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Home » Dessert » Flourless Chocolate Cake (Tenerina Italian cake)

Flourless Chocolate Cake (Tenerina Italian cake)

July 12, 2021 by Federica 2 Comments

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Crunchy outside, moist and fudgy inside this Italian Flourless Chocolate Cake is so luscious. With just 7 ingredients you will have a delicious rich gluten-free dark chocolate cake. Super easy to make and will be ready to bite in just 30 minutes of baking.

 whole cake with 3 slices of Flourless Chocolate Cake

Believe me, is so tempting you’ll become obsessed over it like myself. No one can resist not eating this chocolate cake, along with a nice cup of espresso, tea, or some dessert wine. For example, a glass of Vin Santo or a glass of Passito di Pantelleria: Donnafugata, `Ben Ryé`. My favourite one! I think I‘ll have a slice of it now.

Where does this Flourless Chocolate Cake come from?

This scrummy cake has an Italian origin, is called “Tenerina” which means tender. It has been created in Ferrara, a beautiful city in the Emilia Romagna region, from an act of love by Vittorio Emanuele III. Rumour has it that Vittorio Emanuele III was madly in love with Elena Petrovich of Montenegro, a haughty-looking young woman, but was, in reality, a sweet and tender princess. With this intention, this dessert recalls her features.

In another version, the origin of the Tenerina finds the birth of a woman in Ferrara, around the ’60. Apparently, she created this dessert to finish all the leftover chocolate eggs from Easter.

Note: The traditional recipe calls for dusting the top with icing sugar but I used the cocoa powder to be more indulgent. Have your choice! 😊

Why you’ll love it

  • Ready in 30 minutes of baking.
  • Is a gluten-free recipe: no flour and no almond flour needed.
  • Has just 7 ingredients.
  • Perfect cake for everyone and for all occasions.

You may ask yourself; doesn’t this look familiar? Isn’t remarkably similar to Brownies?

I asked myself too, however, there are few differences between the two desserts.

  • Brownies – have  plain flour, oil, butter, sugar, and cocoa powder. The eggs are beaten whole.
  • Flourless Chocolate Cake – has no flour, no oil, and uses sugar, melted butter and dark chocolate which gives more richness and moisture to the cake. Here the eggs are separate: yolks and egg white are whipped separately to lift the cake during the baking time and will give that beautiful cracking look on top.
Ingredients lists Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ingredients used in the Flourless Chocolate Cake

In this recipe, we will just need 7 ingredients. All of them are largely available in every store without crashing the bank. So no excuse!!  Are you ready? Write it down:

  • Chocolate – choose good dark chocolate not lower than 70% of cocoa.
  • Butter – use unsalted butter.
  • Sugar – caster sugar works better for the cake. As it dissolved better into the eggs yolks.
  • Eggs – medium room temperature eggs, free-range or organic where possible.
  • Vanilla – try to use the seed of the vanilla pod instead of the essence. The cake will thank you.
  • Starch – use cornflour to thicken the batter.
  • Salt – enhance the flavour.

Step by step instruction

1. Preheats the fan oven at 180°C, 350°F, 4 Gas Mark. Melt the butter and the chocolate using the bain-marie* method on lower heat. Once is all melted, remove the bowl and set it aside to cool down.

*Note:  is important to use a heatproof bowl over a small saucepan with the water not touching the bowl. To achieve smooth chocolate.

2. Separate the eggs yolks from the eggs white. Add the eggs yolks, vanilla seeds, and sugar to a stand mixer. Whip on a medium speed until the sugar is dissolved, and the batter is thick and pale.

3. Whip the white eggs until stiff peaks.

4. Fold carefully the melted chocolate in the whipped yolks until all combine with a spatula.

5. Add the whipped eggs white, one spoon at a time into the chocolate mixture, and fold carefully with a spatula.

6. Add the salt, the cornflour, previously stiffed in the chocolate mixture, and fold gently.  

7. Pour the chocolate batter into a tin, previously grease with butter, and cover with baking paper. Level up the batter with the back of the spoon and bake for 30 minutes. The cake is ready when the toothpick insert in the middle comes clean but with crumbs on it. Once cooled off, dust the top with cocoa powder.

moist slice cake on top on the Flourless Chocolate Cake  with baking paper

Tips how to bake the perfect Flourless Chocolate Cake

Even if this cake is super-duper easy to make there are some points you need to pay attention, to create a perfect Italian chocolate cake. Don’t worry, those are not difficult ones.

  • Use best quality dark chocolate you can find – the chocolate is the main ingredients here. Because of it to get the best results is important to choose the best quality dark chocolate.
  • Not do a proper bain-marie – this step is crucial. The chocolate and the butter must not to go in contact with water as will split the chocolate. Giving that, I suggest you use smaller saucepan and a bigger heatproof bowl. Furthermore, the bowl must not touch the water to obtain a silky looking melted chocolate.
  • Not let cool down the melted chocolate – always let the melted chocolate cool down before use it, to don’t scramble your eggs yolks.
  • Don’t stiff the cornflour – always stiff the cornflour to obtain a silky and clump-free dessert.
  • Baking time – the baking time is quite crucial, as you don’t want to over bake the cake and left with some brick looking cake. For this reason, I suggest you check the cake after 30 minutes by placing a toothpick in the middle of the cake. If the toothpick comes still wet and no signs of crumbs bake it for feather 5 minutes. Signs that the cake is ready: it’s pull away from the tin, the top is starting to crack, and the toothpick comes clean but with crumbs.
seven slices of cake on dessert plate with whipped cream and strawberry

Ideas how to serve it

This cake is delicious to eat on its own, however, there are few ideas to turn your cake into something that will blow your mind. Do you want to hear it, are you ready? Here are some of my favorite ways to accompany this Flourless Chocolate Cake.

  • Whipping cream along with some fresh chopped fruits.
  • Cream Chantilly.
  • Italian Pastry Cream.
  • Melted chocolate with some chopped roasted almonds.
  • Some Jam: like Orange, Apricot, Raspberry, Blackberry, Strawberry or Cherries. The choice is Yours!
  • Vanilla ice cream.
triangle slices of Flourless Chocolate Cake on baking paper with cocoa powder

Frequently asked questions

 How to store the cake?

Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or at room temperature for up 3 days on a plate covered with some kitchen roll.

Can I freeze it?

Yes, of course, place the slices of the cake into an airtight container and freezer for up to 3 months. Remove the slice from the freezer and let defrost it at room temperature, once need it.

Can I make the cake in advance?

Absolutely, it will be tastier as the cake will have time to set.

More desserts you’ll love

  • Praline Strawberry Semifreddo
  • Espresso sheet coffee with hazelnuts mascarpone cream
  • Eton Mess ice lolly with coconut cream
Flourless chocolate cake
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5 from 1 vote

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Crunchy outside, moist and fudgy inside this Italian Flourless Chocolate Cake is so luscious. With just 7 ingredients you will have a delicious rich gluten-free dark chocolate cake.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Flourless Chocolate Cake
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 411kcal

Equipment

  • Small saucepan
  • Medium Bowl
  • Hand Electric Mixer or Stand Mixer
  • Spatula
  • Spoon
  • Baking paper
  • Cake tin 20 cm Ø

Ingredients

  • 200 gr darck chocolate at list 70% cocoa, chopped
  • 100 gr unsalted butter chopped
  • 4 medium eggs room temperature
  • 150 gr caster sugar
  • 1 pod vanilla seed
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 35 gr corn stratch stiffed

Decoration

  • 2 tsp cocoa powder

Instructions

  • Preheat the fan oven at 180°C, 350°F, 4 Gas Mark, grease tin, and covert it with baking paper.
  • Melt the chocolate and the butter in the bain-marie method. Simmer at lower heats until the mixture is melted. Set aside to cool off.
  • Separate the eggs yolk from the eggs white. Add the eggs yolk, vanilla seeds, and sugar in a stand mixture. Whip on a medium speed until the mixture is thick and pale.
  • Whip the eggs white in a stand mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks.
  • Fold carefully, the melted chocolate mixture in the whipped yolks with a spatula. Once is well combined, start adding a spoon at the time the whipped eggs whites and carefully fold from the bottom to the top.
  • Add the salt, and the cornflour, previously stiffed, one spoon at the time in the batter and again fold gently until well combined.
  • Pour the batter into the tin, level up the mixture with the back of the spoon, and bake for 30 minutes. The cake is ready when pulling away from the tin, the top is starting to crack, and the toothpick comes clean but with crumbs.
  • Once cooled off, remove it from the tin and dust the top with some cocoa powder.

Notes

All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend using digital scales for a more accurate result. 
How to store the cake?
Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or at room temperature for up to 3 days on a plate covered with some kitchen roll.
 Can I freeze it?
Yes, of course, place the slices of the cake into an airtight container and freezer for up to 3 months. Remove the slice from the freezer and let defrost it at room temperature, once need it.
Can I make the cake in advance?
Absolutely, it will be tastier as the cake will have time to set.
Bain-Marie method- this step is crucial. The chocolate and the butter must not go in contact with water as will split the chocolate. Give that I suggest you use a smaller saucepan and a bigger heatproof bowl.  Furthermore, the bowl must not touch the water to obtain silky-looking melted chocolate.
Let cool down the melted chocolate– always let the melted chocolate cool down before using it, to don’t scramble your eggs yolks.
Baking time- the baking time is quite crucial, as you don’t want to overbake the cake and left with some brick-looking cake. For this reason, I suggest you check the cake after 30 minutes by placing a toothpick in the middle of the cake. If the toothpick comes still wet and no signs of crumbs bake it for feather 5 minutes. The toothpick needs to come clean but with crumbs on it.
Flourless Chocolate Cake

Tried this recipe?

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Comments

  1. Jenny

    July 23, 2021 at 1:50 pm

    5 stars
    I tried this chocolate cake and is so delicious and super easy to make. My husband loved it!

    Reply
    • Federica

      July 23, 2021 at 1:53 pm

      Thank you so much, Jenny. I am glad that you and your family loved it.

      Reply

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