- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1¼ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 2 cups egg whites (about 12 large whites)
- Whipped Cream
- Cacao nibs for sprinkling (optional)
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F Butter an 11-inch ring mold or a 12-cup (10-inch) Bundt pan, and place in a deep roasting pan.
- Sift together the sugar and cocoa into a medium bowl. Shift in cinnamon, if using.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the whites on medium speed until soft peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not overbeat.
- Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil for the water bath.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, and top the whites with the cocoa mixture. This will look like a lot to incorporate, but the batter will come together. Slowly and gently fold the ingredients together, reaching to the bottom of the bowl to incorporate all the whites.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spread the batter into the corners with a rubber spatula.
- Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come 2 to 3 inches up the sides of the mold. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake will puff up as it bakes, then shrink back as it cools.
- Carefully transfer the mold to a cooling rack, and cool completely in the pan. Run a knife around the edges of the pan and unmold the cake onto a serving plate. Serve with whipped cream and, if desired, a sprinkling of cacao nibs.