Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe

Name: Flourless Chocolate Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 225 min
Ingredients: 1 cup chocolate chips1; ½ cup unsalted butter; ½ cup granulated sugar; ½ cup light brown sugar2; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; ¼ cup hot coffee3; 4 large eggs4 (room temperature); ½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder5; 1 batch Chocolate Ganache Recipe (optional); raspberries (optional); powdered sugar (optional)

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This Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe only requires ingredients you likely already have in your pantry and refrigerator! And it’s sure to impress any chocolate lover with its fudge-like texture that’s rich with flavor!

Did I mention it’s naturally gluten-free too! And you can top it with Chocolate Ganache, Raspberry Filling, powdered sugar, ice cream, or fresh fruit!

Close up photo of a slice of flourless chocolate cake topped with ganache and fresh raspberries being lifted with a serving spatula from the rest of the cake.

I love this Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe because of how simple it is to make and how ridiculously delicious it is! Even though this is a dessert you often find at fancy restaurants, it doesn’t require any special skills, equipment, or ingredients! And it takes less than 1 hour to make start to finish!

Close up photo of a chocolate cake topped with ganache and raspberries on a white cake stand.

What Is It Made Of?

Chocolate – You can’t have a chocolate cake without chocolate! In this case, I chose to use chocolate chips and for the best flavor, I used a blend of milk and dark chocolate. Use high-quality chocolate for the best results. I like Ghirardelli, Godiva, and Guittard.

Butter – Make sure to use unsalted butter in this recipe, this gives you full control over the amount of salt within the recipe. It’s also important to make sure the butter is completely melted.

Melted butter loses the ability to cream and hold air when beaten, this is part of how we achieve that delicious fudge-like texture in the flourless chocolate cake.

Sugar – In this recipe, you’ll find both granulated sugar and light brown sugar. These are to add sweetness and flavor to the recipe. You could also use dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor.

Vanilla – Another flavor factor in this cake, you can use extract or paste.

Eggs – You might think that chocolate is the backbone of this recipe, but you’d be wrong. It’s the eggs. I tested this recipe with 3 eggs, 4 eggs, egg yolks, and a couple of other combos.

4 large eggs are definitely the way to go. Eggs add moisture, fat, and help replace the flour by acting as an emulsifier in the recipe and solidifying a fudgy, smooth texture.

Coffee – I tested this recipe with espresso powder and hot water and hot coffee and the coffee route had a much better flavor. And it also results in a simpler recipe since most don’t have espresso powder in the pantries. Coffee helps intensify the chocolate flavor, but the cake will not taste like coffee.

Cocoa Powder – Another layer of chocolate never hurt anyone, amirite? I used Dutch-process cocoa powder in this recipe, but unsweetened cocoa powder may also be used if that’s what you have on hand.

Salt –It’s actually a really important ingredient in baked goods. It helps highlight the flavor and offset the sweetness for a more palatable bite.

Overhead photo of the ingredients for flourless chocolate cake on a white table.

How To Make It

I tested this recipe for three weeks and can tell you that even the smallest changes to the recipe make a big difference. So follow the recipe to a T for best results!

Step 1: Begin by melting the chocolate and butter separately. Then add it to a large mixing bowl with the sugars, vanilla, and salt.

Step 2: Mix in the eggs one at a time. Beat each one until no yolk is visible before adding the next.

Step 3: Beat in the cocoa powder at medium speed just until combined.

Step 4: Add to a greased and parchment-lined cake pan and bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F until done.

step by step photo collage showing how to make a flourless chocolate cake.

Expert Tips

I like to use a mix of half milk chocolate and half dark chocolate chips for a deeper flavor. However, any combination of chocolate chips may be used.
Dark brown sugar may be used instead of light for a deeper molasses flavor.
If you do not have coffee or prefer not to use it in your recipes, you can use hot water instead. The flavor will change slightly but it will still be delicious.
Make sure to pull your eggs out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you being mixing the batter. Room temperature eggs will mix better and give the cake more lift which is important since this cake doesn’t contain flour or leavening agents.
Regular cocoa powder can be used but I thought the test cakes with Dutch-process turned out better flavor-wise.
Make sure to use a 9-inch round cake pan. I tested the recipe in an 8-inch cake pan and it came very close to the top when baking and it could spill over. A springform pan may also be used.
The cake is done when it has very little wiggle when moved and a toothpick comes *almost* clean from the center. If it comes clean, pull it out, as it is overcooked.
The cake will have some cracking on the top, this is perfectly normal.
The cake will sink after being out of the oven for a few minutes, this is expected.
Once refrigerated, the cake will harden. If you do need to chill it, remove it 2 to 3 hours before serving so that it may soften a bit.

Close up photo of a flourless chocolate cake on a white cake stand.

Frequently Asked Questions

This isn’t a cake that people regularly make at home (but it should be) and therefore you might have some questions that I want to answer to set you up for success when baking this cake!

Why Did My Cake Sink?

Again, you should expect your cake to sink after being removed from the oven. And once it does, any cracks will look very minor!

How Many Calories Does It Have?

The whole cake without toppings has a little less than 3000 calories. When sliced into 12 slices, which is plenty based on the richness of the cake, each slice has just under 250 calories each.

Adding chocolate ganache will add an additional 2000 calories to the whole cake. Approximately 170 additional calories per slice.

Why Did My Cake Crack?

It’s normal for a flourless chocolate torte to crack. There are some recipes that call for straining the batter before adding it to the pan to get rid of the bubbles. But honestly, who has time for that?

A few things you can do to reduce cracking is to use a whisk instead of a hand mixer or stand mixer. You can also tap out some of the bubbles in the batter by gently tapping the pan on the counter before placing in the oven.

Cracks are easily covered by Ganache or Whipped Cream if you choose to use it!

You can see that my cake had fairly large cracks in it straight out of the oven in the image below.

Is It Gluten-Free?

Yes, it’s naturally gluten-free! No need for special flours or other ingredients, it simply doesn’t need flour to complete the recipe!

Is It Vegan?

No, it’s not, since it contains butter and eggs. However, my Wacky Chocolate Cake is naturally vegan and very easy to make!

Close up photo of a flourless chocolate cake in the pan.

Shelf Life:

Room Temperature: 2 days
Refrigerator: 4 days (see recipe card notes)
Freezer: 4 months

How to Freeze:

Bake the cake according to the directions and allow it to cool completely. Wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and place it in a 2-gallon freezer bag.

When you’re ready to thaw, unwrap the cake and leave at room temperature. Add toppings once thawed.

Slice of chocolate cake topped with raspberries on a white plate.

More Chocolate Recipes

Flourless Chocolate Cake

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If you’ve tried this recipe please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review, I love hearing from you! And don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos!