Ginger Chocolate Cake

By Susan Spungen

Total Time: 1¼ hours, plus cooling
Rating: 4(257)
Notes: Read community notes

Crème fraîche enriches this flourless cake, and dark cocoa powder bolsters its chocolate flavor. Both fresh and dry ginger add a nuance of heat and spice that show why ginger pairs so well with chocolate. Even though this cake is wonderful on its own, unsweetened crème fraîche dolloped on top and chewy, citrusy clementine confit takes this into a very sophisticated neighborhood.

Featured in: 4 Festive Dishes to Make You Happy to Be Home

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

¾cup/170 grams unsalted butter (1½ sticks), plus softened butter for greasing the pan
12ounces/340 grams bittersweet chocolate (60 percent), broken into small pieces
¼cup/25 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1rounded tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1¼teaspoons ground ginger
1teaspoon vanilla extract
½teaspoon kosher salt
1(8-ounce/225-gram) container crème fraîche (1 cup)
1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
1tablespoon ginger liqueur or Cognac (optional)
6large eggs, separated
Clementine Confit, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with the softened butter. Line the bottom with parchment and butter the paper.
Step 2
Combine the butter and chocolate in a medium bowl, and set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until mostly melted and remove from heat. Continue stirring until smooth and let cool slightly. Add cocoa, fresh ginger, ground ginger, vanilla, salt, ¼ cup/55 grams crème fraîche, ¼ cup/50 grams sugar and the liqueur, if using. Whisk until smooth. Lightly beat the egg yolks in another bowl and whisk into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Set aside in a warm place to keep the mixture loose.
Step 3
Meanwhile, use a stand mixer fitted with the whisk or a hand mixer and large bowl to beat the egg whites on medium speed until evenly foamy. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining ¾ cup/150 grams sugar. Increase the speed to high and continue beating until the egg whites are very billowy and hold a peak.
Step 4
Add ¼ of the whites to the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth, then scrape into the bowl with the whites. Fold gently until no white streaks remain. Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Place on a baking sheet and onto the center oven rack.
Step 5
Bake until the center bounces a little when you gently shake the pan and a toothpick inserted 1½ inches from the edge comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.
Step 6
Remove the ring and slide onto a serving plate from the pan bottom. You can leave the paper in place. Gently pat any crumbling edges back onto the cake. The cake will last well wrapped at room temperature for a few days and can also be frozen.
Step 7
When ready to serve, chill a bowl and whisk, and use them to whip the remaining ¾ cup/180 milliliters crème fraîche. It will thin out at first, then hold its shape. Dust the cake with cocoa powder and slice with a hot knife. Serve each slice with a dollop of crème fraîche and some of the clementine confit.

Tip

You can substitute ¼ cup/60 milliliters sour cream for crème fraîche in the batter. Serve the cake with whipped cream if you’d like.

Ratings

4 out of 5

257 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Alicia3 years ago

Any thoughts on how to adjust the bake time for cupcakes?

Steven Andrea3 years ago

non-dairy subs- For this of you who can get Miyokos Vegan butter it works beautifully. That and use 1/4 cup coconut or cashew creme with 1tsb apple cider vinegar instead of the sour cream. A bit softer of a cake, but delicious. Use whatever non-dairy whip you want at the end, or just skip it which is what we do.

Alicia3 years ago

Delicious. Very rich! A big hit.

Yummm3 years ago

This was a hit. I made it on a whim so I swapped the creme fraîche for sour cream in the cake and whipped cream and the end and it was still delicious. Next time I will plan ahead and make crème fraîche.

jtherieau3 years ago

Yes, it domed up beautifully in the oven and then fell, split, ridged and cratered as it cooled, edges flaked and crumbled off a bit, but who cares? Folks made off with any slag before we even sat down to dinner. It was rich, airy, dense and delicious, perfect for glutenous and gluten-free diets. This thing was all-but-gone in minutes. The two leftover pieces went home with two guests for next-day's breakfast. Several asked for the recipe. Definitely a keeper.

Ro Veasman3 years ago

I tried veganizing this with aquafaba and Bob’s egg replaced... The cake is overflowing into the tray! Ugh

Meredith1 year ago

Mine came out quite dry after about 42 mins in the oven, and not as fudgey as I was expecting. Also thought the ginger didn’t come through with the addition of crème fraiche and clementines (but the toppings were really good)!

SS2 years ago

The ginger was a bit odd I’ll admit but the cake turned out beautifully and it was refreshing to have some diversity in flavor!

Hetty2 years ago

It baked well but cracked all over. Having to fill those cracks now.... hmmm... any suggestions?

JH2 years ago

Used marmalade diluted with 1 teaspoon of water & 1 teaspoon of cognac as a sauce over the cake, topped with a dollop of creme fraiche. It's a very rich & delicious cake which got raves. I thought 40 minutes (gave the toothpick test & it came out dry) wasn't enough; I'd cook it longer next time. With six whipped egg whites, it's a very light cake.

jtherieau3 years ago

alaska foodie3 years ago

Not my favorite chocolate cake. Rich and dense but the ginger felt off- stale rather than bright. The streaks of meringue that were incompletely folded in had an unpleasant texture.

DW3 years ago

Delicious. Not too sweet, not too heavy . Whipping creme freche and adding clementine confit does put it over the top. Almost no ginger taste, to the best of my abilities and ingredients. Still would make it again.

marieeveberty3 years ago

The cake is delicious, but its appearance is problematic. It turned out, after 45 to 50 minutes baking time, with a deep ridge between the center and the borders. When I removed the mold after about an hour, the sides crumbled. Any suggestion?

nb3 years ago

Just made this as written and it was one of the best cakes I’ve ever baked. It was done at 40 min, collapsed a bit as expected and the texture was perfect - rich and airy at the same time. The ginger and chocolate balanced each other perfectly. Did the clementines as well and they were the perfect complement.

Austro Girl3 years ago

This "cake" is more like a massive, decadent meringue. Delicious, rich, gingery, chocolatey. I had extra batter, as only an 8" springform pan, so made a second 'loaf'. Each collapsed when taking out of the oven, so served it more like a 'stiff mousse' dolloped onto plates. Didn't have time to make confit, so whipped up some cream, added a dash of sugar and swirled in some raspberry preserves for color. DELICIOUS. Will bake again (for a special occasion).

Julie3 years ago

I baked this at 350 for just 35 minutes - delicious, dense, and moist.

CreativeDad3 years ago

Any adjustments required for altitude? Very tasty but it cratered when it cooled

Patricia3 years ago

Pictures of slices of the cake show that it cratered-high sides, low center. Perhaps it tastes fine that way?

kep3 years ago

Made as written for Christmas Eve treat. Simply outstanding!!

HF3 years ago

How about suggestions for baking several 4" instead of one 9"?

Catherine3 years ago

Can you make a day ahead and refrigerate?