Flourless Chocolate Cake with Meringue Topping

I don’t come from a family of bakers, but I do come from a family of eaters.  My dad always used to bring home store bought Passover desserts before the holiday and he always included a cake.  He said it was because my grandfather’s birthday was the second day of Pesach, but I think he just liked to eat cake .  Every year most of that cake (except for my Dad’s portion) was thrown in the garbage.  Passover cakes were just not appealing to me or my brother and sister — and that was even before I cared about calories.

I would much rather satisfy my sweet tooth with homemade frozen chocolate covered strawberries and bananas, meringue cookies and chocolate covered matzo granola — those were the ultimate Passover desserts for me.  That all changed two years ago when I found this recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine for a Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Toasted Meringue Topping.

It is rich and chocolatey and everyone at our seder loved it!  It’s just the right size for a crowd and pretty darn easy to make.  If you start with the pre-chopped nuts (almonds or filberts) it is even easier.  You can serve with non-dairy whipped topping instead of meringue, but I love the gooey, fluffy slightly toasted meringue topping.

Enjoy this Passover dessert anytime.