This Best Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe is a gluten-free dessert for serious chocolate lovers. It’s made with only 7 ingredients and is the perfect make-ahead treat for any party! 

{Note: this flourless chocolate cake recipe was originally published on June 6th, 2016.  The post has been updated with new photos & text but the recipe itself has not changed}!

When people say that a dessert is “too fudgy” or “too chocolatey” I never, ever understand what they mean. I’m just like..ummmm???…then pass it over here!

This Best Flourless Chocolate Cake is truly a show-stopper. It has been one of my most requested recipes for years. This cake is pure chocolatey & fudgy goodness, and  is a gluten-free dessert for serious chocolate lovers. It’s made with only 7 ingredients and is the perfect make-ahead treat for a special occasion!

How do you make Flourless Chocolate Cake?

This recipe consists of a few simple ingredients…but they come together beautifully to make a truly special dessert. Here are a few tips to making it turn out perfect every time!

1. Bake the Flourless chocolate Cake in a water bath! 

Bake it in a water bath! In order to ensure that no water leaks into the cake, I always bake it in a pan that has no seems (e.g. I do NOT use a springform pan)…which makes it a bit trickier to remove…but a little parchment paper and a good amount of greasing and you’ll be OK! 😉

Why do you bake flourless chocolate cake in a water bath? (How does a water bath work)?

Now it’s time for another chemistry lesson (because I majored in chemistry in college, and then I was a chemistry teacher before I had kids)! Do you know why it’s beneficial to bake certain treats in a water bath? Water has a high “heat capacity,” which is the amount of heat needed to increase the temperature of an object by 1 degree Celsius.

The heat capacity of an object depends on the chemical makeup and mass of the substance. If an object has a higher heat capacity, it takes longer for it’s temperature to change. For example, aluminum has a heat capacity of 0.90 J/g^oC, while water has a heat capacity of 4.18 J/g^oC. This means that aluminum’s temperature will fluctuate with its surroundings over 4x faster than water.

So, how does this apply to baking? (Right, not all of you are chemistry nerds like me)! If you bake something in a water bath it helps maintain a constant temperature.

Once the water reaches a warm temperature, if anything causes your oven to shift in temperature at all (e.g. you open the door to check the cake), the water bath will hold that temperature without changing. It also delivers a more indirect source of heat to the flourless chocolate cake! This translates to a more evenly baked Flourless Chocolate Truffle Cake ! 🙂

A water bath adds moisture. 

A water bath also adds moisture to the oven, keeping the flourless chocolate cake from drying out or cracking!

2. Chill the flourless chocolate cake

Something important to note about this Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe is that it needs to chill for a while. I usually make it the day before and let it chill overnight. The absolute minimum amount of chilling time I would give it is 6 hours.

3. Make-Ahead Dessert!

I love the fact that this recipe is best when served the next day! This means you can make it ahead and free yourself up to be able to focus on cooking other dishes the day of a special celebration or get together!

Flourless Chocolate Cake: Ingredients & Substitutions 

I can honestly say I do NOT recommend making any substitutions in this recipe. It is absolute perfection as-is. But if you must, here are a few possible options.

• Chocolate. Listen up folks, the cake will be as good as the quality of chocolate used.  My top choices in this recipe are Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate, Guittard dark chocolate or any other high-quality variety. The darker chocolate used, the richer the cake will taste.
• Butter. I always use salted butter in baking, but you can use unsalted as well with great results! To make this cake dairy-free, a vegan butter substitute, like Earth’s Balance, can be used.

Shop Flourless Chocolate Cake Making Essentials!

cake pan // measuring cups // measuring spoons // mixing bowl // spatula // standing mixer // cake stand // cake server 

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Flourless Chocolate Cake

This Flourless Chocolate Truffle Cake Recipe is a gluten-free dessert for serious chocolate lovers. It's made with only 7 ingredients and is the perfect make-ahead treat for any party! 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword dark chocolate cake, flourless chocolate cake recipe, rich chocolate desserts

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Chilling time 12 hours

Total Time 13 hours

Servings 12 slices (at least)

Calories 422 kcal

Author Laura

Ingredients

• ½ cup water
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 18 oz (2 ¼ cups) bittersweet chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)*
• 1 cup salted butter
• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease one 9” round cake pan (or glass pie plate) and set aside. (Note: I always cut a piece of parchment paper into a circle with “handles” and place it on the bottom of the pan. Then I grease the pan with the parchment paper in it).
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the water, salt and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside.
3. Melt the chocolate chips and pour into the bowl of a standing mixer.
4. Cut the butter into 1 TBS pieces and beat it into the chocolate, 1 piece at a time.
5. Mix in the warm sugar/water mixture until combined.
6. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time until completely smooth.
7. Add vanilla and mix until just combined.
8. Pour the batter into your prepared pan.
9. Put the cake pan in a larger pan and fill the larger pan with boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of your cake pan. Be very careful not to get water into the cake! I like to put the pan with the cake in it on the oven rack before pouring the water. That way I just have to slide it in and close the door!
10. Bake cake in the water bath at 300 degrees F for 45 minutes. The center will still look wet, but the edge will look done.
11. Remove the cake from the water bath and let it cool on a wire rack.
12. Chill cake overnight (or for at least 6 hours) in the pan!
13. Carefully lift your parchment paper out of the pan and the cake with it. Put it on a serving plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar! Serve with fresh berries, ice cream, etc!

Recipe Notes

*I've had the best results with 60% or darker. My favorite is Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chips! Recipe adapted from here:.

*Nutritional information calculated based on the recipe yielding 12 servings, although it is very rich and I find it can definitely serve more! 

Nutrition Facts

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 422 Calories from Fat 275

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 30.5g 47%

Saturated Fat 18.1g 91%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.4g

Monounsaturated Fat 9.1g

Cholesterol 134mg 45%

Potassium 194.8mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates 39.2g 13%

Dietary Fiber 2.5g 10%

Sugars 35.5g

Protein 5.1g 10%

Vitamin A 12.5%

Calcium 2.8%

Iron 9.4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

We are heading to the Tetons today and I am beyond excited! We are going to have an absolute blast! You can follow our mountain adventures on Instagram this week! I will not be posting a recipe on Thursday (time to unwind and unplug)! 🙂 So I hope this piece of chocolate heaven can hold you over until another recipe comes your way next Monday! 🙂

Super important question for you…what do YOU request as your birthday dessert?

I am not a traditional cake person…I’d probably request fudgy brownies with peanut butter frosting! 🙂