Best Flourless Chocolate Cake
Posted Aug 19, 2023, Updated Feb 12, 2024
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This is the best flourless chocolate cake recipe ever. It is a rich, intensely chocolatey, gluten-free dessert made with only 7 ingredients! It’s a delicious & elegant make-ahead treat for any special occasion.
When people say that a dessert is “too fudgy” or “too chocolatey” I never, ever understand what they mean. Because, to me, there is no such thing as “too much chocolate” – and this flourless chocolate cake recipe is testimony to that.
This 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, (just like these flourless brownies).
This recipe recipe requires seven simple ingredients, which come together beautifully to make a truly special dessert. It’s the perfect make-ahead dessert for any occasion. Serve it with homemade whipped cream for an extra special touch!
Flourless Chocolate Cake: Ingredients & Substitutions
I do not recommend making any substitutions in this flourless chocolate cake recipe. It is absolute perfection as-is. But if you must, here are a few possible options.
- Chocolate. Use high-quality chocolate for the best results. I suggest Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate or another high-quality variety. Adjust the sweetness/darkness by using different chocolate varieties such as milk, semisweet, or dark.
- 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, works well.
- Granulated sugar. Regular granulated sugar or organic cane sugar both work really well in this recipe.
- Sea salt. I recommend using pure, fine sea salt. If you use table salt (iodized salt), you may need to use less.
How to make Flourless Chocolate Cake
The first step in this flourless chocolate cake recipe is combining the water, sugar and salt and heating it until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
Do not let the water boil, and whisk every 30 to 60 seconds. After the mixture is clear, remove it from the heat and let it cool as you make the rest of the recipe.
Prepare the cake pan
Line your cake pan with parchment paper for easy removal. I trace the bottom of the cake pan on a piece of parchment paper, and add “handles” (see photo below) for a perfect fit.
Then grease the pan with a non-stick spray, butter, shortening, etc.
Use a seamless pan
Since this recipe is baked in a water bath, I recommend using a pan that has no seems (e.g. I don’t recommend using a springform pan). This ensures that no water leaks into the cake.
Then, met the chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler until it’s smooth and glossy. Transfer it to the bowl of a standing mixer. You can also use a hand-held mixer to beat the ingredients together.
Next, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time to the warm chocolate mixture, beating after each addition. It’s ok if it doesn’t fully melt, because the addition of the warm sugar water will ensure that it does.
Then, add the slightly cooled (but still warm) sugar water to the mixture and beat on low/medium speed until the mixture is smooth.
Next, add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
Then add vanilla and beat until just combined.
Bake the Flourless Chocolate Cake in a Water Bath
Once the batter is ready, pour it into the prepared cake pan. Then put the cake pan in the preheated oven.
Pour boiling water into the bottom pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Be extremely careful not to get any water into the cake pan.
I recommend pouring the water into the bottom pan while it is in the oven so you do not have to transfer the pan filled with water into the oven.
Bake the flourless chocolate cake for 45 minutes. This baking time is pretty exact as long as you use a 9″ round cake pan. If you use an 8″ round pan I suggest baking for 50-55 minutes.
The cake is done when the top and edges look set and it is only slightly jiggly.
Chill the Flourless Chocolate Cake
This recipe needs to chill for a while, preferably overnight. I usually make it the day before and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight. The minimum amount of chilling time is 6 hours.
I actually love the fact that this fluorides chocolate cake 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.
Serve
After the cake has chilled completely, carefully remove it from the pan, cut it into pieces and serve. I recommend removing it from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before serving to soften up a little. Here are some serving suggestions:
- Add a dollop of homemade whipped cream or strawberry whipped cream on top!
- Put fresh berries on the side
- Serve with homemade vanilla ice cream on the side.
Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze
You can freeze either the whole cake or individual slices. To do this, place the cake or slices on a flat surface (baking sheet) and put them in the freezer to freeze until hardened. Then, wrap them with plastic wrap and put in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw gradually in the refrigerator.
Recipe FAQs
This flourless chocolate cake is done when the top and edges look set and it is only slightly jiggly. The 45 minute baking time is pretty exact as long as you use a 9″ round cake pan. If you use an 8″ round pan I suggest baking for 50-55 minutes.
Yes, you need to store this cake in the refrigerator so it doesn’t overheat and melt.
This cake lasts for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer.
1. A water bath helps maintain a constant temperature.
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 its temperature to change. For example, aluminum has a heat capacity of 0.90 J/goC, while water has a heat capacity of 4.18J/goC. This means that aluminum’s temperature will fluctuate with its surroundings over 4x faster than water.
So, 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.
2. Indirect source of heat = even baking
A water bath also delivers a more indirect source of heat to the flourless chocolate cake! This results in the cake being evenly baked.
3. A water bath adds moisture.
A water bath also adds moisture to the oven, keeping the flourless chocolate cake from drying out or cracking.
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Best Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 18 oz (2 ¼ cups) bittersweet chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)*
- 1 cup salted butter (room temperature)
- 6 eggs (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- 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).
- In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the water, salt and sugar. Whisk every 60 seconds until completely dissolved and set aside.
- Melt the chocolate chips (in the microwave or in a double boiler) and pour into the bowl of a standing mixer.
- Cut the butter into 1 Tablespoon pieces and beat it into the chocolate, 1 piece at a time.
- Mix in the warm sugar/water mixture until combined.
- Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time until completely smooth.
- Add vanilla and mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Prepare the water bath
- Put the 9" cake pan in a larger pan then put the pans in the preheated oven.
- Once in the oven, pour boiling water into the larger, bottom cake pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the 9" cake pan that contains the flourless chocolate cake.
Bake
- Bake the flourless chocolate cake in the water bath at 300 degrees F for 45 minutes. The center will still look a little wet, but the edge will look set and the cake should only jiggle slightly.
- Remove the cake from the water bath and let it cool on a wire rack.
Chill overnight
- Chill cake overnight (or for at least 6 hours) in the pan.
Serve
- Carefully lift the 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!
Video
Notes
Note about pan size:
The size of the pan used will effect baking times:- 9″ cake pan – bake for 45 minutes.
- 8″ cake pan (must be 3″ deep) – bake for 50 minutes
- Individual ramekins – bake 25 minutes
Ingredient Substitutions
- Chocolate. This cake will be as good as the quality of chocolate used. My top choices in this recipe are Ghirardelli 60% 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.
- Granulated sugar. Regular granulated sugar or organic cane sugar both work really well in this flourless chocolate cake recipe.
- Sea salt. I recommend using pure, fine sea salt. If you use table salt (iodized salt), you may need to use less.
Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.Freeze
You can freeze either the whole cake or individual slices. To do this, place the cake or slices on a flat surface (baking sheet) and put them in the freezer to freeze until hardened. Then, wrap them with plastic wrap and put in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw gradually in the refrigerator.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello! Let me start by saying that I have been a baker for many years and at some points in a professional sense. Many years ago I tried a chocolate cake at a restaurant that was just like this and I searched for and attempted many recipes to duplicate it and never found one… until I found this recipe. I’m now in love with this recipe and I have made it many times.
I have adjusted/converted the recipe down in size so that I use simply one 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I bake it in an 8in aluminum cake pan with spray on pan release and parchment paper just as you suggested. I use a whip attachment on my KitchenAid to add the butter pats and slowly add in the hot sugar. I continue to whip while I’m adding the eggs and I have found that the batter gets a little airy which I like. It also seems to take an hour to bake at 300 degrees in the water bath because it ends up being taller. when it is completed I have found the best way to top it is with a Nutella chocolate ganache. Everybody loves it and I share with them your recipe 🙂 thank you for helping me find an answer to what I have been searching for for 30 years!!!
Thank you so much Jason for your in-depth review!!! This is such a special recipe!!!
What a gorgeous recipe! I’ve only just had a taste of the bits that fell off the side because I’m bringing it in to work for a friend’s birthday today, but so far, it’s delicious. I’m curious though how you were able to get such height out of your cake. The photos show something that’s several inches tall, and mine came out about an inch high, if that, using a 9″ pan. Did I need to whip more air into the mixture once the eggs were in? Also curious as to which stand mixer attachment you used to combine everything. I used the paddle, but I was wondering if maybe the whisk would’ve been better.
Hey Deb! The cake being only 1″ high is odd, but really isn’t much shorter than my cake! (Photos make it look taller than it is)! I can’t remember if I baked this in an 8″ or 9″ pan! But it should rise a little more! I have used both the whisk and paddle attachments to make this cake!
Should the butter be room temperature or just cold out of the refrigerator?
It doesn’t matter because it gets melted!
Hi Laura, this sounds really good. I’m assuming the cake will feel really wobbly if it sets overnight in the fridge after baking, correct? So putting in a toothpick in the middle would just come out looking like it’s not done like most cakes since you mention this is like eating truffles. Would it be ok to use a 9″x9″ or 8″x8″ square glass pan vs a round pan?
Hi Laura, this recipe looks great! I’m just curious to know why adding the 1/2 cup of water with sugar and salt rather than mixing the sugar and salt into the melting chocolate? Thank you. Cheers!
You want to have the sugar completely dissolved first so the best way to do it is to heat it with the water in the stovetop. I once did it without hearing it up first and just adding the water, then the sugar and I noticed the sugar didn’t mix in like it should-some areas looked gritty. I would definitely make it just like this recipe states.
How long should I bake it if I use this recipe for cupcakes?
Hey Marcie! I have never made them into cupcakes, but I’d guess the baking time could be as much as half less as baking a full cake…you will just have to watch them very carefully! I will have to try to make it that way in the near future, and when I do I’ll report back!
thank you for the recipe. I have tried two different versions of a flourless chocolate cake and neither were what I was looking for, so I will try this one next… just one question.. have you ever made this cake and whipped the egg whites separately, and if so, was there a difference? I am aiming for upmost height, but wondering if it might mess with the chemistry of your particular recipe. thank you!
Hey Kitty! I have not whipped the egg whites, but doing so usually lead to a less-denese texture!
Thank you so much for your reply… I was pressured for time and could not wait for your answer, so I did whip the egg whites and yes, definitely less dense and more height… it was more of a mousse-y texture, but I would have preferred it to be more dense! Definitely going to make again and follow the recipe as written (though using margarine as I needed it to be non-dairy)… everyone loved it anyway… I was the most critical and it was only the mousse-like texture that I would change!! Thank you for an awesome recipe!!
are chocolate chips or chocolate baking bars chopped up better to use for this recipe?
Whichever you prefer! As long as you use 18 oz!
Thank you so much!!! Do recommend serving this cold or room temperature? I am really excited to make this recipe this week.
My family and I ate it cold and at room temperature. My hubby prefers it room temperature because he says the chocolate is softer, rather than right out of the fridge it’s a little hard–but not like rock hard– I guess firmer might be a good way to describe it. I agree with him now that it is better not directly out of the fridge.
can this be done in an 8 inch pan? how should i adjust baking time if so?
Hey Hannah, I used an 8” pan Thursday, did not change any baking instructions for time or temp and it was just like eating a beautiful truffle. If anything I could have maybe reduced baking time by 5minutes.
Thank you so much Laura.