This Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe is the ultimate chocolate lovers dessert and only requires 5 ingredients! It’s dense, rich, packed with chocolate flavor, with a crunchy, sweet meringue top.
If you love chocolate cake but are craving something more classic, make sure to try my Perfect Chocolate Cake Recipe! It’s the best!
Table of Contents
- Flourless Chocolate Cake Is A Chocolate Lovers Dream!
- Can You Really Make Chocolate Cake Without Flour?
- What Do You Need To Make Flourless Chocolate Cake?
- Why Do The Eggs Need To Be At Room Temperature?
- Is the Top Supposed To Be Crackly?
- Can This Cake Be Made Ahead?
- How Do You Cut The Perfect Slice?
- Get the Recipe
Flourless Chocolate Cake Is A Chocolate Lovers Dream!
Calling all chocoholics! This is a recipe for you. Rich, intense, delicious flourless chocolate cake is a dream come true for anyone with a chocolate craving!
Not only does this easy chocolate cake recipe taste incredible, it’s a pretty gorgeous dessert in that rustic way. The crackly top is my favorite part…almost like a meringue with the crunch, and the filling is soft, fudgy, and rich. Plus there are only 5 ingredients in this cake, so the chocolate is really the star of the show.
Can You Really Make Chocolate Cake Without Flour?
Yes! This cake is naturally gluten free…as long as you double check your vanilla extract and chocolate. Sometimes gluten is hiding in places you would never know! But yes! This is an unintentional gluten free recipe.
What Do You Need To Make Flourless Chocolate Cake?
Only 5 simple ingredients! And it’s likely you have all 5 in your kitchen right now. Here’s what you will need:
- Chocolate. Obviously this is the most important ingredient, so choose your chocolate wisely. If the chocolate doesn’t taste good on its own, it’s not going to taste good in the cake. So use a nice quality chocolate here. You will need 12 ounces of semi-sweet, and I like to use chopped chocolate best, but that’s a personal preference. I buy the large pound bars from Trader Joe’s. I find it to be a very nice quality chocolate for a minimal price. You can even use chocolate chips if that’s what you prefer.
- Eggs. You will need 5 large eggs for this recipe and it is important that they are room temperature. I will explain more on that below. You will be separating the egg yolks from the whites and whipping the whites up!
- Vanilla Extract. This is actually an optional ingredient, as the chocolate flavor is so strong, but I really like the way it rounds out the flavor.
- Butter. I recommend using salted butter in this recipe, as there is no additional salt added. The bit of salt in the butter enhances the chocolate flavor in my opinion.
- Cream of Tartar. This is necessary in whipping egg whites aiding in allowing them to reach their full volume. The acidity in cream of tartar holds in water and air, keeping them stable.
Why Do The Eggs Need To Be At Room Temperature?
So like I stated above (and in the recipe below) you will need to separate the eggs in this recipe, incorporating the whipped egg whites last. BUT you will want to whip the egg whites at room temperature. Room temperature egg whites become a little looser (more runny) at room temperature, which allows more air to be whipped in, creating more volume. This is important in this recipe to achieve the crunchy, meringue-like top.
PRO TIP: Separate the eggs while they are still cold!
The reason I recommend separating them cold and THEN allowing them to come up to room temperature is because egg yolks will break easier when they are warmer, and you don’t want any yolk in your egg whites when whipping them up. So instead of allowing the eggs to come to room temp THEN separating them, I do that step first! It’s all about making success easier!
So what I do is pull the eggs out of the fridge, separate them, and then let them sit for about 15 minutes before whipping the whites.
Is the Top Supposed To Be Crackly?
Yep! Like I talked about with the egg whites, the top of this cake is a lot like a crunchy, sweet meringue. It will puff up when it’s baked, but will settle, creating cracks and pockets of air. I love this part of the cake, and really feel like it’s what sets my flourless chocolate cake apart from others.
What If You Don’t WANT A Crackly Top?
If you are a perfectionist and prefer a smoother, less cracked top, you can make that happen with this recipe! All you will need to do is bake the cake in a water bath. This means, line the outside of the bottom of the pan with foil to prevent leaks, and fill a baking dish up about 1/2- inch with hot water. Place the springform pan in the hot water and bake according to the recipe directions. The steam will help prevent the cracking, creating a softer top. This will be great if you plan on frosting the cake. Try my:
Can This Cake Be Made Ahead?
Yes, this cake can be made ahead. I actually like to make this cake the night before I plan on serving it so the chocolate flavor has time to intensify.
I don’t recommend freezing this cake, however, as the meringue topping will lose its crunch.
How Do You Cut The Perfect Slice?
Let’s be real for a second, the first slice isn’t going to be the prettiest. It never is,just roll with it!! But to achieve the best slice of this cake, I recommend using a hot knife. The warmth of the knife glides through the chocolate easier creating smoother slices. Here’s what you do:
- Run your knife under hot water.
- Wipe off the moisture with a paper towel.
- Slice and pull the knife out horizontally.
- Wipe the knife off of any excess chocolate, and run it under the hot water again.
- Repeat!
Looking For More Chocolate Recipes? Try These:
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Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: serves 10 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
Flourless Chocolate Cake is dense, fudgy, and super easy to make with only 5 ingredients! The ultimate Valentine’s dessert!
Ingredients
- 12– ounces semi- sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup salted butter
- 5 eggs separated, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9- inch springform pan with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a heat-safe bowl set on top of a sauce pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter together until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a large bowl and the whites into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
- Using a hand mixer, beat the egg yolks in the large bowl until the are a pale yellow color and thickened, 3-4 minutes. Slowly add in the melted chocolate and mix until combined. Set aside.
- Add in cream of tartar into the bowl of your stand mixer with the egg whites. Beat the whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Add in the granulated sugar a little bit at a time with the mixer still on medium high speed. Once all the granulated sugar is added, continue mixing egg whites until thick, glossy, and stiff peaks form.
- Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan on a larger baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs. Be careful not to over-bake. Cake will puff up and get crackly.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan placed on a wire rack.
- When the cake is completely cooled loosen the cake from the sides using a butter knife. Remove the sides of the springform pan.
- Dust with powdered sugar or top with whipped cream and raspberries if desired.
Notes
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
PRO TIP: I recommend separating the eggs while cold and then allowing them to come up to room temperature after. They are easier to separate cold, as the yolk is less likely to break.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 211
- Sugar: 11.7 g
- Sodium: 37.5 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.1 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
- Cholesterol: 129.6 mg
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Thi is one of THE yummiest flourless cakes out there. I made it for my sons Birthday and it was such a hit I was persuaded to make it again the next day!
Hello! Do you think I could sub milk chocolate? Or would the cake be too sweet? Thanks!
I have made this cake numerous times and it always comes out delicious! The only thing that I cannot figure out what to do is how to get it off of the bottom part of the spring pan without it falling apart. Any suggestions?
Can you make this lactose free by using a butter supplement?
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work, but I have never tested it. If you try it, let us know how it is!
These are the best flourless chocolate cakes I and my family have ever tasted. We made our recipe into cupcakes and shared with friends. My daughter said they had the texture of European baked treats. Absolutely amazing!!! Thank you for the recipe!
Shelly, will putting the springform pan on a baking sheet affect the texture or bake of the cake as opposed to putting the springform pan directly on the oven rack? Thanks! Hope you are safe and well!
Nope, it should be fine!
Hi! How much vanilla do you put when you use it? 1 tsp?
I would use 1 teapsoon!
such a fantastic article. loved this recipe
I made this for Valentine’s Day and in my eagerness I did not let the melted chocolate mixture cool down enough before I added it to the egg yolks and it got very thick and chunky. Not being a quitter, I went ahead and mixed the rest together and hoped it would all bake up just fine, and it did! Tasted delicious with vanilla ice cream. Lesson learned!! I will make it again and let that chocolate cool!
Oh no! But so glad it worked out!!