Two-Ingredient Cake

Name: Two-Ingredient Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: Golden delicious apples to be cleaned 1.5 lbs; Dark chocolate 50% 9 oz; Unsweetened cocoa powder 6 tbsp

Difficulty: Very easy
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Serving: 8
Cost: Very low
Note + 2 hours' rest in the fridge

PRESENTATION

Two-Ingredient Cake sounds like a setup for disappointment, but it delivers: blended apples and melted chocolate come together with no added sugar, no oven, and no baking skill required. The sweetness comes entirely from the fruit, and once the two are combined, the refrigerator does all the work. Apple and chocolate is a timeless pairing, and here the combination is stripped back to its bare essentials—nothing else in the bowl, nothing else on the counter. It works for any season precisely because it never goes near a heat source. The texture is the real surprise.

Because the apples are blended into a smooth base rather than chopped or folded in, they give the finished cake a consistency closer to a chilled mousse than anything baked—cool, soft, and genuinely satisfying. What you get is a creamy, velvety dessert that sets firm in the fridge and melts cleanly on the palate. There is no elaborate preparation involved, no timing to manage, and no risk of underbaking or overbaking. Once it has had time to set, you slice it straight from the refrigerator and serve it cold, which is exactly how it is meant to be eaten.

INGREDIENTS

For a 7-inch (18 cm) pan: Golden delicious apples 1.5 lbs (700 g) - to be cleaned; Dark chocolate 50% 9 oz (250 g)

For garnish: Unsweetened cocoa powder 6 tbsp (30 g)

Preparation

How to prepare Two-Ingredient Cake

To prepare the two-ingredient cake, peel the apples with a vegetable peeler 1, then cut them in half, remove the core and slice them first and then into even cubes 2. Transfer the apple cubes to a large pot 3.

Pour 50 g of water (about 3 tbsp + 1 tsp, approximately 1.7 fl oz) 4, cover with a lid 5 and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the apples are very soft. At this point blend them thoroughly with an immersion blender 6.

You should obtain a smooth, homogeneous purée 7; let it cool slightly. In the meantime, roughly chop the dark chocolate with a knife 8, then melt it—either in the microwave or in a double boiler—until it becomes fluid and glossy 9.

Combine the apple purée with the melted chocolate 10 and stir well until you have an even, dense and creamy mixture 11. Pour the mixture into a 7-inch (18 cm) springform pan lined with parchment paper and level the surface 12, then transfer to the refrigerator and let it set for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

When the dessert is firm, carefully remove it from the pan and peel away the parchment paper 13. Before serving, dust the surface with unsweetened cocoa powder 14. Your two-ingredient cake is ready to be served 15!