If you or a friend are eating gluten-free and don’t want to miss out on dessert, then this cake is definitely for you! This rich and decadent cake is made without flour and doesn’t skimp out on flavor!
Last summer, Addie attended a sports camp and met a new friend. They were inseparable that entire week of camp and enjoyed hanging out together even after the camp had concluded. We allowed the two of them to go to the pool together, unsupervised, so they could start to gain some independence.
Slowly but surely, we became friends with her parents as well. We met them for dinner once and also invited them to our house for some outdoor s’mores. Unfortunately, the family has a lot of food allergies. Addie’s friend has a milk allergy, and her sister and dad have a gluten allergy.
I wanted to make sure that the sister and dad had something to eat, since s’mores would not go over well. Unfortunately, neither of them were able to make it, but Addie’s friend and mom came over. I had made this flourless chocolate cake for the family to enjoy, and they brought a piece home for the dad and sister to try.
My husband gave this cake a perfect score (5 out of 5) and proclaimed that he couldn’t even tell that there was no flour in the dessert. He loved how dense and rich the cake was. Addie and I were harsher critics and gave this a score just below perfection but still enjoyed it nonetheless.
If you have any gluten-free friends or want to try something without flour (but tastes just as good without sacrificing flavor), try this flourless chocolate cake.
Husband’s rating: 5 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Flourless chocolate cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 teaspoons instant espresso powder optional but recommended
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Ganache
- 1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Make the cake
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Generously grease and line an 8" round cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and butter together. Stir with a spatula until all the chips have melted.
- Add in the sugar, salt, espresso powder, and vanilla. Mix well.
- Stir in the eggs and mix until the batter is uniform.
- Fold in the cocoa powder and mix until everything just comes together. Do not over mix.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan and smooth out the top. Bake in your preheated oven for about 25 minutes. The top should be set (it will have a thin crusty layer but the cake may still jiggle a bit).
- Allow the cake to cool for about 5 minutes before flipping the cake over on a cake plate to cool completely.
Make the ganache
- Once the cake has set, make the ganache. Place the chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl.
- Heat up the heavy cream either on the stove or in the microwave so that it's near boiling. Pour it over the chocolate chips and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes.
- Whisk the mixture vigorously until you achieve a smooth, satin-like ganache.
- Pour this over the top of the cake. I spread the ganache to the edges without allowing it to drip over the sides.
- Let the ganache set before slicing and serving.