Yield: 9″ flourless chocolate cake // Total Time: 1 hr. 10 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.
5 ingredients, 1 delicious and rich flourless chocolate cake
Flourless chocolate cake
Your journey searching for the best gluten free chocolate cake ends here. This chocolate cake features an amazing crackled outside and a rich, fudgy, chocolate-y inside. Plus, you only need five ingredients to make it – that’s right, FIVE!
Flourless chocolate cake recipe tips
Since you only need five ingredients to make this cake, the technique for them is super important.
Weigh your ingredients
Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient which can easily lead to the failure of a recipe. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
Very carefully separate the eggs
To make this cake, we separate the egg whites and the egg yolks. The egg whites get whipped up until they hit stiff peaks which creates the wonderful airy yet fudgy texture of this cake. Carefully separate the egg yolks and whites from each other while the eggs are still cold (it’s easier!) If there is any bit of egg yolk in the egg white, they will not whip up properly. I recommend cracking the eggs over a separate bowl before adding them into their respective bowls just to make sure the yolk has not broken first.
Slowly add in the sugar
It is important that the sugar has the time to dissolve before adding in more sugar. Add in the sugar 1 tbsp. at a time in 20 second intervals to ensure that the sugar is dissolving in the egg whites properly.
Make sure your bowl is *really* clean!
If egg whites sense any fat in their system, they will not whip up properly. Ensure that your bowl is completely clean and grease-free before whipping up the egg whites. A quick trick that I use is rubbing down the inside of the bowl with a little bit of vinegar or lemon juice before starting.
Ingredients and substitutions
Semi-sweet chocolate baking bar: provides all of the chocolate-y goodness to this flourless chocolate cake. I do not recommend using chocolate chips as they are made with additives to help them preserve their shape, whereas baking bars are made for melting. Feel free to use your favorite cocoa % here!
Unsalted butter: tenderizes the cake. I wouldn’t recommend using salted butter just because you can’t omit the added salt from the recipe since it helps whip up the egg whites!
Eggs: binds the batter together, gives the cake its crackl-y top, and whips up into the meringue to give this cake it’s amazing texture! Be sure to use standard large eggs.
Salt: helps stabilize the meringue and balance out the sweetness of the cake.
Granulated sugar: for sweetening the cake and for helping the egg whites foam up into a meringue
How to make flourless chocolate cake
1. Separate the eggs. Carefully separate the egg yolk and egg whites into two separate bowls. I recommend separating the eggs over a neutral third bowl prior to putting them in their respective bowls, just to be sure the egg yolk hasn’t broken and ruined the whole batch.
2. Melt the chocolate. In a microwave safe medium sized mixing bowl, or in a saucepan over medium heat, melt together the chocolate and butter and stir until the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Start the meringue. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, start beating together the egg whites and salt on low speed until the mixture begins to foam.
4. Slowly add in sugar. Once the mixture begins to foam, continue whisking and start adding in the sugar 1 tbsp. at a time, waiting about 20 seconds before adding the next tbsp. and so on, until all of the sugar has been used. Once all the sugar has been used up, continue to beat the mixture until stiff peaks have formed. Set aside.
5. Finish chocolate mixture. Beat the egg yolks into the melted chocolate mixture one at a time, until all of the yolks have been used.
6. Combine. Gently pour the melted chocolate mixture over the meringue. Use a rubber spatula to lightly fold the ingredients together. Continue to gently fold just until no streaks remain (if there are a few streaks remaining, that’s perfectly okay as well – some are stubborn!)
7. Bake. Gently pour the batter into a prepared 9″ cake pan. Bake at 325°F / 160°C for 40-50 minutes, until the edges are set and the center only slightly wobbles.
8. Serve and enjoy! Top the cake with whipped cream, fruit, extra chocolate – whatever your heart desires! Then, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Flourless chocolate cake Q & A
Why did my cake sink in the middle?
If your cake has sunken – do not worry, it wants to! The structure of the cake isn’t too strong since it is relying on egg whites and no flour, so it’s completely normal for it to sink.
How to store flourless chocolate cake
Like most baked goods, this cake will definitely be the most fresh and delicious on the day that it is baked. However, it will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days after baking. If you plan on keeping the cake, wait to garnish it until serving.
Why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!
A note on oven temperature
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
Tools and ingredients
Kitchen scale: the best thing that I ever purchased for recipe development and baking. Here is the one I currently use. It is a bit on the pricier side, but here is the one I used to use and is perfect for starting out!
For a full list of tools, equipment and ingredients that I use and love, you can check out this page here.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 226 g semi sweet chocolate baking bar (1 ¼ c.)
- 113 g unsalted butter (½ c.)
- 5 eggs separated
- ½ tsp. salt
- 200 g granulated sugar (1 c.)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 160°C. Butter a 9" pie pan or springform pan. Set aside.
- Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two separate bowls.
- In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, melt together the chocolate and butter until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool while making the meringue.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites and salt. Start whisking on low speed until the mixture begins to foam. Once the mixture begins foaming, start to add in the sugar.
- Increase the speed to medium. Add in the sugar 1 tbsp. at a time in 20 second intervals until you have used up all of the sugar. Continue whipping on medium speed until you have reached stiff peaks.
- To the melted chocolate mixture, add in the egg yolks one at a time, making sure that the first yolk is completely incorporated before adding the next one.
- Drizzle the chocolate mixture over the egg white mixture. Lightly fold the mixture together just until everything is combined, being careful to not knock out any of the air in the meringue.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the edges are set and the middle only slightly wobbles.
- Top with whipped cream, fruits, more chocolate – whatever your heart desires! Serve and enjoy!
Do you think it works with coconut oils instead of butter?