Carol Younkin | Sam Houston EC

With no flour needed, this rich cake is a cinch to prepare. To cut into neat slices, Younkin recommends chilling the cooled cake until firm, then warming in the microwave as desired.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing the pan
1 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream or ice cream, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan or press a sheet of foil into the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan, smoothing the sides and buttering the foil.

2. Add a few inches of water to a saucepan and set over medium heat, bringing to a simmer. Set a heatproof bowl over the saucepan to create a double boiler and add the chocolate chips. When the chocolate looks soft and is starting to melt, stir with a spatula until smooth and completely melted.

3. Turn off the heat and add butter to the bowl, stirring until melted. Add cocoa powder and stir again until completely incorporated and smooth. Remove bowl from the saucepan.

4. Stir in the sugar until incorporated, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla, then pour batter into prepared pan.

5. Bake 40–50 minutes, until crackly and dry on top. A toothpick inserted 2 inches from the edge should come out clean. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack, then remove springform side or lift cake out using foil overhang. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled with whipped cream or ice cream on top.

Serves 8–10.