I Discovered Ina Garten’s Best Chocolate Dessert—It’s Not Beatty’s Chocolate Cake

Every year, I take a summer getaway with four of my closest friends from college. This past summer was a milestone for all of us. We turned 40, and as a group of working moms, we wanted to celebrate both the occasion and nearly 22 years of friendship with a big trip.

We opted for a road trip to Quebec City, Canada. Charming doesn’t begin to describe it. The European feel and the landscape are breathtaking.

We planned an excursion to Île d'Orléans, a tiny island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River known for its homegrown delicacies, including the best strawberries I’ve ever tasted, local wine, potatoes destined for poutine, fresh cheese, and plenty of black currants.

One of our first stops on the island was Cassis Monna & Filles, a cassis distillery that makes a range of products from locally grown black currants. I quickly discovered I couldn’t get enough of these tiny, dark purple berries.

The café at the distillery served them in many forms, but the standout was the jewel-toned, swirled black currant ice cream. It was hands down the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted—tart, sweet, and jammy—and it left me wanting more.

Naturally, I wandered into the gift shop and loaded up on black currant products to recreate the magic at home. One of the treasures I brought back across the border was crème de cassis, a sweet, syrupy liqueur.

Traditionally made in France, crème de cassis is used to mix kir royales, but beyond that, I had no clue how to use it. The flavor is bold and rich with deep berry notes; I’d liken it more to a fortified wine than a traditional liqueur, which made a baking project the most logical place to start.

Luckily, my queen of all things fabulous and French, Ina Garten, had the perfect recipe: her Chocolate Cassis Cake from Foolproof.

Sticking to the French theme, the cake is incredibly chic yet effortlessly simple. It’s completely flourless, which can intimidate some bakers, but it’s easier than it looks and, as the cookbook title suggests, nearly impossible to mess up. The cake gets its lift from eggs beaten with sugar until pale yellow and ribbony.

How To Make Ina Garten’s Chocolate Cassis Cake

Start by preparing a cake pan with baking spray, lining the bottom with parchment, and spraying it again. Melt unsalted butter and chopped bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, stirring until fully melted. After it cools slightly, whisk in unsweetened cocoa powder, crème de cassis, and vanilla.

Whisk eggs with sugar and a pinch of salt until the mixture triples in volume. Ina calls for five extra-large eggs. If you only have large eggs, I’d recommend using six. The cake really relies on the eggs to create the lift, so you don’t want to skimp! A stand mixer is ideal for this task.

Fold the chocolate mixture gently into the eggs, trying not to deflate it, and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake it at 350°F for about 30 minutes.

While the cake cools, make the glaze by melting more chopped bittersweet chocolate with heavy cream over simmering water. Off the heat, whisk in crème de cassis and vanilla. Let it cool slightly before spreading evenly on top of the cake.

The finished cake resembles a giant meringue, but decadent and almost mousse-like inside. The cassis complements the chocolate beautifully, highlighting its natural fruity notes. It’s definitely a grown-ups-only dessert—we deserve to keep some things to ourselves—but if you skip the cassis in the glaze, it becomes family-friendly.

While I don’t usually buy specialty ingredients without multiple uses, this recipe is the exception. The cassis flavor is unmatched, and sure, you could leave it out, but then you’d just have a regular flourless chocolate cake. And life is too short for regular.