This decadent chocolate dessert is a flourless chocolate cake made with butter, rich chocolate, and cocoa powder. Espresso powder and hot coffee make this single layer chocolate cake extra fudgy.
The Best Chocolate Flourless Cake Recipe. Seriously.
If there’s one thing in this world I know a thing or two about, it’s the chocolate cake.
The holy grail of all cakes.
The cake that beats all other cakes by an actual landslide.
We all know the absolute chokehold cheesecake has on my heart, and how it might actually be the perfect dessert.
But when it comes to cake? Hands down, nothing compares to chocolate. Absolutely nothing.
And this flourless chocolate cake is one of my favorite versions of a classic chocolate cake, because it’s rich and fudgy while also managing to have a tender crumb texture (despite not having any flour or baking powder/soda in it).
It’s a very unique chocolate cake because it is slightly dense and very decadent, but the order in which we add the ingredients helps yield a nice, soft texture. One bite and I’m confident you’ll be seeing true love.
Three Reasons I Love This Chocolate Cake:
- Flourless: This is a flourless chocolate cake, which means it’s incredibly rich and fudgy. The lack of flour yields a very fudge-like texture, making it a cross between a cake and a brownie.
- Coffee: It’s no secret coffee is my life’s blood, but it’s also an imperative ingredient to chocolate cake. Why? Because coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate.
- Whipped Cream and Berries: When I say this is a rich chocolate cake, I’m not exaggerating. It’s rich and dense and the soft whipped cream and fresh berries add a creamy element that takes this chocolate cake from a 10/10 to a 12/10.
If you love chocolate cake, you’re going to flip over this Mocha Flourless Cake, this Chocolate Fudge Cake, and these Cookies and Cream Cupcakes.
Chocolate Flourless Cake Ingredients:
This is a really easy chocolate cake recipe because it’s made with ingredients you most likely have on hand in your pantry.
- Unsalted butter: I typically always use unsalted butter in baking because I control the salt content.
- Semi-sweet chocolate: You can use chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.
- Sugar
- Dark Cocoa Powder (Dutch Processed): We’re using dark chocolate cocoa powder in this fudge cake because it adds an intensity that unsweetened cocoa powder lacks.
- Vanilla Extract
- Espresso Powder: This is an optional ingredient; however, espresso enhances the flavor of chocolate without adding an intense coffee flavor.
- Brewed Coffee: You can substitute with milk or water.
- Salt
- Eggs: The eggs are a key ingredient because that’s where this cake gets its volume and fluffy texture.
- Heavy Whipping Cream + Powdered Sugar: All you need to make homemade whipped cream.
- Fresh Berries: Use strawberries, raspberries, or any kind of fresh berry you have on hand to serve with the chocolate cake.
How To Make This Chocolate Cake Without Flour:
This is a one bowl chocolate cake recipe made with very simple ingredients. This is a brief overview with a printable recipe card down below.
Melt: In a microwave safe bowl, melt semi-sweet chocolate and butter together. Once melted, add in the sugar, salt, and espresso powder. Whisk until well combined.
Liquid: Add in the vanilla extract and coffee and whisk until combined.
Eggs: Next, add in the eggs and whisk until well combined.
Cocoa Powder: Sift in the cocoa powder (sometimes cocoa powder can be clumpy so sifting helps it mix into the chocolate cake batter more easily). Mix until combined.
Pan: Pour into a greased 8” or 9” circular pan (I prefer to use a springform pan) and spread into an even layer. *The chocolate cake batter will be thick.*
Bake: Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Topping: Once the cake has cooled, remove from the pan. With a hand mixer or a standing mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla extract and whisk until stiff peaks form.
Serve: Before serving, top with whipped cream and fresh berries.
How To Store This Chocolate Cake Recipe:
- Room Temperature: You can make this chocolate cake a day ahead of time. Let it cool to room temperature and then wrap with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. Top with the whipped cream and berries right before serving.
- Fridge: Alternatively, you can top with whipped cream and berries and store the cake in the fridge.
- Tip: It’s really important to note that because this is a flourless chocolate cake, it will get really, really dense when it’s refrigerated. It will get soft as it comes back to room temperature, but once the whipped cream is on the cake, it has to be refrigerated.
Is A Flourless Chocolate Cake Gluten Free?
As long as all of the other ingredients you use are made without gluten, then yes, chocolate flourless cake is gluten free, which makes it a really simple dessert to make for a party or family gathering where there might be some allergies present.
My niece is gluten free and she loves this chocolate cake!
Substitutions:
Missing an ingredient or want to change it up a bit? Here are some easy ingredient swaps you can make for this recipe for chocolate cake:
- Liquid: Don’t have coffee or prefer not to use it? Use milk or water.
- Chocolate: You can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate in place of semi-sweet chocolate.
- Cocoa Powder: I’m very partial to dark cocoa powder (and Hershey’s brand in particular), but you can use unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Toppings: I love a homemade whipped cream, but you can top with powdered sugar, chocolate ganache, or a homemade buttercream frosting. (Strawberry buttercream would be amazing! Here are also my favorite recipes for chocolate frosting and vanilla buttercream.)
Final Tips and Tricks:
- Cake Pan: I like to use a springform pan, but you can use any 8” or 9” circular pan.
- Texture: Want the cake to remain soft and fluffy? Keep it at room temperature. Right before serving, top with whipped cream and berries. Want a dense cake? Refrigerate it.
- Single Layer: This is a one bowl recipe that makes a single layer chocolate cake. It’s such a rich chocolate cake that you only need one layer. However, you can double the recipe and divide the batter between two cake pans for a double layer cake.
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp espresso powder (optional, but it really adds flavor to the cake)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp brewed coffee, room temp; milk could be substituted (or water)
- 4 eggs, large
- 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (I prefer Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- Fresh strawberries and raspberries
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease an 8” or 9” cake pan, or 8” or 9” springform pan. (I also line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.) Set aside.
- Melt the unsalted butter and semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring after each hit in the microwave.
- Once the butter and chocolate has melted, stir in the sugar, salt, and espresso powder. Mix until combined.
- Next, add in vanilla extract and brewed coffee. Mix until combined.
- Add the eggs and whisk until combined.
- Finally, add in the cocoa powder, and whisk until well combined. The chocolate cake batter will be thick.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Gently smooth until it’s in an even layer.
- Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before loosening the edges of the cake and removing it from the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely before topping with whipped cream.*
- With a standing mixer (using the whisk attachment) or hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add in vanilla extract and powdered sugar, and whip until the consistency of whipped cream. Spread on top of the cake and top with fresh berries.
- Once the cake has been topped with whipped cream, any leftovers should be stored in the fridge.
*This cake can be served warm, if desired. If serving warm, individually top each slice with whipped cream and berries.
**You can make this cake a day ahead of time. I suggest keeping the cake at room temperature (storing in an airtight container) and topping with whipped cream and berries before serving. However, you can store in the fridge. The cake will be dense until it comes back to room temperature.
***Once the cake has been topped with whipped cream, it does need to be refrigerated.
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