Flourless Chocolate Cake is a rich and decadent chocolate cake that is easy to make and always a show stopper! It also happens to be gluten free.
Have you ever tried flourless chocolate cake? If you are a chocoholic like I am, it is a must make! It is dense and fudgy and has a rich chocolate flavor.
Plus it’s covered with a silky smooth layer of chocolate ganache glaze. Pure chocolate heaven in every bite!
I’ve actually tried several recipes for chocolate flourless cake over the years, but I had a hard time getting great results with any of them. This version turned out perfectly the very first time!
It’s fancy enough for any special occasion, and no one will ever guess how easy it is to whip up.
Is flourless chocolate cake gluten free?
Why yes, yes it is! Since it contains no flour, it is a perfect option for people with gluten sensitivities. But trust me, even if you aren’t on a gluten free diet, you will love this cake!
How to make flourless chocolate cake:
Ingredients:
- butter (I use regular salted butter in all of my recipes.)
- semi-sweet chocolate chips (High quality for best flavor and texture.)
- granulated sugar
- salt
- vanilla extract
- eggs (Use large eggs, it is best if they are at room temperature.)
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- PREP – Line a round 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper and spray the paper and sides of the pan with non-stick spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375°.
- BATTER – Melt butter in a large bowl in the microwave. Add the chocolate chips and let sit for 3-4 minutes. Stir together till chips melt, let cool for 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar, salt, and vanilla into the melted chocolate mixture. Add the three eggs and whisk till well blended. Stir in the cocoa powder.
- BAKE – Pour batter into prepared cake pan and spread evenly.
Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or till toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. - COOL – Let cake cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack. Remove the parchment and immediately flip right side up onto another cooling rack. Cool completely, then transfer to a serving plate.
- CHOCOLATE GANACHE GLAZE – Combine butter and chocolate chips in a glass bowl. Microwave for 1-3 minutes or till melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Spread glaze over the top of the cake. Let sit for several hours till the chocolate sets.
- SERVE – You can serve the cake as is, or with powdered sugar, fresh berries, whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
How do I store flourless chocolate cake?
This cake doesn’t need to be refrigerated. It will last for 2-3 days at room temperature in an airtight container. If you need it to last longer than that, you can refrigerate it, but it needs to sit at room temperature for an hour or two before you serve it.
Because this cake is quite rich, so a small piece is all you need. It will easily serve ten or even twelve people. Very, very happy people. 🙂
PRO TIPS:
- If you use unsalted butter, add an additional 1/4 teaspoon of butter to the cake, and a pinch of salt to the ganache.
- For easy removal, I definitely recommend using parchment in the bottom of your cake pan. If you don’t have parchment, you can use foil instead.
- For clean slices, dip a sharp knife in hot water, then quickly wipe it dry. Wipe it clean, and repeat the process for each slice.
VARIATIONS:
- If you’d rather not use a microwave, you can use a double boiler to melt the chocolate.
- Coarsely chopped chocolate bars can be used in place of the chocolate chips.
- I usually serve this cake with berries, but you can use any fresh fruit.
- I like the flavor of butter in the ganache, but you can substitute an equal amount of heavy cream. It will not set up quite as hard.
MORE CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPES:
- Chocolate Brownie Bundt Cake
- Heath Bar Cake
- Lava Cake Recipe
- Double Chocolate Mousse Cake
- Homemade Chocolate Cake
- Butterfinger Poke Cake
- Quinoa Chocolate Cake
- German Chocolate Cake Recipe
Originally published January, 2019, updated January 2025.
Best Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe!
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup salted butter
- 1 cup semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips or half of each
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Glaze
- 3 Tbsp salted butter
- ⅔ cup high quality semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a round 8" round cake pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375°.
- Melt butter in a large heatproof bowl in the microwave. Add the chocolate chips and let sit for 3-4 minutes. Stir together till chips melt, adding additional cooking time if needed. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk the sugar, salt, and vanilla into the chocolate mixture. Add the three eggs and whisk till well blended. Stir in the cocoa powder.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or till toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cake cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. Immediately flip right side up onto another wire rack. Cool completely.
Glaze:
- Combine butter and chocolate chips in a glass bowl. Microwave for 1-3 minutes or till melted, stirring every 30 seconds.
- Spread the glaze over the cooled cake. Let sit for several hours till the chocolate sets.
- Serve cake as is, or with fresh raspberries, whipped cream, or ice cream.
Notes
- Dark chocolate gives this cake its rich flavor, so I don’t recommend replacing the semisweet chocolate chips with milk chocolate.
- You can use chopped chocolate bars in place of the chocolate chips.
- Recipe inspired by King Arthur Flour
Nutrition
You only need simple ingredients to make this decadent dessert, and it is a chocolate lovers dream!
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I can’t recommend this enough it’s delicious and so easy to make! A friend requested a gluten/ dairy free dessert so I just substituted with some vegan butter and it was a hit! Can’t wait to make it again!
So glad you loved it! Good to know that it worked with vegan butter!
Do you know if this recipe would work substituting Stevia for the sugar? Thanks
I don’t have much experience baking with Stevia, so I’m not sure. Sorry.
If I use a spring form pan would I have to invert it twice?
If you use a springform pan lined with parchment, you should be able to just remove the sides of the pan and slide the cake off. You can either use a straight edged spatula to scrape it off of the parchment, or you can flip it and peel the parchment off.
I am in love with this recipe! Not only is it very easy to make, it presents so beautifully and tastes delicious. I made a Cran raspberry sauce and some homemade whipped cream to serve with it and everyone loves it! I’ve made it twice and plan to make it again for the holidays. Thank you for this recipe!
Oh my goodness, a cran raspberry sauce sounds amazing! So glad it’s such a hit at your house! 🙂
I have made this many times love it! I always use a spring form pan no worries about coming out of pan always comes out great.
Thanks for the tip about the springform pan Lucy! So glad you love the cake. It’s one of my favorite chocolate desserts!
An idea on a cake that doesn’t rise as expected. My cake also did not rise as much as pictured. I think it might be because I beat the eggs in with a spatula vs whisking them in. Just a thought.
Delicious nevertheless!
This is a dense cake that doesn’t rise up light and fluffy. But whisking the eggs does add a bit of air, so I definitely recommend doing that next time. The more you whisk the eggs, the lighter the cake will be. I don’t whisk mine much because I like it fudgy.
Hi there! Can I substitute dark chocolate for the semi-sweet? Thanks!
Yes, dark chocolate works just the same as bittersweet chocolate chips for this cake. 🙂
So good!! Super easy to make. It turned out really moist. The cake was a big hit for my daughter’s birthday. It was almost like a fudge brownie cake if that makes sense. I’m actually planning on making it again for my son’s birthday. Highly recommend this recipe.
I would agree that its like a fudge brownie cake! So happy that it will be making another appearance at your house. I hope you enjoy it for years to come!
Divinely delicious and decadent… my most favorite cake. All who have it love it..
I am so happy to hear that Tammy! It’s one of my favorites as well, especially with berries and ice cream!
I just made this cake for my husband’s birthday. My daughter just found out she has celiac disease so I used your recipe. Hubby was leery but everyone LOVED it! It was amazing,
That makes me so happy! I love that your husband enjoyed it as well as your daughter! 🙂
I made this cake recently for a party. It was extremely popular with all the guests, and one friend nearly wept over her first bite because she loved it so much! I added about a teaspoon of espresso powder just to amplify the chocolate flavor, and I think with my next one I will increase amount that to create a mocha cake.
Do you think this cake would freeze well? The butter content is high enough that I’m not sure.
Haha, I love that story! Always great to have someone weep with happiness over something you made! I haven’t tried freezing it, but I think it should work just fine.
Can I bake it at 325? I have something to cook in the oven at that temp already. Would love to put it on rack underneath
Thanks
Tina
You could try it, but my guess is that because of the high egg content, the cake would dry out before they set.
Can I substitute cacao powder for the unsweetened cocoa powder?
I haven’t tried it, but I think that should work just fine.
Any reason I should not bake and leave the cake in an 8 inch disposable pan? Making them for a bake sale and this would be so much easier for packaging for me and the customer
I think that should work just fine. Good luck with your bake sale!
Added about 1 large orange zest to batter and ½ to topping. Great flavour
Oh, that sounds delicious! Thanks so much for sharing the idea, I want to try it!
Very easy to make and turned out well. I suggest sifting the cocoa powder before adding to prevent lumps. I used a 9 inch pan and baked for 21 minutes turned out well, very moist. Very rich. Made it for gluten free dessert. Would definitely do again, thank you.
Great idea to sift the cocoa powder if it’s lumpy!
This cake is absolutely delicious! I have made it multiple times and it comes out great every time. It’s so tasty, easy to make, and everyone loves it! Thanks for sharing this fabulous recipe!!!
So glad you loved it Rhonda! It’s definitely a hit with my daughter in law that can’t have gluten!
I made this and while it tasted delish, it fell apart when I took it out of the original pan to move to the cooling rack. Any ideas for why that happened? I did cover up the holes with frosting 😂.
Dang it! As long as I use the two cooling racks as directed, I’ve never had that happen. You could try letting it sit in the pan for a little longer so it’s less fragile. But thankfully frosting covers a multitude of mistakes. haha
Just made this cake and it turned out great! Super moist and delicious! Def will be making again, might try adding espresso to it one time.
Other readers have tried it with espresso and loved the results. 🙂
I made the cake as per instructions but it didn’t rise as much as expected. I realize it won’t rise like a typical cake, but it seemed a lot shallower then in the recipe picture. I used an 8 inch pan.
Hmmm, not sure why yours seemed not as tall as mine. Hopefully it still tasted amazing. 🙂
YUM! Can’t wait to try this next week for my mom’s bday.
Hope she loves it as much as I do! 🙂
LOVE this cake!
Have now made this at least 10 times! It’s moist and wonderfully chocolatey! I’m now using a “scant” less sugar, and cocoa powder, but added a tsp of espresso powder and a tiny bit of cinnamon. Gives it a “Mexican chocolate” flavor. Thank you for such an easy, successful recipe!
Oh, I love the idea of adding a bit of cinnamon for a Mexican chocolate flavor. I’m definitely going to have to try that! So happy to hear this cake has become a staple at your house. 🙂
Looks and sounds delicious! I need a gluten free dessert for Sunday so would love to try it. I have good quality slabs of baking chocolate. Would you have any idea how much would equal the cup of chocolate chips you recommend? I will chop them up before melting but would love to use them up instead of going shopping!
I would just chop them into pieces about the same size as chocolate chips, and you should be able to use the same measurement. (1 cup)
Question: can you recommend another fat to replace the butter? I’d love to try this but need to be dairy-free. 😬
Thanks.
I think you could use either coconut oil or margarine, but I haven’t tried it so I’m not 100% sure how it will turn out. The texture may be different, but it should still taste great.
What are your dimensions of your pan? Is it exactly 8×3? I need to convert this recipe to a 7×3 pan. A conversion chart said I need to decrease by 33%. Does that sound right?
My pan is 8.8 x 8.8 x 2 inches. I’ve never tried reducing a recipe to fit a smaller pan, I usually just bake the excess batter in a ramekin or cupcake pan. But if the conversion chart suggested that, you could try it. It seems like a pretty large decrease, so I’d watch the baking time closely. I bet it will be done much sooner. Good luck!
Hi! My son has allergies to egg. Can I sub flax seed eggs? Thanks in advance!
I wouldn’t recommend it. Since there is no flour, the eggs help hold the cake together. I don’t think this is one recipe where flax seeds would turn out. But of course you can try it if you like. I could be wrong. 🙂
Hi,
I have tried this and it’s awesome. Now I need to make 1kg of it. Was wondering what should the measurements be. Your help is required on the same please.
Or if you could tell me how much would a cake made with this recipe weigh.
Sweetened or unsweetened cocoa?
Regular unsweetened cocoa powder.
Thank you so much for this adaptation (less butter, yessssss!), it’s absolutely amazing, not to mention the EASIEST cake to make!
I made this for my mom for Mother’s Day because she is a major chocaholic. I couldn’t find an 8in pan so I used a 9in but i was concerned about the cake coming out too thin, so I did 1.5x the all the ingredients, and baked at 375 for 30 mins. It came out a nice thickness and done all the way through. I also added crushed Reeses along the edge of the cake on top of the ganache and used a bright cookie frosting to write Happy Mother’s Day. It was a hit!
I made this today for my birthday and it was a huge success. Served it with chocolate and vanilla ice cream. It was so delicious!! Very easy to make. I’m not much of a baker. I did use brown coconut sugar instead of white sugar. I will be making this again. Thank you so much!!
Does this call for salted or unsalted butter. The ingredient list wasn’t specific.
Can I freeze the leftovers of the flourless chocolate cake?
I haven’t tried it myself, but I think it should work just fine as long as you wrap it up well and freeze it in an airtight container.
Have you ever tried making this in cupcake liners? Thanks!
Is the ganache OK to sit out on the counter for a couple of days?
Sorry, I just saw your question. Yes, it is fine at room temperature for a few days as long as the room isn’t too warm. If it starts melting, it’s time to put it in the refrigerator. 😉
Hi, will be making this for approx 30 on Valentines Day. Am assuming (and you know where that gets me….)I should hold off on the ganache until the day of serving OR
does the ganache go on and is OK to sit on the counter for a day or two?
Thank you!!
Mic
I’m hoping this came out ok… I had it in for 25 minutes but the toothpick wasn’t clean at all. Put it in for another 5, still no. Then another 3, then 2, then 2. FINALLY it came out clean but the edges look burnt. I know I used the correct size pan because I actually measured it with a tape measure before I started! Any suggestions? Hoping that the chocolate topping will hide it maybe. Other flourless chocolate cakes said that the middle wouldn’t appear done when I took it out, but I wanted to make sure I followed your instructions exactly.
It could be that your oven cooks a little hotter than mine, so maybe next time try baking at a lower temperature (maybe 350 degrees), so that the center can finish baking before the edges get overcooked. I hope it was still tasty for you!
The link is broken so I can’t get to the recipe, ingredients measurements? I did before as I made it and it was delicious. But now it’s not working. Thanks!
My site had a glitch and the recipes all disappeared for a day. Thankfully, they are all back. So sorry!
What if I have a 7” and a 9” pan, Will it make a big difference, not sure if I should use one of these?
Sorry, I just saw your comment. If it were me, I’d use the 9″ pan and decrease the baking time. I’d start checking it after 15 minutes, but it will probably need about 20 minutes.
Can it be frozen. 12 pieces is a lot for just 1
Any idea if this would work with a different sugar? Like for instance, coconut sugar?
Thanks!
I have never tried coconut sugar in any baked goods, so I have no idea how it compares. If it works as a substitute in other chocolate baked goods you’ve tried, it would probably work for this recipe. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
The cake turned out beautifully! Will definitely be making this again and again. So easy and decadent. Thanks Kara!
Yay, I am so happy to hear it! It’s been awhile since I had it, I’m craving a piece!
Just wanted to mention that the salt was not in the instructions but on the ingredient list. I just added with the sugar. Making this right now! Can’t wait to see how it turns out. Thanks for an easy but elegant cake.
Oh danggit – thanks for letting me know. It is fixed now. 🙂
Wow this recipe is a keeper … very easy and so delicious . I topped it with vanilla ice cream and choc syrup .
I love it with vanilla ice cream as well. So glad to hear you enjoyed it!