Konjac Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 3 Eggs
• 50 g Erythritol
• 10 g Cocoa powder
• 10 g Konjac powder
• 1 g Cream of tartar

Method

Heat the oven to 175°C. This is a chocolate cake built on aeration — the structure depends entirely on capturing air in egg whites, then preserving those bubbles through folding and baking. There's no gluten here to trap moisture, so the foam becomes your crumb.

Separate your eggs into two scrupulously clean bowls. Any trace of yolk or fat in the whites will collapse your foam; use a hand-separation method if you're confident, otherwise an egg separator removes the risk. Add the cream of tartar to the whites — the acid lowers pH and stabilises the foam structure, allowing you to reach stiff peaks without overworking them. Whisk on high speed until large, loose bubbles form (about 30 seconds), then add the erythritol and continue at medium-low speed. Stop when the peaks stand upright and hold their shape; invert the bowl to confirm they don't slide. This takes roughly 4–5 minutes depending on your mixer.

Fold the yolks into the whites using a spatula, working quickly but carefully — overworking at this stage deflates your foam. Once combined (20–30 folds), sift the cocoa and konjac powder over the surface. Konjac acts as a binder here, replacing both gluten and the typical fat-based crumb you'd find in a conventional cake. Fold with intention: use a radial motion, cutting down the centre, sweeping to the side, and lifting the batter from underneath back to the top. Rotate the bowl a quarter-turn with each fold. You're looking for even colour throughout — no streaks of cocoa or white foam visible — which takes roughly 40–50 folds. A low mixer speed can finish the job if you prefer, but hand-folding gives you finer control over deflation.

Pour into a parchment-lined tin and tap firmly three or four times against the work surface to knock out large air pockets. Bake for 25 minutes at 175°C. The cake is done when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the top springs back lightly when pressed. Remove from the oven, invert the tin onto a cooling rack while still hot, and leave for 10 minutes. The inversion allows steam to escape from the base, preventing a soggy layer. Turn out onto a plate once cool enough to handle. Serve at room temperature — the erythritol crumb sets as it cools, improving texture.