This flourless chocolate cake needs just four ingredients to make and yields a perfectly light and rich dessert that melts in your mouth!
Out of flour but want some cake? This flourless chocolate cake recipe is your answer! It’s ultra rich, fudgy, and decadent in the best ways possible.
Often called a flourless chocolate torte, we’ve been making it for years, and I can’t believe it’s taken so long for me to share it with you all. Whether you follow a diet that doesn’t include white flour or you simply don’t have flour on hand, this is the cake recipe that you need on hand.
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
- Just 4 ingredients. All you need are pantry staples like eggs and butter, and let’s not forget the signature ingredient: chocolate!
- Naturally gluten-free. This is one of those ‘accidentally’ gluten-free desserts. Because there isn’t any flour or grains in this cake, it’s also grain-free, too!
- It bakes in 35 minutes. We make this cake very often because it’s just so fast to make. There’s been MANY times we’ve forgotten a birthday or special holiday which needed a cake to be whipped up in pretty much no time at all.
- It’s so easy! There are no layers to coordinate, you don’t need special cake tools, and the decoration is almost non-existant!
Looking for more flourless chocolate desserts? Try flourless brownies or flourless muffins!
Ingredients needed
- Eggs. Room temperature eggs are best, especially as the yolks and the whites will be separated.
- Superfine sugar. Also known as caster sugar (Uk/Australia folks!). If you don’t have this on hand, standard white sugar will also work.
Make your own superfine sugar
Using superfine sugar will yield a lighter cake than standard sugar. You can make it yourself by blending down white sugar. Avoid over-blending or else you will be left with powdered/confectioners sugar.
- Chocolate. I like using semi-sweet or dark chocolate for this cake as I find the addition of sugar adds plenty of sweetness, but use whichever chocolate you prefer.
- Butter. Unsalted and softened to room temperature.
Dietary swap
If you can’t tolerate dairy, you can easily make this cake dairy free by using a plant based butter and swapping out the chocolate for dairy free chocolate or chocolate chips.
How to make a flourless chocolate cake
Melt the chocolate and butter. Combine the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it in 30-second intervals until melted. Let it cool slightly.
Beat the whites. Add the egg whites to a bowl, and using a hand mixer beat together with the sugar until stiff peaks form.
Make the cake batter. Add the yolks to the melted chocolate mixture until combined. Slowly fold through the egg whites until fully incorporated.
Bake the cake. Transfer the cake batter into a greased 9-inch cake pan and bake at 180C/350F for 35 minutes.
Let the cake cool completely, before slicing and serving.
Recipe tips and tricks
Gradually add sugar to the egg whites. If you add the sugar slowly into the egg whites while they are being whipped, you’ll find that achieving stiff peaks is much easier.
Let the chocolate mixture cool slightly. Never add eggs or egg yolks to the freshly melted chocolate, or else you’ll end up cooking them! To combat this, let your butter/chocolate mix for around 5-7 minutes before adding in the yolks. Use the time it’s cooling to beat the egg whites!
Dust with cocoa powder. Now, this cake is sans frosting on purpose- it’s delicious enough as it is. However, to bring out the sweetness even more, lightly dust some cocoa powder on top. Yes, cocoa powder on its own is bitter, but a mouthful of this cake with a touch of cocoa powder on top is *chef’s kiss*.
Avoid over-baking. Because this cake needs to be cooled completely before slicing, it naturally will continue to bake as it cools down. Remove the cake from the oven when a slight crust forms on top OR when it reaches an internal temperature of 200F.
Add a glaze. Adding a thin glaze over the top takes it to another level!
Storage instructions
To store: While this cake keeps very well at room temperature, I prefer keeping it stored in the refrigerator, and it gets a deeper and richer flavor. It will keep at room temperature for up to five days or refrigerated for up to two weeks.
To freeze: Place slices of the cooled cake in a shallow container and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More flourless desserts to try
- Flourless Mug cake
- Flourless Chocolate cookies
- Brownie cookies
- No flour cookies
- Chocolate pudding pie
- Orange cake
Frequently Asked Questions
Not necessarily! While flourless typically means it does not contain white or wheat flour in it, there are often other ingredients in it that may not be suitable for celiacs or those who are gluten-free. Always double check the other ingredients to make sure.
Unfortunately, this is not the dessert to make if you have an egg allergy or do not consume eggs. Because both the whites and yolks have different purposes, an egg substitute won’t work for this. Try a vegan chocolate cake instead.
No, a flourless cake does not necessarily have fewer carbs than a traditional cake. Most typically still use chocolate and sugar in them. If you’d like a lower carb dessert, try a low carb flourless chocolate cake.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 8 oz chocolate chopped
- 1/3 cup butter room temperature
- 6 large eggs separated
- 1/2 cup superfine sugar *
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line and grease a 9-inch cake pan and set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl or stovetop, add the chocolate and butter and melt together. Let it cool slightly.
- While the chocolate is cooling, add the egg whites to a mixing bowl and beat on low speed. Slowly add the sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Add the egg yolks to the chocolate mix until combined.
- Gently fold through the whipped egg whites until fully incorporated.
- Transfer the cake batter to the greased cake pan. Smooth out the top using a rubber spatula.
- Bake the cake for 35 minutes, or until a thin crust forms on top or the cake reaches an internal temperature of 200F.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
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My apologies but I accidentally hit the star ratings twice, while I was trying to see if there was a comment. I have not made this recipe yet. I hit four star and five star. Don’t know if you can reverse it or not or if it even matters but just wanted to let you know. I will try the recipe though, it does sound good.
How can I use maple syrup or honey instead of sweetner
Not sure- only tried it with the granulated kind. Feel free to experiment and see.
I love the simplicity of this recipe, which sounds delicious! I wonder what are my chances for success if I used a sweetener instead of sugar? I have a fine allulose, Bocha Sweet, erythritol, and other blends (pretty much a complete keto selection). I know that you have a keto chocolate cake recipe on your site, but I would like to adapt this one if you think it might work.
I’d hate to waste ingredients, so appreciate your advice….thanks!
Allulose would be best!
This was such an excellent recipe! I tried a “healthier” cake once and it didn’t go so well. This was a welcome success! I used zero sugar chocolate chips and monkfruit sweetener and it came out absolutely devine…I ended up making two! Thank you!
I need to make this in a Bundt cake shape. Could I double check he recipe for 12 inch Bundt??
I haven’t tried but you’ll need to experiment and see
You are genius, thank you so!
simply loved them
Delicious! I can’t believe this had no baking powder or soda. The whipped egg whites do a great job of making this cake nice and light. I added cocoa powder into this for a chocolatey touch.
Could you use sugar substitute to make keto?
Allulose should work!
Looks delish, I’m dying to try. I’m wondering if I could reduce the amount of butter or replace it with something with less fat content?
I haven’t tried, but you are welcome to experiment and see 🙂
Hi
Do you think would work with Land O Lakes light butter and powdered Stevia
Looks super yummy
I haven’t tried, but I’d be wary- light butter has added moisture which could affect the texture.
Great, thanks
this cake is lush it is so soft and the choclate is so goowy