Neapolitan Chocolate Flourless Cake

This year my husband and I both celebrated our birthdays during the COVID-19 shut down.  My husband is a chocoholic, so a flourless chocolate cake is always the way to his heart.  I am more of a fruit and vanilla girl, so Neapolitan is a great compromise.  In Fact, Neapolitan ice cream was likely created specifically for the family trying to cater to everyone’s ice cream preferences.  Growing up, I would scoop out the vanilla and strawberry and my brothers would dig around the chocolate side of the container.  Today, I am still team vanilla and remains a constant argument at the end of any date night out with my husband.

To many, Neapolitan ice cream is Retro 90’s, but it actually dates back to the late 19^th century.  It allegedly originated in Naples, Italy.  When the Neapolitan immigrants came to the US, they brought this delicious treat.  Basically, the Italians are to blame for those love handles I can’t ever seem to make disappear.

Spumoni ice cream is the fruit cake of ice creams and is a cousin to the Neapolitan flavor.  Does anyone even like Spumoni ice cream?  Sometimes less is more.  Neapolitan ice cream has been stripped of any nonsense and layered with the three most popular flavors in the US: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.

Apparently, everyone decided to compete in the Great British Baking Show during this pandemic because I can’t seem to find flour at any grocery store.  Our pantry lacked a lot of ingredients, so this recipe was easy to whip together with whatever I had.  A cake without flour sounds catastrophic, but actually its arguable better without it.  If you love chocolate, then this cake is everything you will ever dream of.  The added white chocolate ganache and strawberry jam just takes it over the top.

Cooking Notes:

• Confession: I don’t own a double broiler.  I use a glass bowl over a simmer pot of water and it works great.  My kitchen is filled with lots of one-time use gadgets, so I have always avoided purchasing a double broiler.
• Store in the refrigerator for 5 days or at room temperature in a sealed container for 3 days.
• When buying chocolate and white chips, I personally use Ghirardelli, but any chocolate will obviously be tasty.

How to make the Neapolitan Chocolate Flourless Cake?

Chocolate flourless cakes are, in my opinion, easier then a basic chocolate cake.  If you don’t own a double boiler, like me, then you can put a glass or metal bowl over a pot of simmering water.  This allows the chocolate to melt without burning it.  To make the cake, melt the butter and chocolate chips in the double boiler and remove from the heat.  Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.  Whisk the eggs, then add to the chocolate and stir until combined.  Add the vanilla extract and cocoa powder. Pour the batter into a wax lined 8inch round spring form pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes and let cool completely. Once cooled, transfer the cake to a serving tray. Not too bad, right?

While the cake is cooling you can start making the white chocolate ganache.  Melt the white chocolate chips with the heavy cream in a double boiler over simmering water.  Let cool for about 10 minutes until it thickens.  Pour white chocolate ganache over the chocolate cake and spread.  Add small dollops of the strawberry jam throughout the ganache and swirl into the white chocolate with a butter knife.  Let cool completely before serving.

Neapolatin Chocolate Flourless Cake

Flourless chocolate cake topped with a white chocolate ganach and strawberry jam.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

1 hour hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8 people

Equipment

• double boiler

Ingredients

  

• 1/4 cup strawberry jam

Chocolate Cake

• 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

White Chocolate Ganache

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

 

Chocolate Cake

• Preheat oven to 375 F and butter a waxed lined 8 inch round spring form baking pan.
• In a double boiler over simmering water, melt the bittersweet chocolate and butter together.
• In a separate bowl whisk eggs.
• Whisk sugar into melted chocolate.
• Add eggs, vanilla extract and cocoa powder to melted chocolate and whisk until combined with no clumps.
• Pour batter into the buttered wax lined baking pan and bake 20-25minutes in the middle rack. Let cool completely.

White Chocolate Ganache

• In a double boiler over simmering water, melt the white chocolate chips with the heavy cream. Let cool for 10 minutes.
• Once the cake is cooled completely, remove the cake out of the pan and put on a serving platter.  Pour the warm white chocolate ganache over the cake.  Place small dollops of the strawberry jam ontop of the ganache and swirl into the white chocolate with a butter knife.  Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

Notes

• Confession: I don’t own a double broiler. I use a glass bowl over a simmer pot of water and it works great. My kitchen is filled with lots of one time use gatchets, so I have always avoided purchasing a double broiler.
• Store in the refrigerator for 5 days or at room temperature in a sealed container for 3 days.
• When buying chocolate and white chips I personally use Ghirardelli, but any chocolate will be tasty.

Keyword Gluten-free