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This cake concept is developed from various recipes I came across for an Estonian egg white cake. I keep having an abundance of egg whites leftover when I make Challah. Egg Bagels and all kinds of ice cream, so I hit the inter-webs to see what I could find. I made many versions of the Estonian egg white cake, which I understand is called munavalge kook. Here is a link to one of the munavalge kook cakes I made, which was wonderful. But I decided I wanted a chocolate version that could easily be made dairy free. And thus, this Chocolate Egg White Cake was born.
Ingredients to make Chocolate Egg White Cake
You likely already have all the ingredients to make this cake:
- Butter: Unsalted is best, and feel free to use a vegan butter for a dairy free cake. This recipe uses a combination of butter and oil to prevent an overwhelming oily taste.
- Oil: Any neutral oil, such as vegetable, canola, or grape seed, will work here.
- Egg whites: The reason for this cake! You can use as few as 6 and as many as 8 large egg whites.
- Cream of tartar: This acid helps the proteins in the egg whites to maintain strong bonds.
- Sugar: Adds flavor and contributes to the structure and moisture of the cake.
- Flour: All purpose flour is great for this recipe.
- Cocoa: Natural, Dutch process, or even black cocoa all work. I prefer Dutch process or black cocoa for a deeper flavor.
- Baking power: Helps ensure a decent rise in the cake.
- Salt: Fine sea salt helps balance and enhance the flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Complements and adds to the chocolate flavor.
How to make Chocolate Egg White Cake
With the help of an electric mixer, this is a very easy cake to make and use up your leftover egg whites. It comes together in just a few steps:
- Combine 1 Tablespoon of the sugar with the cream of tartar. The sugar helps prevent the cream of tartar from clumping, and both will help the egg whites maintain their shape.
- Whisk together all of the remaining dry ingredients.
- Stir the melted butter, oil and vanilla together.
- Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Sacrifice about a quarter of the stiff egg whites into the melted butter mixture. Pour the remaining stiff egg whits on top. And pour the dry ingredients on top of that. Gently fold it all together.
- Pour into pan, bake and enjoy!
Tips for storing Chocolate Egg White Cake
This cake is on the dry side, at least the day that it is baked. This is why I love this cake. Once cooled, I recommend storing it in an airtight container or plastic wrap. The next day, it will be more moist. That said, you can serve it anytime. I like to sift some confectioner’s sugar on top just before serving. It also pairs wonderfully with ice cream (or vegan ice cream if you are going dairy free). You can store the cake on the countertop or in the refrigerator for at least several days.
Frequently Asked Questions About Making Chocolate Egg White Cake
What size pan is best for a chocolate egg white cake?
I love how this cake looks when baked in a bundt pan. It is not a huge amount of batter, so it bakes up quickly and comes out looking very pretty from the bundt pan. I use a Nordic Ware bundt pan. You can also bake it in a 9-inch springform, a 9-inch x 9-inch square pan, an 8-inch by 8-inch square pan, or even a loaf pan. Baking times should be similar, although likely longer if in a loaf pan. Just keep an eye on it to know when it is done.
Which type of cocoa is best for a chocolate egg white cake?
I think Dutch process cocoa renders the best flavor, but natural cocoa works great too. Black cocoa is also delicious, but tends to make the cake a bit drier.
Chocolate Egg White Cake
Ingredients
- 113 grams unsalted butter (8 Tablespoons)
- 40 grams neutral oil such as vegetable, grape seed, or canola (3 Tablespoons)
- 210 grams large egg whites (from 6-8 large eggs; see note below)
- ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 200 grams sugar (1 cup, divided)
- 120 grams all purpose flour (1 cup)
- 42 grams cocoa powder; Dutch process, natural or black cocoa (⅓ cup)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Use non-stick cooking spray to generously grease a bundt pan or round tube pan.
- Melt the butter and allow to cool.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 Tablespoon of the total amount of sugar with the cream of tartar. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar (less 1 Tablespoon), baking powder, and sea salt.
- With the mixer on medium speed, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Once it is fully foamy, add the sugar/cream of tartar mixture, slowly, as the whites continue to whisk. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form. (You can increase the mixer to high towards the end.)
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the oil and the vanilla into the cooled brown butter. Fold approximately ¼ of the egg whites into the butter mixture. Once combined, add the rest of the stiff egg whites on top, then pour the dry ingredients on top of the stiff egg whites. Gently fold all the ingredients together just until fully combined.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out dry, and the edges should just start pulling away from the sides of the pan. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Do not get bogged down with weighing the egg whites in this recipe. If you have 6, use 6. If you have 8, use 8.
- To make this cake dairy free, substitute the butter with vegan butter.
1 Comment
This was so good! We topped it with some fresh strawberries.