Flourless Chocolate-Date Cake

Prep Time:

1 hr

Cook Time:

50 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs 40 mins

Servings:

10

This flourless chocolate and date cake is no ordinary dessert, and it's sure to please both chocolate lovers and date lovers alike. The rich, gluten-free batter is full of deep, chocolatey flavor and gets an extra boost from a silky date and bourbon puree (which also gets worked into the glossy salted caramel glaze that’s poured over top). Preparing the individual components may take some time, but the final result is well worth the effort. Make it for a dinner party, a birthday party, or just whenever the craving for deep, complexly flavored cake strikes—this decadent creation is sure to wow.

Equipment for Flourless Chocolate-Date Cake

Springform pan: To easily remove the baked cake and achieve those clean, straight edges, you'll want to use a 9-inch springform pan. Lining it with parchment and coating it with butter and cocoa powder ensures a stick-free result.

Electric mixer: An electric mixer makes quick work of whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks in step four. You can use either a hand-mixer or stand-mixer, whatever you have. While you can do this by hand, it's quite an arm workout and will take much longer.

Small saucepan: You'll need a small saucepan for cooking the date mixture and making the caramel glaze. You can use either a one- or two-quart saucepan or sauté pan for this step, but we wouldn't recommend using a skillet or a larger pot.

Pastry brush: A natural or silicone pastry brush is extremely helpful for brushing down the sides of the saucepan when making the caramel. This helps to keep crystals from forming as the sugar mixture cooks.

Fine-mesh sieve: Straining the caramel through a fine-mesh sieve after stirring in the date puree ensures a smooth, picture-perfect topper.

Directions

Make bourbon-date puree:

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring dates and bourbon to a simmer; cook, stirring, until almost all of liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; cover and let cool. Purée in a food processor until smooth. (You should have about 1 cup.)
Heat oven; prepare pan:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Line bottom with parchment; butter parchment. Dust pan with cocoa, tapping out any excess.
Make cake batter:

In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, melt butter and chocolate, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in 2/3 cup date purée. Let cool; whisk in egg yolks, kosher salt, and cinnamon.
Beat egg whites with sugar; fold into batter:

Beat egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Slowly add 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff glossy peaks form. Fold one-third of whites into chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining whites. Transfer to prepared pan, smoothing top with an offset spatula.
Bake cake; let cool, then remove from pan:

Bake until set, cracking a bit on edges, and shiny in center, about 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Run a paring knife around sides of pan; remove from pan and transfer to a cake plate.
Make caramel:

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring remaining 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Let boil, without stirring, until deep golden brown, swirling pan to color evenly, and washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to keep crystals from forming, 10 to 11 minutes.
Remove from heat and add cream:

Remove from heat; carefully pour in cream (it will spatter), stirring to combine.
Stir in puree; strain and let cool:

Stir in remaining 1/3 cup date purée. Pass caramel through a fine sieve to remove lumps. Let cool until thick but pourable, about 30 minutes.
Pour over cake and finish with salt; serve:

Pour caramel over cake, spreading with an offset spatula so it drips over sides. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Slice cake with a knife dipped in hot water, then wiped down between slices; serve with whipped cream.

Variations

Bourbon free: If you'd prefer to make this cake without the alcohol, replace the bourbon with an equal amount of water, cooking the mixture until the liquid is nearly evaporated.

Store-Bought Caramel: While we love the depth of this homemade caramel topping, we understand not all home cooks are comfortable making caramel at home. In that case, you can swap in a store-bought caramel sauce instead (just don't forget the flaky salt!).