Flourless Chocolate Cake

Content… Is It Healthier? Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead Instructions Serving and Storage Instructions FAQs What to Serve More Fabulous Cake Recipes to Try Conclusion Watch How to Make It

Is Flourless Cake Healthier?

Technically speaking, almost all flourless cakes have fewer calories per serving. However, this chocolate cake recipe here still has quite a lot of sugar and calories. So, no, it’s not a health food, but if you are sensitive to gluten, it’s a much better choice for dessert than a traditional cake.

Recipe Ingredients

1. Chocolate – Semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate gives this flourless chocolate torte the intense chocolatiness it’s known for. Anything with over 60% cacao works great because the better the quality, the tastier your cake.
2. Butter – Creamy deliciousness for the necessary fat content creates a smooth texture. But you can go dairy free with coconut oil or dairy-free butter substitute.
3. Eggs – A half dozen eggs create a solid base that binds the other ingredients and contributes to the creamy, silky texture.
4. Sugar – This cake is quite sweet, but I love it that way. If you are a chocolate lover, I know you’ll agree.
5. Vanilla Extract – The slightly floral taste enhances the chocolate flavor, and homemade vanilla extract is even better.
6. Cocoa Powder – OK, this cake may be flourless, but the cocoa powder does an incredible job taking flour’s place while intensifying the chocolate experience. And it’s unsweetened because we’re already adding plenty of sugar.
7. Raspberry Sauce – Raspberries and chocolate are a marriage made in heaven. But you can use strawberries or cherries for a delicious twist.

How to Make Flourless Chocolate Cake

The Cake

• Prep the Pan – Preheat the oven to 300°F/150℃. Prepare a 9-inch cake pan by lining the bottom with parchment and lightly buttering the sides. If desired, dust with cocoa powder and tap out any excess. 
• Melt the Chocolate – Melt the chocolate in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Then add butter and continue melting in 30-second zaps, stirring after each interval, until completely melted and smooth. This might take a couple of minutes. (If you don’t like using microwaves, you can melt them in a double boiler over medium heat, stirring occasionally.) Set aside. (Photos 1-4)
• Whisk the Eggs in a large bowl with a mixer for about a minute. Add sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, then continue mixing until it’s pale and frothy. (Photos 5-7)
• Combine – Pour in the chocolate and butter mixture, and mix well. (Photos 8-10)
• Cocoa Powder – Finally, add the cocoa powder and continue mixing until fully incorporated. Be careful not to overmix. (Photo 11)
• Bake – Pour your cake batter into the prepared pan, and then bake it for 40-45 minutes (a long toothpick or skewer inserted into the cake will come out moist, but no clumps, an instant-read thermometer will say 200℉/95℃, and it should be moist but not wet.) (Photo 12)
• Cool – Remove the chocolate cake from the oven and allow it cool while preparing the raspberry sauce.
• Chill – Cover the cooled cake still in the pan with plastic wrap and move it to the fridge. Then let it chill for five hours or overnight.
• Final Stretch – When ready to serve, run your knife around the edge of the cake pan to loosen the cake. Remove the cake from the pan and trim the raised rim around the cake’s edge if necessary.
• Serve – Slice and serve with homemade whipped cream and raspberry sauce.

The Raspberry Sauce

• Bring to a Boil – Bring the raspberries, granulated sugar, water, lemon zest, and juice to a boil in a medium saucepan.
• Simmer – Reduce the heat and simmer for 5-6 minutes, uncovered. 
• Thicken – Then add cornstarch, and continue simmering until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 5 minutes or more. 
• Strain – Remove and strain through a sieve into a small bowl, pressing on solids to extract all liquid. Discard seeds.
• Cool – Let it cool completely, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Recipe Variations

You’ll need the precision of this recipe to get that perfectly moist, fudgy cake, so I don’t recommend swapping out or varying many ingredients here. However, there’s one exception: the toppings.

1. Use strawberry sauce instead of raspberry. You can find an excellent recipe with New York Cheesecake.
2. Try a Black Forest flourless chocolate cake version with the Black Forest cherry filling and homemade whipped cream.
3. My one exception to the ingredient list—add a tablespoon of coffee or espresso powder with cocoa powder to enhance the cake’s flavor. 

Tips and Tricks

1. All ingredients should be brought to room temperature for the best results. If the eggs are cold, put them in warm water for 10 minutes. For the butter, warm up a glass bowl with hot water for a few minutes. Then dump the water out and slice the butter into it. The heat from the bowl will warm up the butter quite quickly.
2. This cake tends to stick to the pan, so don’t skip the parchment paper and grease the pan generously. I usually grease below the parchment paper and on top of it before adding the cake batter. Then all you need to do is run a knife around the edges after it’s cooked to release it.
3. If using a double boiler, ensure the water doesn’t come in contact with the bottom of the bowl. You want the steam to melt the chocolate so it doesn’t burn.

Make-Ahead Instructions

You can make this cake and store it covered in the fridge two days ahead. And, yes, you can make it ahead and freeze it. The same can be done with the raspberry sauce.

Serving and Storage Instructions

This cake tastes best when cooled completely, and the chocolate has time to develop flavor. It also holds together better if you let it chill. You can serve directly from the fridge or at room temperature.

Leftovers? Umm, never had those, but you can keep your cake at room temperature for two days in a cool climate or five days in the fridge.

You can also wrap your cake in plastic and freeze it for two months. When ready to serve, defrost in the fridge overnight.

FAQs

What to Serve With Flourless Chocolate Cake

This versatile cake goes well with different toppings. Try it with this whipped cream, caramel sauce, or fresh berries. It’s also the perfect finish for Southern mac and cheese.

More Fabulous Cake Recipes to Try

1. Chocolate Guinness Cake
2. Chess Pie
3. Chocolate Rum Marble Cake
4. Bacardi Rum Cake
5. Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

Conclusion

Can you believe how easy this flourless chocolate cake is? I was so impressed by how these simple ingredients make such a gourmet result, and I know you will be too. If you’ve made it already, let me know how it turned out in the comment section below. I always love to get your feedback. 🙌

Watch How to Make It

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This blog post was originally published in February 2020 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.