What Makes Chocolate Cloud Cake Unique?

Chocolate lovers, you may want to listen up as we discuss one of the most satisfying chocolate desserts of all time: Richard Sax's famed chocolate cloud cake. If you're a fan of chocolate, you may have indulged in your fair share of molten lava cakes, candy bars, and rich chocolate ice cream. However, this fluffy treat, appropriately named after a cloud, is a cake unlike any others you've had before. While chocolate cakes are often designed to feel elevated, rich, and luxurious, this humble dessert shows off its homemade qualities, such as proudly wearing its craggy edges and unevenly spread whipped topping. 

Richard Sax was an award-winning chef, well-known recipe developer, and accomplished food writer who unfortunately passed away from AIDS at a young age in the 1990s. The last cookbook he wrote, and by far his most popular, is his James Beard award-winning "Classic Home Desserts." This cookbook features just about any dessert you may be craving, from a classic cobbler to perfect puddings. Among the unpretentious desserts is his unique chocolate cloud cake, which may just be the one of the best twists on a classic.

This cake features a soufflé-like structure that purposefully sinks in the center, uneven broken edges, and a malleable mountain of whipped cream, all of which are a few of the standout characteristics that set this cake apart from other similar chocolate creations. However, aside from appearances, one of the main differences that sets this cake apart from the classics lies in its ingredients.

This is a flourless chocolate cake, and while there are quite a few flourless chocolate cake recipes out there, this one is unique. Flour plays a huge role in the ultimate structure and texture of a cake. If it is not included at all, the cake is either likely to be very dense or, in this case, very airy. As we've mentioned, this lack of structure is what causes the cake to cave in towards the center where the whipped cream is piled high. While some may be skeptical that this uneven surface would be an eyesore, many agree that it is part of the charm of the cake. Breaking and falling in slightly differently each time makes each cake an original that only the baker could have produced.

This cake turns the idea of beauty standards on its head, proudly showing off its imperfections. So, the next time you're hosting a birthday party or preparing for a dinner party, make sure to try this recipe out for an original showstopper that is sure to charm each of your guests.