Fudgey and decadent, this is my (extremely) easy flourless chocolate cake made using almond flour. No beating egg whites – I find it works better to use a touch of baking powder instead. The surface of the cake stays level rather than rising then collapsing into a crater, and the inside has a tender crumb instead of being dense. And the added bonus is that it’s ridiculously fast to make!
Flourless Chocolate Cake
This recipe is how I make flourless chocolate cake which is not the usual way but I think it yields better results with the bonus that it’s easier to make. That’s a double win in my books!
Usually, flourless chocolate cake is made by beating egg whites then folding it through the batter to make it rise. However, I almost always found that the cake would rise while baking, but then collapse into a crater while cooling. Or, if it didn’t collapse while cooling, I would tip toe around it with fear that the slightest floor vibration would make it collapse, and scold Dozer if he dared to trot through the house with his heavy footed paws.
Even if it held up while cooling, with the first cut, it would definitely collapse. And forget decorations! OR – use the decorations to hide the crater.
You get my drift. I like flourless chocolate cake – and one of my best friends’ is gluten free. The crater surface annoyed me.
So I fixed it. 🙂 A simple “dump and mix” version made with the aid of a bit of baking powder which makes the same fudge flourless chocolate cake that is much more stable.
It took a few goes to get it right. I was interested to find that almond flour / almond meal is highly sensitive to baking powder. Normally, the flour to baking powder ratio is 1 cup : 2 teaspoons, so I tried this with almond flour. The lift this gave the cake while baking was astonishing – it almost overflowed.
Then when I took it out of the oven, it collapsed.
Again – a crater. Humph!
So I tried again, drastically cutting down the baking powder to 1/4 tsp to 1 cup of almond flour. And was amazed that it worked – perfectly. Enough lift to give this cake a crumb like a cake, rather than being brownie-fudgey, but not so much that the surface rises then collapses into a carter surface.
No more craters! No more craters!
It is really hard to capture the texture of this cake in photos. It’s fudgey, but not dense fudgey like brownies. It’s got more of a cake-like texture, but it is much fudgier than normal cakes. Fudgier than my Chocolate Fudge Cake.
It looks like it’s going to crumble but it doesn’t because it’s so moist. It’s intensely chocolatey with beautiful almond undertones, and the surface has a fine crackly layer – like brownies.
It’s really, really good. I’ve made it multiple times since I created it and have no intentions of ever reverting back to the “normal” way of making flourless chocolate cakes i.e. beating egg whites. It’s not just easier. I truly think this is better.
And…you know…..NO CRATER SURFACE!!!! 😉 – Nagi xx
PS. I’ve also finally shared my Whole Orange Cake, which is also flourless and child’s play to make! It’s the cake I made at a wedding I’ve spoken about previously which was held on a remote river. I made a tiered wedding cake from scratch without an oven. Curious…???
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe video! Best way to see the texture of the cake i.e. moist, tender crumb but fudgey, not dense and mud cake like. It was difficult to capture in photos. 🙂
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Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (Note 1)
- 120g / 1 stick unsalted butter , melted
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature (60g/2oz each+) (Note 2)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder , sfited (preferably Dutch processed i.e. the more expensive stuff)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups almond meal / almond flour (or hazelnut flour)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (160°C fan).
- Butter and line a 20cm / 8" spring form pan.
- Melt chocolate and butter in microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between until smooth.
- Whisk in sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, whisking well until combined,
- Switch to wooden spoon. Add cocoa powder, baking powder and almond meal, fold through until just combined.
- Pour batter into pan, bake 45 min until top has thin crust and skewer comes out clean, not smeared with batter.
- Cool cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove sides. Cool completely on rack before carefully removing base.
- Dust with cocoa powder then serve. I served mine with strawberries and dollop cream, but it doesn’t need it!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Dozer only has 5 modes: #1 Sleeping #2 Eating #3 Hoping to eat #4 Playing #5 Hoping to play.
This is #5. (And you’ll see #3 in the video).
Nagi do you think this would work in a Bhunt tin. I’m thinking Christmas dessert with berries in the center
Hi Noelene, it’s a very dense cake that I don’t think will hold up to a bundt tin sorry! N x
Thankyou for your reply
Hi Nagi. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Can I substitute almond meal to hazelnut mea,l by any chance? Thanks for your help!
YES! It will be delicious Jacqui!! N x
Made this many times…fabulous cake thank you for the recipe
Just wondering if I could add to the melted butt and chocolate some (coffee) eg 1 tsp instant coffee diluted in 2 tablespoons of hot water
Oops, meant to say “my wife is trying a Gluten Free diet”
Hi Nagi, I’m planning on making this for Thanksgiving (US) dinner. My is trying a Gluten Free diet and this looks like a great addition to my repitoire.
Your seasoned buttered rice and Mediterranean Chick pea salad are already staples here.
I hope you love it Peter!! N x
Oops, meant to say “my wife is trying a Gluten Free diet”
Making this for a birthday and its great! Thanks so much for the recipe. (I’m relieved to find a flourless cake that doesn’t collapse when cooling, lol)
Another successful bake! Baked this cake this morning for a girls catch up this afternoon. There’s none left! It was so good, we had two slices each. 😋 The only thing I changed was to reduce the amount of sugar to 150gm. I may reduce it a little further the next time. Thank you Nagi for such easy and delicious recipes.
Hi Kim – thanks so much for the great feedback! Just be careful as reducing the sugar will affect the cook/texture. N x
I made this and it turned really dense and hard… what did I do wrong? Also when putting into pan it did not “pour”. Any thoughts?
Hi Sam – that doesn’t sound right at all! Did you measure the ingredients correctly? N x
Hi Nagi, followed your recipe to the tee except for substituting with palm sugar. Was dryish and a day after, dense and hard. What may have gone wrong?
This is so, so, so goooood! And easy, too! Thank you for sharing.
Baking as I write this… kitchen smells delicious! I’ve tried your recipes before and have loved them. Thanks for your passion and sharing x x
Thanks so much Stephanie!! N x
Will this bake fine in one pan if I double the recipe? So I can slice it for layering as I only have one pan
Hi Julian, no it won’t sorry – it’s too heavy. You’d really need to cook two separately. N x
We made this, substituting swerve for sugar. Delicious!! Easy to make, and an excellent treat for those with diabetes. Thank you!!
I made this today, but had only chocolate chips. However I beat them to death after heating in the microwave and they melted- it was a fantastic birthday cake. Thanks once again Nagi
I’m so glad it worked for you Christine!! N x
Dear Nagi,
I’m looking to bake this cake for my sister-in-law’s birthday (her first celebration with us as the newest member of our family!) this weekend. Could I just check if you used salted or unsalted butter for this cake? If I only have unsalted butter, would half a teaspoon of salt added work? Thanks so much in advance.
Hi Bella, I use unsalted in all my cooking – that way I can control the amount of salt added to a recipe 🙂 N x
I’ve made this cake twice. It’s the most forgiving, yet decadent recipe. The exterior may look dry, but don’t be deceived. This cake has a beautiful crack (typical of flourless cakes) and is the epitome of fudgy chocolate overload (even at room temperature). I added a teaspoon of brewed espresso and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt to enhance the chocolate flavour. Dusted it with Dutched cocoa, and it was a real treat with everyone – just the right tad of sweetness to complement the rich chocolate. Even non-chocolate lovers (sacrilege, I know) couldn’t help but sneak seconds of this cake. Heartiest gratitude to you for the perfection that is this recipe, Nagi.
Hi, thank you for the recipe! If I am to use it to make a layer cake, what type of icing should I use between the layers?
Hi Manvi, I would use a chocolate buttercream 🙂 N x
I am going to try your recipe. Do I use unsweetened baker’s chocolate or bittersweet?
Hi Colleen, bittersweet chocolate is better here. N x
Made the cake and it was so easy to make and super yummy. The cake only lasted a few minutes. Not a crumb left. Everyone loved it. Time to make another one.
I’ve made this for a gluten free friend and it was fabulous! Now I’ve got company that is both gluten free and dairy free. Can I sub coconut oil for the butter? Other suggestions?
Hi Heather, I haven’t tried with oil sorry – would love to know if it works, otherwise nuttelex may be an option! N x
I made it this morning, absolutely perfect! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Nagi, my partner and I love your recipes! I was looking for an orange cake recipe, which I didn’t find on your website, but in this post you mentioned having a delicious GF orange cake recipe and I’m very curious. Just wondering if you were planning to publish it? Thanks 🙂
Hi Jessica, thanks for reminding me!!! N x
I also made this with hazelnut meal, Is that Ok?
Yes 100%! N x