Flourless Chocolate Lime Cake With Margarita Cream - Nigella Lawson’s Recipe

Name: Flourless Chocolate Lime Cake With Margarita Cream - Nigella Lawson’s Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 75 gm dark chocolate; 75 gm soft salted butter; 3 large eggs; 125 gm caster sugar; 50 gm ground almonds; 2 tbsp cocoa powder; 1 tsp vanilla; 1/2 lime zest and juice; Icing sugar (to dust - optional); 30 ml fresh lime juice; 2 tsp tequila; 2 tsp cointreau (or triple sec); 30 gm icing sugar; 125 ml double cream

This flourless chocolate cake aka chocolate torte is so easy to eat and perfect to serve a crowd as it is gluten free! It is rich, indulgent and a delicious make ahead dessert to prepare.

Welcome to my Cookbook Recipe Series Episode 2, where I make some of my favorite recipes from cookbooks that I own. We made the magic espresso brownies in Episode 1 which is a recipe I’ve been making for years and it is so good. These recipe that I am sharing are mainly the same as the book however I do have a few tweaks which I prefer when making them.

Now, before we get to Nigella Lawsons recipe, be assured there are many chocolate torte aka flourless chocolate cake recipes that are absolutely delicious, I have a simple but yummy recipe linked here. You can have a look and the chocolate torte by Jamie Oliver or Marry Berry’s chocolate torte recipe as well. Flourless chocolate cake is also known as chocolate torte hence I will be using them interchangeably in this recipe.

What is a chocolate torte?

Chocolate torte is also known as flourless chocolate cake that is made with nuts hence making it gluten free and easy for anyone to eat. It is rich, tender, has a crust on the outside and soft in the center. It is better the next day making for a delicious make ahead dessert.

What is chocolate torte made of?

Chocolate torte is made with dark chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, almond flour. There are more recipes that use other ingredients as well but these are the main ingredients needed to make a flourless chocolate cake.

What is the difference between chocolate cake and torte?

A chocolate cake may have flour in it and other ingredients such as coffee, sour cream, yogurt etc. however a chocolate torte is always gluten free made with ground nuts (most often than not almond flour), chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar, butter and eggs. A cake could also be frosted and layered with buttercream and chocolate ganache etc. however, most chocolate tortes are served with a dusting of icing sugar and whipped cream.

Is torte French or Italian? Why country is chocolate torte from?

Chocolate torte is not French Italian, it is German or could even be considered Austrian. However tortes are classically European and cakes are more American.

What is another name for chocolate torte?

Flourless chocolate cake.

What is a torte vs tart?

A tart consists of 2 parts, a pastry shell and filling, it could contain toppings as well. But a torte is a baked flourless base that could be flavored with chocolate or any other flavors as well. A tart is not always gluten free but a torte is most often than not gluten free.

What ingredients do you need to make this easy chocolate torte recipe?

To make this flourless chocolate cake we need eggs, sugar, butter, dark chocolate, coco powder, almond powder, lime, salt. To make the cream we need whipping cream, lime juice, lime zest, icing sugar, tequila and triple sec.

What equipment do you need to make this easy chocolate torte recipe?

To make this chocolate torte we need a mixing bowls, a microwave to melt the chocolate and butter, I have used an electric beater to beat the eggs and sugar but you can use a stand mixer or a whisk but it would take a bit of time. We also need a rubber spatula or metal spoon to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. A microplane grater to zest the limes and a 7/8 inch tin to bake the cake in an oven.

How to make this easy chocolate torte recipe?

Flourless Chocolate Cake:

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan, line 7inch cake tin with baking parchment, use enough paper to come up the sides. In a small bowl melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave for 15 second intervals until smooth, then set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs and sugar together until about tripled in volume, pale and fluffy. I used a hand held electric beater. Add the ground almonds with the cocoa powder and fold this gently into the egg and sugar mixture. Half way through add the slightly cooled chocolate mixture, lime zest and juice and fold. Be gentle. Pour and scrape this mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 30 mins. We want the top to be crusty and the cake will wobble if you shake it. It will firm up as it sets. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for a couple of hours or over night. When cold, remove the cake by lifting it from the excess baking paper, dust with icing sugar if you wish and serve with the Margarita Cream.

Margarita Cream:

Slowly whisk in the double cream and keep whisking until you have a light, floaty, aerated mixture. Add the icing sugar, lime juice, tequila and orange liqueur together, then whisk until smooth and stiff peaks, serve with the Chocolate Lime Cake above.

What have I done differently to make this chocolate torte?

Unlike nigella I want this cake to have a little crust hence I like to let it cool uncovered in the tin once baked.
I have halved the recipe and it serves 4-6 people. You could follow her recipe word for word here if you prefer.
I have added more cocoa powder to create a more intense chocolate flavor.
I use dark chocolate chips to make this recipe but you can use semi sweet chocolate or even a chocolate bar that is chopped.
I like adding a little vanilla into the cake, you might not even realize its there but if its not there you can taste something missing.
I like salted butter and salting my cake batter but you can use salted butter which is good enough to balance the sweetness. Speaking of salt I like to sprinkle sea salt flakes on top of the cake when serving.

Storing and serving this easy chocolate torte recipe?

This flourless chocolate cake is best served the next day but if you are going to serve it the same day allow it to chill completely before serving as this allows the cake to set. Serve it with a dusting of icing sugar and top with the margarita cream and grate more lime zest on top. Alternatively you can serve it with vanilla whipping cream or vanilla ice cream as well.

Looking for more chocolate recipes?

Chocolate cake
No bake tahini chocolate tart
Chocolate mousse
Easy blender no churn chocolate ice cream

Now that we have covered how to make this Flourless chocolate lime cake, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.