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.
One reader, Christi, commented: “Second time making this delicious recipe. Can’t believe how simple and delectable it is. Beats any restaurant flourless chocolate cake I’ve ever tried. The flavor combos of chocolate, mocha, and raspberry are sublime. Thank you, Sally, for another winner! ★★★★★“
One reader, Shannon, commented: “I made this for my mom’s 99th birthday today. I followed all the directions without deviating. I topped it with the mocha whipped cream. It was beyond wonderful. Big hit with chocolate-loving mom and guests. I will make this many more times on my way to 99! ★★★★★“
One reader, Sina, commented: “I made this cake and it was was absolutely wonderful! The chocolate flavor was awesome and this mocha whipped cream? Unbelievably good! ★★★★★“
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 or as a filling for homemade eclairs.
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, chocolate cake roll, and marble loaf cake recipes, espresso powder deepens the chocolate flavor. This cake DOES NOT taste like coffee. Find espresso powder in the coffee aisle of the grocery store or online. 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 hot fudge sauce, 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 | Espresso Powder
- 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 or online. 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
Reader Comments and Reviews
Can I double recipe and bake 2 8 inch cakes and make it a layer cake? Nevermde flourless before but making for a friends birthday and wanted a layer cake. TIA
Hi Connie, we don’t recommend layering this cake, as it’s a bit too fragile.
Is this recipe also nut free? I need to make a gluten and nut free dessert for a holiday party.
Hi Paige! There aren’t nuts in this recipe, but you should always check your ingredient labels for allergen information.
Hi! I am looking to make this as a pie instead of a cake. Would you still do the steamy oven step if it was going to be in a pie crust instead of just a pan? Any other considerations I should make? Thanks!
Hi Cole, we haven’t tested this cake in a pie crust, so are unsure of what to recommend. The closest recipe I can think of is this brownie pie. Because this is an egg-heavy cake, it benefits from the steam in the oven to help it rise properly and not dry out. However, I’m not sure how the steam would affect a pie crust. Sorry we can’t be of more help! If you try it, please report back!
This flourless chocolate cake is so rich, decadent, and moist! The mocha whipped cream with raspberries are the perfect complements. I’m making it tonight for the 2nd time in a week! I followed the recipe exactly as written. Love, love, love!
Hi Sally! I want to make this for my sister’s birthday, but I was hoping to use 3 6-inch pans. Can I make 2 separate bowls of batter and pour that amount into 3 small pans? I know you said don’t stack, but what if I am very careful? Should I just do store bought? I’d hate to do that, but I want something tall and decorated traditionally. Unless you have another option for me? Thank you!
Hi Colleen, we don’t recommend stacking this cake, as it’s just a bit too fragile. How about serving the cakes separately, side by side?
I have made this recipe quiet a few times for my clients at dinners (I am a private chef) and amazing recipe! I added two trays with a few inches of water to add to the bottom shelf to add insane moisture to this cake. I recommend!
Morning, I am just wondering what you recommend to grease pans with for cake and brownie recipes. Butter is my preference. Thanks for always replying and for your great recipes!
Hi Ann, we always line our pans with parchment paper when making brownies. It’s easy to then lift the brownies out of the pan once they’re cool by holding onto the edges of the paper, and transferring the whole thing to a cutting board to cut into bars. For round cakes, we have a tutorial on how we like to make parchment rounds for cake pans.
Hi,
Can I substitute Grand Marnier for vanilla extract to give the cake a bit of an orange flavour?
Thanks
Absolutely. You could probably increase to a full Tablespoon, and perhaps add some orange zest as well, to amp up the flavor.
Would it be possible to do this in a loaf tin?
Hi Carly, although a 9×5-inch loaf pan and a 9-inch round pan hold the same capacity of batter, the shape of the loaf pan may cause the batter to be too thick to bake through properly. You could try splitting the batter between two loaf pans. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, so keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
This recipe is delicious! My friends loved eating this cake! I am actually trying to figure out how many recipes and bake time I would need for a half sheet. Also if I bake two half sheets at a time would that work in regular oven setting or should I use convection setting…hhhmmmm.
Hi Charlotte, we’re so glad you love this recipe! Here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
This cake was a big hit at my house
Help! My oven won’t accommodate the roasting pan and another rack. Can I put the cake pan in the roasting pan with water and bake it like a water bath?
Hi Suz, yes, you could bake this in a more traditional water bath like a cheesecake. (Though we haven’t tested it myself, we can’t see a reason why that wouldn’t work.) Please do let us know how it goes!
Absolutely delicious and a perfect option for gluten free! Your recipes never fail me!
Surprisingly easy and delicious!
I followed the recipe with no modifications. This turned out amazing and both adults and kids at our dinner party loved it. The mocha cream was incredible- very airy and added a great touch. I will be making this again.
I made this today for a chocolate-loving friend who is also an accomplished baker. It was a big hit. I used bittersweet chocolate and a 2 tablespoons of extra sugar (my store didn’t have Ghirardelli semisweet). I did use the optional baking powder and it make a good difference. Also I beat the eggs before adding them to the chocolate/sugar mixture. Perfect recipe, as always!
I made this today for my brother’s birthday. He doesn’t like refined flour and frankly I’m tired of cakes made with alternative flours, they just never taste as good. This came out delicious, super fudgy. And the mocha whipped cream was a nice touch.
This was my first time making a gluten free dessert. It was AMAZING!! Everyone at work loved it! I did omit the espresso powder and used regular whipped cream. It was still a deliciously moist, decadent chocolate cake. I topped it with strawberries and blueberries. I will definitely be making this again! Thank you Sally!
Hi! I am making this for a birthday party and since it’s not a stackable cake, my options are to either make two or I was wondering if this could be made into cupcakes?
Hi B.G., 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.
Hi Sally – I’m currently making this cake to serve at 3pm tomorrow. Can I bake it today? How would you recommend I store it until tomorrow? Thank you as always for your wonderful recipes and wealth of knowledge!
Hi Haylee! The highly recommend refrigerating the batter overnight and baking tomorrow – see recipe Notes for details. If you do bake it today, store in the fridge overnight.
Help–I can’t find an 8″ cake pan–they seem to be obsolete. Can you revise your recipe for a 9″ pan? Also, I have MANY bars of Aldi’s Moser-Roth 70% cacao chocolate bars (.88 oz each) can I use those instead of Bakers’s or Ghiradelli? Need answer quickly – celiac coming for dinner on Sunday! Many thanks!
Hi Brenda, this 8-inch pan we recommend still seems to be available here. Otherwise, here is everything you need to know about cake pan conversions. And we haven’t tested that exact variety of chocolate, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. The cake will just have more of a dark chocolate flavor compared with using bars of bittersweet (60%0 or semi-sweet (56%) chocolate.
Wow! I followed the recipe exactly and topped it just like the picture and it was divine! I did opt for the baking powder since I only had a 9in pan – it was flat but it was very moist and decedent. I also baked it for 28 minutes which was perfect.
If I could give it 7 stars, I would. Absolutely delicious. Followed all of the instructions and it paid off. FYI- my baking time was 33 min which worried me but no dryness at all. This is my go-to baking site
I had this cake at a kayak lodge on a recent vacation – it was amazing!! Does it work to substitute out the unsalted butter with margarine or shortening to make it dairy free?
Hi Sue, We haven’t tried a dairy-free ourselves, but let us know if you do! Vegan butter would likely be a better bet than coconut oil or margarine.
I wanted to make this for a friend who is dairy free and gluten free. So I substituted the butter with MCT oil which is from coconuts but doesn’t have the strong coconut flavor. It worked amazing and tasted absolutely perfect! Also I get MCT oil from Costco in case you were wondering 🙂
Great info on this flourless chocolate cake. Mine turned out A-mazing and will make it again and again. I appreciate your comments on the recipe, giving me insight into your baking experience. All appreciated! ❤️ And my husband LOVED it!
I am sure that this recipe is wonderful, but I had so much trouble getting around the ads and my computer kept jumping around because of the ads that I had too much trouble reading the recipe. Frankly I can not get too thrilled about any recipe when I am reading about the nasty side affects that come from the drugs that arein the ads!
Hi Sally,
Would this cake be sturdy enough to be stacked. I haven’t made a gluten free cake before and I’m looking for one that I can layer.
Thank you.
Hi Natalie, we don’t recommend layering this cake, as it’s a bit too fragile.
Hi. How far ahead before serving can I decorate with the piped whipped cream and raspberries?
Hi Nancy! We would decorate the same day as serving.
Can you double the recipe? I’m sure this has been asked before …I’ve looked through many of the comments but didn’t see it,
Hi Debi, You can double this recipe, but for best taste and texture, we recommend making two separate batches of batter.
I’m looking at making this recipe for an upcoming family vacation. I see that if you double the recipe – to mix the batches separately. But – if I double, do you think I could also “safely” make in a square or rectangle pan? (Using your pan conversion info?) Or would you recommend against it? (I won’t have a chance to “test” before the trip.)
Hi Ellen, yes, you can double the recipe for a 11×7 (our recommendation) or 9×13 rectangular pan by combining the 2 separate batches. We’re unsure of the best bake time, and we would still recommend using the water bath.
Beautiful and delicious. I made the cake with raspberries, mocha whipped topping and raspberry sauce for a special occasion. We are not espresso fans, so I left that out in the cake and whipped cream. The cake is rich and dense. Some flourless tortes seem like a piece of fudge, and this serves as a small decadent cake. I would take care cooling – I cooled on a rack and it left ridges. I simply flipped the cake and a dusted with confectioner sugar. Will serve this again.
This turned out sooo good and fudgy, so much better than any recipes with gf flour
Do you think it would be fine to freeze it after baking?
Yes! See recipe Notes for freezing instructions. So glad you enjoyed this cake, Maryam!
I made this for Passover this year – it was so good – that I made another one! The second one was even better – cause I got to eat it! I have tried other recipes from your site – this one has signed me up – thank you
This was delicious and moist, a total crowd-pleaser. A couple of people mentioned the espresso taste so next time I’ll do one tsp instead of two.
Agreed with what another said about the espresso taste coming through pretty strongly, so will use 1 tsp instead of 2 next time. Super delicious with ganache and raspberries!