and-sugar mixture, gently turning with a rubber spatula so that batter stays light and airy.
  8. 7. Pour batter into cake pans.
  9. 8. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool in cake pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cakes and transfer from pans onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. While cakes are cooling, make the frosting:
  11. 9. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until combined. Add milk and vanilla extract, and continue beating on high until the frosting is thick and light, about 5 minutes.
  12. 10. When the cake layers are cooled completely, spread one third of the frosting on top of one layer, and top with the other layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.
  13. Reprinted with permission from White Jacket Required: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story © 2012 by Jenna Weber, Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
  14. Author Bio
  15. Jenna Weber, author of White Jacket Required: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story, is the author of the highly successful food blog Eat, Live, Run. In 2007, she attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Orlando, Florida. White Jacket Required is her first book. She lives in San Francisco, California. Go to www.eatliverun.com for an up-to-the-minute look at Weber’s world of food.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 30 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 12