This dark, rich, and deliciously moist flourless chocolate cake is naturally gluten free. A 1 bowl cake recipe without any special tools, decorating, or assembly required, this is chocolate cake MADE EASY. With its fudge-like texture, it satisfies even the biggest chocolate craving. Top however you’d like or with my favorite mocha whipped cream.
Is this chocolate cake or is this fudge masquerading as cake? Only one way for you to find out. I promise you’ll be satisfied with the verdict.
If you like chocolate, you definitely don’t want to miss this recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Easy 1 bowl cake recipe
- Dense like homemade brownies
- Mind-blowing rich and chocolatey
- Tastes like fudge you eat with a fork
- Moister than others I’ve tried (use my oven trick explained below)
- Naturally gluten free, making it a favorite among all my gluten free dessert recipes
- No crazy decorating, layering, or assembling required
- A billion ways to top it
- Leavener is optional (zero leavening without it)
Plus, I’m teaching you how to make mocha whipped cream. Take my whipped cream and add espresso powder/water and cocoa powder. It’s lightly sweetened and oh-so-simple. It’s also phenomenal on top of this mocha chocolate pudding pie.
Flourless Chocolate Cake Video Tutorial
Flourless Chocolate Cake Ingredients
“Where’s the flour?!” you might be asking. So you can understand how this recipe works, let me explain each ingredient you DO need.
- Chocolate & Butter: This recipe starts like my chocolate lava cakes: melt butter and chocolate together. It’s important to use pure baking chocolate, not chocolate chips. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers preventing them from melting into the silky consistency we need. Instead, pick up two 4-ounce semi-sweet chocolate baking bars from the baking aisle– I prefer Ghirardelli or Baker’s brands. You need 6 ounces for this recipe. (Reserve the remaining 2 ounces for another time.)
- Eggs: Eggs have 3 main jobs in this recipe. First, they help take the place of flour. And like they do in homemade brownies, eggs create the bulk of this cake’s moist, fudgy texture. Finally, they help the cake rise too.
- Sugar, Vanilla Extract, & Salt: Sweetens/adds flavor. Adapted from King Arthur Flour, I reduced the sugar in the cake. (I also found the cake a little dry, so I reduced the cocoa powder and added another egg, more vanilla, and used baking chocolate.)
- Espresso Powder: Just like in my regular chocolate cake recipe and marble loaf cake, espresso powder deepens the chocolate flavor. This cake DOES NOT taste like coffee. Find espresso powder in the coffee aisle of the grocery store. You’ll be surprised how much you’ll use it in baking: see all my recipes using espresso powder.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Because we’re not using baking soda, you can use either dutch-process cocoa powder or natural cocoa powder in this recipe. Cocoa powder also helps take the place of flour.
- Baking Powder (OPTIONAL): In my recipe testing, I found a touch baking powder added *a little* extra lift to this normally flat cake. (It’s still pretty flat even with it though!) If you want to skip the leavening, leave it out. The cake tastes the same!
How to Make Flourless Chocolate Cake
Even though this is a simple cake recipe, its preparation is very unique to traditional chocolate cake recipes. To ensure success, I encourage you to read through the following section, as well as the written recipe below.
- Prepare an 8-inch round cake pan. (A 9-inch cake pan works, but the cake is thinner.) Always line your round pans with parchment paper rounds before adding the batter. Grease the pan, line with a parchment paper round, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cake release seamlessly from the pan. This cake WILL stick if you don’t use greased parchment. Sadly, I know from experience.
- Melt chocolate and butter together.
- Whisk in the sugar, espresso powder, and vanilla then whisk in the eggs.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients and pour batter into cake pan.
- Create a steamy oven. This is an egg heavy cake and, like cheesecake, it needs a moist environment to prevent it from drying out. (Trust me on this one—not many recipes call for this but it makes all the difference!) We don’t need a water bath, instead place a large metal roasting pan on the bottom oven rack. Fill with hot water. Place cake on the center rack. Quickly shut the oven door trapping steam inside.
- Bake in the steamy oven. Takes about 30 minutes.
- Cool the cake for only 10 minutes, then invert it onto your serving plate. This is important! Run a sharp knife around the edges of the warm cake to help release it.
- Cool completely. Just stick it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Decorate and serve!
Warning: Your cake may awkwardly rise around part of the edges. At one point, it looked like one of my test recipes would over-flow on one side! It won’t, as long as you’re using the correct cake pan and following the recipe below.
As the cake cools upside down, any lumps on the top (which is now the bottom!) flatten out.
3 Success Tips (Don’t Skip These)
- For a fudge-like flourless chocolate cake, don’t over-bake it. You’ll walk a thin line between moist flourless chocolate cake and dry flourless chocolate cake. All of my test recipes took 30 minutes. Test the center with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Even if it comes out with just a couple moist (not wet) crumbs, it’s done.
- Use my steamy oven trick. Again, this is an egg-heavy cake. To prevent the eggs from drying out, bake the cake in a moist oven as explained in the breakdown of the steps above. Not many recipes call for this, but I’m certain that’s why this one is so unbelievably fudge-like and moist.
- Follow the recipe as written. Sometimes it’s ok to play around with a recipe. But this is a very precise one. Without traditional butter/sugar creaming, flour, a lot of leavening, or milk, the other ingredients in this recipe have A LOT of weight to carry and jobs to do. For best taste, texture, and so you don’t waste your time (and money!), I do not recommend any ingredient substitutions.
Flourless Chocolate Cake Toppings
I opted for homemade mocha whipped cream, fresh raspberries, and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. Isn’t it pretty? You don’t need to go all out like I did. 😉 A simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar will do or any of the following:
- top with chocolate ganache or even my red wine chocolate ganache
- drizzle with salted caramel or pipe salted caramel frosting
- decorate with fresh berries
- pipe strawberry buttercream frosting or vanilla buttercream
- serve with homemade strawberry sauce or raspberry sauce
- add a dollop of regular whipped cream
- drizzle with melted peanut butter (DO IT!)
Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 8
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
A 1 bowl recipe, this naturally gluten free flourless chocolate cake is indulgently rich, moist, and fudge-like. For best taste, texture, and so you don’t waste your time (and money!), I do not recommend any ingredient substitutions.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter
- 6 ounces (170g) high quality semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped*
- 2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (27g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- optional: 1/2 teaspoon baking powder*
Mocha Whipped Cream
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon warm water
- 1 cup (240ml) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 3 Tablespoons (22g) confectioners’ sugar (see note)
- 1 Tablespoon (6g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
- optional: raspberries and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Make sure you have a bottom oven rack and a center oven rack in place for step 5. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.) The cake WILL stick unless it’s lined and generously greased. (Trust me!)
- Cut the butter into pieces so it melts evenly. Place in a large heat-proof bowl. Add chopped chocolate. Melt in 20 second increments in the microwave, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Let cool for 2-3 minutes. You can use a double boiler for this step if desired.
- Whisk the sugar, espresso powder, and vanilla extract into the chocolate mixture. Whisk in the eggs until smooth. The mixture will be heavy and tacky, like brownie batter. Whisk in the cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder (if using).
- Pour and spread batter into prepared cake pan.
- Prepare the steamy oven: Place a large metal roasting pan or baking dish on the bottom oven rack. Do not use glass. Pour boiling water about 2 inches up the sides of the pan. (I just boil a kettle of water.) Quickly place the cake on the center rack and shut the oven door, trapping steam inside. The steamy oven helps guarantee an extra moist cake.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the edges are set. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean OR comes out with just a few moist crumbs. It’s important to not over-bake this cake, which dries it out. Begin checking it at 25 minutes. Don’t be alarmed if the cake rises extra tall around some of the edges and slightly cracks—this is normal (it’s the eggs expanding) and will flatten out as it cools.
- Remove from the oven, place cake on a cooling rack, and cool for only 10 minutes in the cake pan. Run a sharp knife around the edges to help release the warm cake, then quickly invert it onto a serving plate or cake stand. (If it cools completely in the pan, it’s very difficult to release from the pan.) Cake will be a little crumbly on the edges. Cool completely. I usually stick it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
- Once the cake is cool, top with your choice of toppings. My suggestions are listed above this recipe. I love it with my mocha whipped cream.
- Mocha Whipped Cream: Using a fork, mix the espresso powder and warm water together in a very small bowl. Cool down for a few minutes. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, cocoa powder, and espresso mixture on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks and are the perfect consistency for topping and piping on desserts. Serve cake with whipped cream or pipe it on top. I used Ateco 849 piping tip. Decorate with raspberries and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
- Cover and store leftover cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make-Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare recipe through step 4 up to 1 day in advance. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Continue with step 5. Since it’s cold, the cake batter will take a few extra minutes to bake. To freeze—invert and cool cake as directed. Wrap with 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before decorating/serving. See how to freeze cakes for detailed instructions on freezing cakes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Round Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Double Boiler (optional) | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Ateco 849 Piping Tip | Fine Mesh Sieve
- Chocolate: Use 6 ounces of “baking chocolate” bars found in the baking aisle. They’re sold in 4 ounce bars, so you’ll need 2. (You’ll have 2 ounces leftover for another use.) I prefer Bakers or Ghirardelli brands. Do not use candy melts, chocolate dipping wafers, or chocolate chips—all contain stabilizers or added ingredients which prevent them from melting into the same silky consistency needed for the base of this cake. Feel free to use bittersweet chocolate for a darker chocolate flavor. I don’t recommend white chocolate or unsweetened chocolate.
- Espresso Powder: I highly recommend this addition to help deepen the chocolate flavor, though you can leave it out if necessary. Espresso powder is like instant espresso, found in the coffee aisle. You can also use instant coffee granules. (Not ground coffee.)
- Baking Powder: This is an optional ingredient. In my recipe testing, I found a touch baking powder added *a little* extra lift to this normally flat cake. (It’s still pretty flat even with it though!) If you want to skip the leavening, leave it out.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: If you prefer a sweeter whipped cream, increase confectioners’ sugar to 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 30g).
- 8 Inch Cake Pan: I recommend an 8-inch cake pan. A 9-inch cake pan works, but the cake is thinner. The bake time will be a couple minutes shorter in a 9-inch cake pan.
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Keywords: flourless chocolate cake, cake, chocolate, gluten free
Amazing cake! Made this for a guest that was gluten intolerant. My kids who don’t have any dietary restrictions have now requested this for their birthday cake. Perfect balance between cake and brownie. I will make this again. Delicious. I served it with regular whipped cream and it was very good but honestly this cake needs nothing . Perfect on its own .
★★★★★
I made this twice this week because it was so great. It was amazing. I used the full bakers chocolate bars which are 4oz each and it came out super moist and fudgey. I love this recipe!
★★★★★
Fantastic! Prepared it exactly as stated in the recipe. Amazing thank you Sally for sharing
★★★★★
Hi Sally, I only have a 9″ pan but like the idea of the height – would one and a half times the mix work for 9″ – there are 7 in our family so an 8″ is too small
Hi Tina, 1.5x the batter would be too much for a 9-inch pan, but you could fill your pan no more than 1/2 way and then use any leftovers for some cupcakes on the side. Hope it’s a hit!
I made this cake and it was absolutely wonderful! The chocolate flavour was awesome and this moccha whipped cream? Unbelievably good!
I decorated the cake with red, purple and orange fruit, like red currants, purple grapes and pieces of persimmon which looked beautiful and was a wonderful sweet and sour addition to the cake.
Will definitely make this again – thanks so much for the recipe!
★★★★★
This is my favorite recipe for a special occasion, especially for my gluten-free friends. Do NOT ignore the parchment paper liner! I’ve made this a dozen times but last time I had no parchment paper so I just greased up the pan real good. When I tipped it, I was left with a Martha’s Vineyard shaped hole in my cake and a lovely cake representation of the island in my pan!
★★★★★
I am eager to try this for a small dinner party i am doing soon but i would like to make them in ramekins so theyre like personal desserts. Do you have any suggestions or modifications to accommodate this?
Hi Ash, you can certainly try baking these in smaller ramekins. Exact yield and baking time will depend on the size of your ramekins, so keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Or, you could try these chocolate souffles instead—they’re gluten-free as well and perfectly portioned for individual desserts. Let us know what you decide to try!
Hello! I am planning on making this cake for Friendsgiving — we have a friend who is gluten free and your recipes are always wonderful! I have a quick question: is the mocha frosting gluten free as well? Just want to make sure as I do not see it under your gluten-free frostings! Thank you!!
Hi Kim! Yes, it should be. You can always double check your ingredients to allergen labels.
We skipped the mocha whipped cream and used a drizzle of raspberry compote instead. Was so good I hid a piece from the rest of the family so I could eat it the next day for breakfast with my coffee, and I don’t feel an ounce of guilt.
★★★★★
I made this cake for my husbands birthday and it was so good! Opted to add the baking soda to get more lift since I only had a 9-inch pan. Instead of this frosting, however, I halved the recipe for Sally’s chocolate peanut butter frosting and it was the perfect pairing. The best part? I had hand surgery and made this cake one-handed. Incredibly easy to make and delicious. Win-win!! Definitely making it again.
★★★★★
Is there a substitute for eggs in this recipe?
Hi Debby! The base of this flourless cake are the eggs, so we don’t recommend any substitutes. This wouldn’t be the ideal recipe for making eggless.
Hello! I hope you are having a nice day and if not I hope you have a better day tomorrow!! I just was wondering if this recipe could be transferred to a Bundt cake pan, as I am planning on making a pumpkin shaped cake for my friends.
Hi Wilbur, We recommend sticking to an 8 inch round pan for this particular recipe.
My cake had good flavor but wasn’t very moist. It was crumbly. Any suggestions?
★★★
Hi Tom, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Was the cake over baked by chance? Even an extra minute or two can significantly dry out a cake, especially cakes with cocoa powder which can be quite drying. An easy fix for next time! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try.
Can you double the recipe and make it a layer cake with two 8 inch rounds? What would you suggest for frosting? Could you still make the mocha whipped cream and put in between the layers?
Hi Christina, we don’t recommend layering this cake, as it’s a bit too fragile. It would be best to make and serve two separate single layer cakes.
Made it for my sister who is gluten absolutely flavorful and loved mocha with rasberry topping…All loved it!
★★★★
Absolutely delicious! Do you think it can be doubled without other modification?
★★★★★
Hi Julia, you can double this recipe, but for best taste and texture, we recommend making two separate batches of batter.
The cake and the whipped cream are delightful! The cake has a brownie-like texture but also somewhat makes me think of cheesecake! It’s amazing that there’s no flour in this.
★★★★★
Should this cake be esten warm or cold?
We prefer it cold!
So good! Made this for a gluten-free friend to bring to her house for dinner. Followed the recipe exactly, except added a bit more powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the frosting to make it sweeter. Everyone loved it!!
Can you add plain brewed coffee instead of instant powder?
Hi Kayla, we don’t recommend adding brewed coffee, as it’s a liquid and would change the consistency of the batter. You can omit the espresso powder or use the same amount of instant coffee granules.
The ingredient list says to use semi sweet chocolate. However, The notes say to use bakers chocolate. Which is the best one?
Hi Marda, you’ll want to use semi-sweet bakers chocolate, which can be found as 4 ounce bars in the baking aisle. Hope this helps!
I followed the recipe exactly, using the baking powder, and it turned out perfectly. Very good I only forgot to buy raspberries, so we used peaches.
Hi Sally, would this recipe work as cupcakes? Need a gluten-free dessert for a brunch party this Sunday. Please advice. Thank you. I love your website and recipes!
Hi Solas! We haven’t tested this recipe as cupcakes so we’re unsure of the bake time needed, but you can certainly try. Keep your eye on them and be careful not to overbake. They will be finished when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean OR comes out with just a few moist crumbs. And here’s more Gluten Free Dessert Recipes!
Can I substitute vegan butter for regular butter in this recipe?
Hi Pam, we haven’t tested it so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you give it a try!
I made this flourless cake for my sister-in-law with celiac as her birthday cake. OMG. Combination of cake, whipped cream and raspberry are just perfect.
It was so good she ate what was left as breakfast the next day !
★★★★★
I made this delicious cake today for a friend’s birthday and it was a big hit! As usual your instructions were so helpful and I followed them to the letter. I’m so glad you mentioned not to worry about it if it rises up over the top of the pan because it would sink down as it cooled. I love your strawberry buttercream frosting and thought it would pair perfectly with this cake-and it did! I ran out of time and didn’t garnish it with fresh berries but I will definitely do it next time. Thank you, Sally (and crew)! Your recipes are awesome and fail proof!
★★★★★
Hi Sally,I love this recipe, came out great. I think the comments show many of us want to make in different sizes. I really wish you use the same recipe (dosen’t need to make an even dozen) and make the 3 most requested. A 6 inch cake, cupcakes, and mini cupcakes. I would like to have your guidance on time, temperature, use of cupcake wrappers.
I’m asking you go back and do this to all of your recipes but this one just seems the most popular for sizing.
Again the cake and whipped cream are perfect. Thanks, Richard
★★★★★
Wow-this was really easy and so delicious! Who knew a cake could be so good without flour? Made this for a friend with celiac and it was a huge hit-thanks Sally!
★★★★★
This recipe sounds amazing! Would it be possible to add cayenne and cinnamon for Cinco de Mayo? Also wanted to do bite size servings. Will this work in a mini muffin tin (perhaps with paper mini muffin cups)? Thanks so much for your input and amazing recipes!
Hi Lisa, you can certainly try adding some cayenne and cinnamon. Mini muffin size should work well, too! We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but start checking them around 11 minutes or so.
curious if this would work made into bars instead? and what size/kind of pan you would bake it in?
Hi Jessica, I’m just seeing your question now. You can try using a 9-inch square pan. The “bars” will be more like cake, though. You’ll likely need a fork to eat them.