Last Updated: By Linnie 23 Comments
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Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe is a perfectly decadent, fudgy chocolate cake. This cake requires zero flour which makes it naturally gluten-free! Top it with a dairy-free chocolate ganache and this easy flourless cake is ready to impress.
(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegetarian)
Think chocolate. Delicious chocolate cake with an even more delicious, fudgy, creamy chocolate ganache, topped with a sweet and delicious strawberry.
The bomb diggity bomb, guys. Seriously.
What makes this the best flourless chocolate cake?
- It’s is100% flourless which means it is gluten-free!
- Easily switched out with dairy-free alternatives to make it dairy-free!
Awesomesauce, right? Fits into so many peoples diets.
This cake will be made at every single possible occasion from here on out.
Gluten-free individuals: We can be gluten-free and eat our cake, too! Best day of my life. If you are looking for a gluten-free chocolate cake recipe that mimics more traditional birthday cake we’ve got that too.
Ways to serve our flourless chocolate cake
- Top a decadent slice of this cake with a couple perfectly sweetened strawberries, raspberries
- OR scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or our no-churn honey ice cream recipe
This gluten-free flourless chocolate cake has super powers over me.
Make it for a special occasion to make sure you have something to share with that special someone. Best if you have multiple people to share this with.
Otherwise, you’ll find yourself with the whole pan, fork in hand, watching Big Bang Theory . . .
It happens.
How to make and bake this flourless chocolate cake
I think the biggest struggle for most people is the baking step.
- You want to build the foil around your springform pan like a fortress.place the foil down on the counter creating ‘X’. With two-four sheets (depending on the size of your foil). Place the springform pan onto the sheets and fold the edges around the pan. There should be at least 1-2 inches around the pan on both sides from a single sheet of foil.
- Baking it in the springform pan makes it much easier to get out of the pan without destroying the cake.
- However, if you are having troubles still with water leaking in you can bake in a cake pan but still in the water bath.
- I’m afraid it might be slightly harder to get out of the pan if you are not using a springform pan, but if you liberally grease the pan and wait for the cake to fully cool it should work if you just cut and serve straight out of the pan.
This Gourmet Gluten-Free Flourless Chocolate Cake will wow your guests.
Extra Fudgy.
Creamy Chocolate Ganache.
Decadent.
Irresistible.
Luscious.
Tempting.
Or, if you are making it just for yourself, I don’t blame you; I would (and have) too.
Top it with a fresh strawberry though; we need some fresh fruit in the mix to make it ultra-healthy. 😉
Baking Tips for this deliciousFlourless Chocolate Cake.
- It is best if made in a springform pan
- This was made with both varieties of my favorite gluten-free and dairy-free chocolate chips: Mini Variety or Dark Chocolate Chips
- This cake is extremely rich : You do not need a huge slice of it to be satisfied. Nutrition Facts are based on smaller portioned sizes for this reason.
The Best Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe
Dessert
Gluten-free, Dairy-Free, Low-sugar, Vegetarian
American
Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe is a decadent, fudgy gluten-free and dairy-free cake with refined sugar-free options. Top it with a dairy-free chocolate ganache and it's ready to impress.
Yield: 16
Prep Time:20 min
Cook Time:40 min
Total Time:60 min
Ingredients:
Flourless Chocolate Cake
- 1 1/2 cups dairy-free chocolate chips
- 5 oz of butter or dairy-free butter alternative ( approx 1 cup)
- 6 eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar or honey.
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Chocolate Ganache
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 4 Tablespoons butter or dairy-free butter
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened original almond milk
Directions:
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
- 2. Prepare a8 inch springform pan by lining the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Grease the sides of pan with a thin coat of butter. Wrap the outside of the pan with 2 sheets of aluminum foil and set into a pan larger than the springform pan. Bring a kettle to boil or ready a pot of boiling water.
- 3. In a large mixing bowl, add 6 eggs and sugar. Whisk or using a Mixer, beat eggs at high speed until they double in size. (Be patient, if you doing this by hand it might take at least 7 minutes).
- 4. In a microwave safe bowl add chocolate chips and butter. Microwave on high, every 30-seconds stirring in between until they are melted.
- 5. Fold melted chocolate into eggs.
- 6. Add vanilla extract, 1/2 of the cocoa powder, and salt.
- 7. Continue to fold until mostly combined, add remaining cocoa powder.
- 8. Be careful to not overmix the batter and allow it to lose its volume.
- 9. Pour cake mix into springform pan.
- 10. Place large pan and springform pan into oven. Carefully pour in enough boiling water to come at least halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
- 11. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cake forms a thin crust. Cake should be firm in the middle when done and almost resemble the crust of a brownie. Pull cake out and allow to cool to room temperature before removing the springform sides.
- 12. Meanwhile while the cake is cooling you can make the chocolate ganache. Melt the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl stirring every 30 seconds until chocolate and butter are melted. Stir in almond milk.
To frost with the ganache:
- 1. Carefully remove the sides of the springform pan, flipping the cake upside side to carefully peel off the parchment paper. Place cake onto serving platter. Spoon warm chocolate ganache over cake.
Author: Linnie
Nutrition Information:
Serving size: 1/16th slice
Calories: 292
Other nutrition information: Total Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol 69mg, Sodium: 127mg, Total Carb: 25g, Dietary Fiber: 3g, Sugars: 20g, Protein: 3g
Recipe, images, and text © Veggie Balance
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(64 votes, average: 3.72 out of 5)
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It saysOH MY GOSH. This looks like pure bliss…I’m definitely attempting to make this for my next special occasion! 🙂 You’re a genius, Lindsay!!!
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- Lindsay says
Awww Thanks Marina for your kind words.<3
I am soooo excited to make it again this weekend. 🙂
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- Jenni says
Wow! This looks sooo amazing!!!
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- Lindsay says
Thanks Jenni! 🙂
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- Rebecca says
I made this, it looked exactly like yours! I have a few questions. How do you prevent water from getting into the springform pan? That’s what happened to mine and the spongy cake sopped it up. Putting it the fridge helped it dry out after a day or two. (I just ate the first inch & left off the bottom couple of centimeters.) Also, before I had to be dairy & gluten free, my specialty was making truffles. I wanted the top to look smooth & pourable like a true ganache, but mine turned out just like yours, spreadable & not visually perfectly smooth. Know what I mean? It still tasted smooth though! I’m just wondering if you know what causes the microscopic “lumps” in the df ganache? Could it be the soy milk? I guess I’m being a visual perfectionist, missing the old days of perfect looking traditional desserts. Let me also say that I mean these questions out of curiosity from one expert to a student. The only suggestion is that I would have added a bit more sugar. It was still rich, but a bit on the bitter side for me. But still, my family and I ate it & enjoyed!! Thank you for this recipe! It met my needs & cravings!!
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- Lindsay says
Hi Rebecca! So glad you enjoyed it, it’s a huggggggge favorite of mine personally. 🙂
As far as water getting into the springform pan. Wrap that baby with aluminum foil and don’t be stingy with the foil. 😉 I should make a video to explain, but the best way I can explain it is making sure when you are wrapping the foil, place the foil down on the counter creating ‘X’ or * with two-four sheets (depending on the size of your foil). Place the springform pan onto the sheets and fold the edges around the pan. There should be at least 1-2 inches around the pan on both sides from a single sheet of foil. (Hope that makes sense)
I’ve found this way has been my ticket to avoid water getting into the pan. ALSO – make sure you are pouring the water verrrrry carefully into the second pan as I’ve accidentally poured right INTO the aluminum foil seal before. #FAIL
As far as the ganache I TOTALLY agree. I think it’s definitely the dairy-free substitutions that cause this difference. I find the almost same thing happens with frosting when making it dairy-free vs. dairy version.
Again, so glad you enjoyed it and thanks for stopping by! 🙂
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- Bonnie says
I was just reading your complaints about the lack of smoothness to the ganache, and I’d like to suggest an alternate ingredient. Rather than the butter and almond milk, you can try coconut milk. This is the dairy free method I have been using, and it turns out smooth and shiny.
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- cassie says
I went ahead and made this paleo and it turned out wonderfully! I subbed primal chocolate for the chocolate you used, coconut butter (not coconut oil they’re different for anyone wondering) and raw honey (though I assume maple sugar would work fine as long as you’re getting it from a reliable source) I also used raw cacao powder and paleo vanilla extract. This was amazing!!!! sometimes its’ really hard for us restrictive diet people to hold to our healthy eating when we’re missing out on little treats! this definitely made a world of difference but as you said it is VERY rich! Thank you for the wonderful recipe. This will be used a lot.
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- Lindsay says
Awesome Cassie! So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back and letting us know how it turned out! 🙂
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- Hannah says
Wow this is an awesome recipe. Just made it for my husband’s family as we celebrate his birthday! Do you recommend refrigerating leftovers? Is it best served cold or warm? Thank you!
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- Lindsay says
So glad you enjoyed it! We love it too! I have refrigerated and not refrigerated this recipe. The the amount of eggs in it I was a little leery leaving it out lol but have ate it without it being refrigerated and it was perfectly fine. I personally love serving it warm or taking the leftovers and microwaving them. My husband on the other hand likes it cold or room temp, so I think it’s personal preference. 🙂
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- Sarah Carpenter says
Do you absolutely NEED the water around it? I have to make this today and I’m all out of foil.
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- Lindsay says
Cooking it in the water bath helps the cake from baking and also helps retain even more moisture it in. I’ve personally never cooked it without the water bath before but would be curious if anyone else tried it without it and how it turned out.We all know those times too well when you are out of foil (happens to me all the time).
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- Bonnie Brunner says
Made this cake for my mother who is gluten and lactose intolerant. I used coconut milk in place of the almond milk. This cake was a hit!!! Everyone loved it!!! I’m now asked to make it regularly!! Thanks for the great recipe.
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- Lindsay says
So glad you enjoyed it! It is a favorite of my families as well. 🙂
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- Angie says
I have tried this recipe THREE times and every time I get water into the cake. Which is both disappointing and expensive. This time I used 1/2 a roll of foil to put on 3 layers of criss crossed foil like you said above.
Would it work to put the water in separate containers next to the cake? When I make cheese cake I just use a separate pan in the oven.
I really want this cake to work but I can’t keep having this happen!
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- Lindsay says
Oh man! So disappointing! I’ll be honest that this totally happened to me the first time I made this type of recipe, but then I began building the foil around like a fortress. Couple ideas, perhaps your springform pan seal is slightly loose compared to mine. Have you thought about trying to make this in a normal cake pan? Still do the water bath around the normal cake pan but I think it would work. I’m afraid it might be slightly harder to get out of the pan, but if you liberally grease the pan and wait for the cake to fully cool it should work. It’s totally worth a try to make it in with separate containers like when you make cheese cake, I’ve just personally never tried it this way. Hope this helps! I hope we can get it to work for you too! 🙂
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- Rita says
Can ghee be used in lieu of butter? Has anyone tried it?
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- Lindsay says
I personally haven’t tried this but ghee and butter have similar properties so I definitely think it might work just fine.
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- Joanne says
I plan to make this cake today for a gluten and lactose free friend. I plan to use foil and crock pot liners to keep the batter water free. I will use the foil for its insulating factor. Then I will place the foil-lined cake pan into the slow cooker plastic bag used in crock pots to reduce cleanup in the crock pot. Roll the edges of the bag down to keep the bag open at the top to let the cake so the batter does not steam instead of bake. Good luck to everyone!
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- Lindsay says
I love your idea with the slow cooker lining! I’ve somehow mastered it with foil but the first couple times when I had problems with the water this would be been a GREAT idea. Thank you for sharing and hope you enjoy it! 🙂
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- Joy says
I’ve been wanting to try a flourless chocolate cake, and this looks like the one to go with! Just a note- on your recipe list of ingredients, one of the ingredients is “1 Tablespoon”….but it doesn’t say of what. I figured out from reading the rest of the recipe that it must be “vanilla”, but it wouldn’t hurt to add that in. 🙂 Also, is your sea salt chunkier or is it fine? I will be using regular table salt, so I need to know how to sub- measure for measure or not. Thanks for sharing the chocolate deliciousness- so excited to try this!
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- Lindsay says
Thank you for the notice for edit needed! We have experienced some ‘growing pains’ when migrating our site to a new layout. The 1 Tablespoon is for vanilla extract.
I personally love the chunkier sea salt myself. So if using normal table sea salt I’d probably go for 1/2 teaspoon range. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
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