Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

 

Way back in April and May I stayed a few nights with my friends Loraine and Bob.  As a mini thank you I wanted to bake some treats but they needed to be gluten free. I didn't want to have to buy xantham gum and a whole bunch of different gluten free flours.  It took me a while to find a recipe that sounded doable with the ingredients I had on hand.

 

Melt butter and chocolate

I finally found one I liked the look of on Martha Stewart. It only needed 4 ingredients:

• 6 tbsps (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 8 ozs bittersweet chocolate or 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used chocolate chips)
• 6 large eggs. Yes, you read that right. 6 larges eggs! Separated and room temperature.
• 1/2 cup sugar

 

Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form

The instructions look a little intimidating, but really it's just a case of reading them all they way through before actually getting to work.

 

Add 1/4 of egg white mix to chocolate mixture

 

• Preheat oven to 275oF
• Line cupcake pan with paper liners
• Melt butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl over (not in) a pan of simmering water
• Stir to combine, remove bowl from heat, and let cool slightly
• Whisk in egg yolks, all 6 of them!
• Whisk  egg whites in an electric mixer until soft peaks form
• Gradually add sugar, beating until peaks are stiff and glossy (do not overbeat)
• Whisk one quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten
• Then gently fold chocolate mixture into remaining egg whites
• Divide batter evenly into cupcake liners (about 2/3s full)
• Bake, rotating tins half way through until cupcakes are just set in the centre, about 25 minutes
• Transfer tins to wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes

 

Fold chocolate mixture into remaining egg whites

Makes 22

 

My verdict? They were a little bit of work to make.  I have a habit of overbeating the eggs. Still it was better than having to combine a bunch of different flours and a stabiliser. I also think they were a little bitter tasting, but then I'm a milk chocolate girl, so I think that's just personal preference.  They are really good served warm with a scoop of vanilla icecream.  

 

All done - the tops are supposed to crack and sink like that!

 

Will I make them again? Maybe, but not for a while, there are other recipes I want to try first.