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This flourless chocolate cake is perfectly crafted for those who crave an intense chocolate experience. This no-frills, rich, moist, and decadent cake is a straightforward celebration of intense chocolate flavor.
Skip the flour, embrace the simplicity, and let your taste buds revel in the pure pleasure of this chocolatey masterpiece.
This is the Best Flourless Chocolate Cake
This rich chocolate cake is incredibly easy to make. With just 10 minutes of prep and 30 minutes to bake, you’ll have your new favorite chocolate dessert ready in under an hour.
A chocolate lover’s dream, the rich chocolate flavor in this recipe comes from a combination of dutch-processed cocoa powder, semisweet chocolate chips, and an optional (but recommended) chocolate ganache. Can we have too much chocolate? I think not.
Flourless chocolate cake is the perfect make-ahead dessert for dinner parties or a special occasion. I love serving it with fresh berries, homemade whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream. You could also sprinkle it with confectioners’ sugar / powdered sugar.
This is the perfect dessert for holidays and get-togethers, plus all of your friends and family members on gluten-free diets can enjoy dessert, too!
What is Flourless Chocolate Cake?
Flourless chocolate cake is a rich and dense dessert that is made without traditional flour. Instead of flour, this cake is made from chocolate, eggs, sugar, and butter to create its texture and flavor. The absence of flour makes it a popular choice for those who follow a gluten-free diet.
What is in Flourless Chocolate Cake?
This decadent flourless chocolate cake uses only simple ingredients. Keep reading for the full recipe with measurements and ingredients in the recipe card below. Here’s what you’ll need:
Cake
- Unsalted butter
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Dutch processed cocoa powder
- Eggs: straight from the fridge is fine!
Chocolate Ganache
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Heavy cream
How to Make Flourless Chocolate Cake
As someone who loves chocolate, this is one of my all-time favorite chocolate desserts! It helps that it’s so easy to make. Follow these easy steps to chocolate cake perfection:
Cake
- Prep oven. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Fill a 9×13 inch pan with 1 inch of water and put it in the oven, on the rack underneath where you will put the cake.
- Prep pan. Butter an 8 inch pan and line with parchment paper. I included 4 handles on my parchment paper so I can easily lift the cake out of the pan.
- Combine butter and chocolate chips. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the butter and chocolate chips. Microwave for 90 seconds on 50% power. Stir and continue to microwave until melted.
- Add sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir in the granulated sugar, salt and vanilla extract with a spatula or whisk.
- Add cocoa powder. Stir in the cocoa powder with a spatula or whisk.
- Add eggs. Stir in the eggs with a spatula or whisk. The mixture will be thick.
- Add to pan. Transfer the batter to the pan and spread into an even layer.
- Bake. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the top is set and more dull in color, not as shiny. Alternatively, you can check the internal temperature. Once it reaches 200ºF it’s fully cooked.
- Cool. Run a small spatula around the edge of the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely to room temperature before removing it from the pan.
Chocolate Ganache (optional)
- Prep. Place the chocolate chips in a medium heat-proof bowl.
- Heat cream. In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the heavy cream to a gentle simmer – this is just before a rapid boil.
- Add cream to chocolate chips. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips. Allow the mixture to stand for 1-2 minutes.
- Mix. Use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture until smooth.
- Top the cake. Spread the ganache evenly over the cake.
- Add any additional toppings. Serve with whipped cream and fruit if desired. I love this cake with fresh raspberries.
- For clean cuts, fully wipe the knife clean between slices.
Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe Variations
For best results, I don’t recommend any variations or substitutions of the ingredients in this recipe. However, if you want to change it up, here are some options:
- Dark Chocolate: I use semi-sweet chocolate chips in the cake and the ganache, but if you prefer a more bittersweet chocolate, you can use whatever your favorite is.
- Add-ins: If you want to give this a bit of a coffee taste, try adding a small amount of espresso powder to the cake batter.
How to Store Chocolate Flourless Cake
Store leftover cake in the refrigerator wrapped tightly or in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If you put fresh fruit on the top of the cake, I recommend removing it for storage so it doesn’t make the cake soggy.
Best Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe FAQs
Most people originally choose to eat flourless cake because they are gluten-free, then they realize how delicious this brownie-like cake is and they keep eating it because it’s so good! Flourless cakes offer a delicious alternative to traditional baked goods, meeting diverse needs without compromising on taste.
Flourless cake is shorter than a traditional cake due to the lack of flour, but because it’s so rich, the smaller size is perfect. My flourless chocolate cake doesn’t fall because it’s more of the consistency of a rich brownie.
Yes, flourless cake will go bad due to the butter and eggs, and heavy cream if topped with ganache. You can store this cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
More Chocolate Recipes
- Chocolate Mud Cake
- Peppermint Chocolate Cake
- Best Recipe for German Chocolate Cake
- Best Chocolate Cupcakes
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Best Recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter, equal to 1 stick
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup dutch processed cocoa powder
- 3 eggs, straight from the fridge is fine!
Chocolate Ganache
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Fill a 9×13 inch pan with 1 inch of water and put it in the oven, on the rack underneath where you will put the cake.
- Butter an 8 inch pan and line with parchment paper. I included 4 handles on my parchment paper so I can easily lift the cake out of the pan.
- In a medium microwave safe mixing bowl, combine the butter and chocolate chips. Microwave for 90 seconds on 50% power. Stir and continue to microwave until melted.
- Stir in the granulated sugar, salt and vanilla extract with a spatula or whisk.
- Stir in the cocoa powder with a spatula or whisk.
- Stir in the eggs with a spatula or whisk. The mixture will be thick.
- Transfer the batter to the pan and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the top is set and more dull in color, not as shiny. Alternatively, you can check the internal temperature. Once it reaches 200ºF it’s fully cooked.
- Run a small spatula around the edge of the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan.
Chocolate Ganache (optional)
- Place the chocolate chips in a medium heat-proof bowl.
- In a small pot over low heat, heat the heavy cream to a gentle simmer – this is just before a rapid boil.
- Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips. Allow the mixture to stand for 1-2 minutes.
- Use a spatula to stir the mixture until smooth.
- Spread the ganache evenly over the cake.
- Serve with whipped and fruit if desired.
- For clean cuts, fully wipe the knife clean between slices.
For the one cup of chocolate chips in the cake…how much is that in grams? And can you use dark chocolate instead?
1 cup chocolate chips is 170 grams. Yes, you can use dark chocolate!
Is there a dairy free option for this recipe? Using dairy free butter and something else in place of cream?
Hi there will black cocoa powder work for this?
Yes, it will alter the taste slightly and the cake will be very, very dark.