This Flourless Chocolate cake is one of my all time favorite desserts to make. Not only is it an easy recipe but the end result is a rich decadent treat that has the perfect level of intense chocolate flavor and creamy dense texture. Mmmmm Drooling just thinking about it!
I like to Decorate it with my stabilized whipped cream and fresh berries, that is when I take the time to decorate it, often I just dig right in. It’s so rich you don’t want to serve it with anything else that is super rich, it would simply be too much! I serve it in pretty small slices and sometimes people don’t even finish that. I love it with whipped cream and my berry coulis and my mom likes it with my vanilla bean ice cream!
It’s a wonderful dark chocolate (remember I like to mix my chocolates for a better flavor) and the texture is AMAZING, dense, rich and creamy. It’s more of a mix between a custard and a brownie maybe? Either way it’s oh so good and EVERYONE loves it. It’s my most requested treat when visitors come over.
It’s a pretty simple dessert, but my husband often tell’s me I do little things that make all the difference in my cooking that I forget to put in a recipe I write. SO I took a video and editing it did change the way I wrote the recipe! He was right, there were little things I did I didn’t notice until filming. Enjoy!
The BEST Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 3 C granulated sugar separated, 2 C and 1 C
- 1 C Water
- 2 C Butter
- 24 oz bitter-sweet chocolate broken into small pieces (I like to mix my chocolate, some semi sweet, bitter sweet and dark)
- 10 whole eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Pick your pan size and Spray the sides with Bakers Joy and line the bottom with parchment paper - I like to use a 10x3 inch round pan, You can use a 12x2 inch pan or two 8x2 inch pans
- Heat 2 C of the sugar in a medium pan with the water until the sugar has completely dissolved to a syrup.
- Place the butter in the hot syrup and stir, then add the chocolate and stir to combine until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Beat the eggs with 1 C sugar until the volume quadruples-this only takes 10 minutes in my Bosch - They really do quadruple in size.
- Turn the mixer on slow and add the chocolate mixture to the eggs until just combined.
- Pour into the cake tin of your choice and place in a water bath (I just use the next cake pan up). It is vital for even baking.
- Bake in the oven for at least an hour. Depending on how thick your making your cake you MIGHT need up to an additional 30 minutes until it's set.
- It's actually very hard to over cook. And the center tends to be goopy if it's undercooked, so always err on the side of cooking a bit too long.
- The cake rises quite a bit when it cooks (expanding egg bubbles), but it does shrink as it cools so flip it over onto a plate or cake stand while its still warm, but leave the cake pan on to hold the shape, once it's cool you can take it off.
- Top with Stabilized whipped cream, berries and Berry Coulis and/or Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
Video
Nutrition
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maleahbliss
I gotta tell you, this sounds HEA-VAN-LY!! 🙂 I’m totally trying this. 🙂
Ashlee
It TOTALLY is!!!! I seriously eat a slice for breakfast, lunch, dinner and second dinner after I make it!!! It never lasts long. (but it has so many eggs it makes a good breakfast, right?
maleahbliss
Oh!! You should come link this up to my linky party! Tute {Yourself} Tuesday! 🙂
LittleEme.blogspot.com
Ashlee
I haven’t linked up to any blogs in the past month. I REALLY need to start it up again!!! I love linking up, I’ll add yours to my list!
Amanda
Hooray you were featured today! I’d love if you stopped by and grabbed a button!
Amanda
http://www.todaystoptwenty.blogspot.com
~Carla~
This looks TO-DIE-FOR!! Yum!!! I’m allergic to butter though… *sigh* Wondering if I could substitute with something… (can’t have soy/corn either)
chisti
Found you on the Tip Junkie linky. 🙂
I just bookmarked this dessert because my daughter has to eat gf, and chocolate cake is her favorite. I have made the Betty Crocker gf cake from a mix, but have never tried a gf cake from scratch.
We have snow coming tomorrow, so it might be a fun day to try a new recipe!
Have a good evening!
christiswritingthewaves.blogspot.com
Ashlee
Now this isn’t cake cake, You don’t want to frost it, or eat a large slice. It’d really dense and moist, even more dense and moist then a brownie, or cheesecake! BUT it is flourless and oh so tasty! I just wanted to prepare you so you didn’t go into it thinking it was like birthday cake material (although it’s what I make for my own birthday every year!)
It's a Keeper
Hi! I host a weekly blog hop — It’s a Keeper Thursdays. I’d love for you to stop by and link up!
Thanks!
Christina @ It’s a Keeper
http://www.itisakeeper.com/
https://mobile.twitter.com/itsakeeperblog
http://www.facebook.com/ItsAKeeper
Ashlee
I’ll head on over! Thanks for the invitation!
Everyday Art
That looks absolutely delicious. It will definetely be the next chocolate dessert I make! 🙂
Ashlee
It is SOOOOO delicious, words can’t even describe how totally worth ever bit it is! Let me know what you think!
John
HI Ashlee,
Question, once the cake is flipped onto a plate and its cooled. At what point do you remove the tin? Reason I ask is does it need sit over night in the frig to solidify? I took the tin off after a few hours in frig and it seemed bearly solid. Does that mean it should have stayed in the tin longer to solidify more?
Ashlee
first – I NEVER refrigerate a cake, any cake. next – just leave it on the counter and let it cool, the first day it’s pretty loose still, the second day (like after 8 hours) it’s much more solid. BUT it could be that it wasn’t cooked enough too, you want to bake it until the toothpick is just crumby when pulled out. it usually takes me 1 hr 15 mins, but another 15 mins won’t hurt (very hard to over cook this one) AND at one vacation home we stayed at it once too 2 hours (bad oven)
Gina D'Eramo
Ashlee, can I use a 10×3 springform cake tin?
Ashlee Marie
should be okay – make sure it’s a tight fit, no leaking
Joanna
Oh my word, that looks insane! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
p.s. I’m visiting from T&J!
Ashlee
Thank you so much. It is an AMAZING recipe! Let me know if you try it!
[email protected] Crafty Home
OH MY YUM!!!!!!!!!! This looks amazing. I soooo wish I could bake. Thanks for linking up 🙂
yaplog
I love your blog.. very nice colors and theme. Did you design this website yourself or did you hire
Ashlee
I designed it all myself. I’m going to start a design company to do blog/website designs for others in the fall.
Stacey
Hi Ashlee,
What chocolate cake recipe would you recommend for the Lego head cake?
Thanks
Stacey
Ashlee
Not this one, this one isn’t for stacking or carving or frosting. This isn’t really a CAKE cake… You want something DENSE for carving that won’t fall apart. I’m actually writing a cookbook where I’ll be sharing the recipes I use for my cake business!!!
Melody Russell
Looks yummy! I want to make for my daughter. I’m new to baking from scratch. When you use a warm water bath for cake do you cook the cake in the oven in it?
Ashlee
yes, you cook it in the oven a waterbath is an extra pan around the cake pan filled with water to keep the baking even. so that the outside of the cake doesn’t cook faster than the inside. does that help?
Valerie
How exactly do you do a water bath? I have never done this before?
Thanks,
Valerie
Ashlee
For a water bath you need a pan larger than the one you are baking in (I usually just use a 12 inch round pan outside the 10 inch pan I bake in) and fill it with water to the top of the batter line (if you overfill it the inside pan will end up floating. It keeps the inside pan with the batter from getting too hot and cooking the sides of the cake before the center. More even baking.
Keysha
So I tried this just now in the two 8 inch pans and I did the recipe exactly how I read it and ended up having to use three because there was way too much. It actually filled three 8 inch pans all the way to the top. AND they expanded and made a mess. So just a warning…make sure you have big enough pans for it!!
Ashlee
Sorry about that! I have 3 inch tall pans so I guess I didn’t gauge how these fit in 2 inch tall pans very well! at least they were in a waterbath so they just overflowed into the other pan, right? I’m still surprised that they overflowed so much, I didn’t have that problem at my aunts house with her 2 inch tall pans. hmmm maybe altitude, there is so much that goes into baking it’s always a guessing game the first time I bake anything new.
Leslie
#1 – DELICIOUS!!
#2 – I halved the recipe and it still filled up 2 cake pans (I think they’re closer to 1.5 inches deep.)
#3 – I cooked them for 1.25 hour, and they were still super gooey in the middle – I couldn’t tell a way to check and see if they were done, since there was a hard crust on the top.
#4 – Any tips for getting it out of the pan? That was a bit of a struggle.
#5 – Do you normally refrigerate it after? I did because mine was still a bit gooey, but I wasn’t sure if it was necessary.
Thank you! It was a great recipe. I used Cadbury chocolate bars and chocolate chips and it turned out quite yummy.
Ashlee
1. thanks
2. Sorry to hear that! did it over flow? usually mine just grow tall, but don’t make a mess?
3. I just break the crust then put in a cake tester, you want very moist crumbs, but not goopy. Depending on your oven temp (I use a oven thermometer to make sure) they might take longer. but yes they DO take a long time to cook, they are worth it though. I’ve had one in the over for over 2 hours before! the chocolate you used could also be effecting how long it takes. I use all dark, bitter sweet, and unsweetened. I use 1/3 unsweetened bakers chocolate, 1/3 dark chocolate bars and 1/3 bittersweet bakers chocolate. Cadbury chocolate is DELICIOUS but softer, might not set up the same way.
4. I use a parchment paper circle in the bottom and “bakers joy” on the sides.
5. I don’t refrigerate, but I do like it better the second day!
Eden Passante
Gotta love a good chocolate cake! This is the perfect V-day recipe!!
Ashlee
it sure is, I make this for any event I can, it’s seriously amazing
Soledad
Hi, I just made it, but I can’t take it out from the pan! And I used the paper..don’t know what might be wrong..
Ashlee
It will shrink as it cools, and pull away from the sides, if you used a good spray, like bakers joy. Usually I flip the pan onto the plate and let it cool with the cake pan on it, it will shrink and pull away from the pan as it cools and the pan will come right up. If you weren’t able to use a good non stick spray you can quickly run a knife around the edge before flipping it over and letting it cool.
Soledad
It came out from the sides actually…The problem is the bottom. I figured out that it was a bit undercooked, so I put it back in the oven. From Argentina, cheers!
Ashlee
perfect! hope it works out perfectly now!
Heather
I know you mentioned no frosting…..what about ganache poured over the top? Also wondering how I could bake these as an individual serving? Cupcakes?
Ashlee
you could – but it’s a REALLY RICH cake, like a SLIVER is enough for most people to go into a chocolate coma. I haven’t tried making these smaller, let me know how it goes – just watch the bake time.
Jill
Didn’t notice in any of the descriptions, do you use salted or non salted butter?
Ashlee
unless it states unsalted always go with salted. Personally when doing it for myself I use unsalted for everything to better control the salt amt but since I know most people buy salted I make the blog recipes with salted 90% of the time.
Carrie o'leary
Hello! This sounds amazing! Have you tried this in cupcakes?
Ashlee
nope, I haven’t, if you try it let me know how it goes (just watch the bake time)
Lauren
Hi there, could this be made a day in advance? If so, any tips to keep it moist overnight?
Ashlee
personally I prefer it the second day, I always make it the day before and let it set up more, like a cheesecake. the first day it’s still too loose and kind of falls apart as you cut it.
Kaylin
So i tried this and well, I forgot to put it in the water bath:'( so I checked it after and hour and the top was super crisp and the rest was half solid and I knew it wouldn’t cook right so we decided to just make ice cream sundaes and they were so so anazing! I can’t wait to make it as cake lol
Ashlee
yay! great way to salvage it… without a water bath it basically turns into a super huge lava cake, outside cooked inside raw….
andrea remke
does this mean gluten free?
Ashlee
well it’s a flourless cake – which is technically gluten free, but it’s not like a gluten free cake (a cake you would level and cut) “flourless cakes” are kind of a dessert of their own if that makes sense.
Beth
I can’t wait to try this! If I use unsalted butter, should I add any salt to the batter?
Thanks!!
Madison Dennison
Hello Ashlee! I am new to your blog as I just found this recipe while scouting the internet to find a way to replicate a dessert from one of our favorite restaurants in San Francisco! I put the batter into foil ramekins sprayed with cooking spray (you can get the ramekins from amazon) and placed them in a larger Pyrex baking dish filled with water. I put approximately 3.5 oz of batter in each cup. 1 hour at 325 and they were nearly an exact replica. Perfect in time for valentines! I am hoping to next time add just a bit of extra dark cocoa to help deepen the chocolate color and flavor and hopefully make it just a tiny bit more “cakey”. I have never left a comment on a blog like this but after months of trial recipes trying to replicate their “warm chocolate fudge cake”, and ending up with basics a lot of brownies, I’m sure their are others hoping to find a way to adapt this to individual portions!!! (FYI the restaurant is Fog Harbor Fish House, and I don’t live in SF or have any affiliation with them 🙂
Ashlee Marie
so glad you liked it so much! I appreciate you taking the time to comment!
Cheryl Low Hui Min
Hi! I came across your video a few days ago and I love the way you bake your chocolate cake. I’m planning to make it tomorrow. Can I not use the water bath during the baking? How long must I bake the cake? Your recipe states “at least an hour”. Take cake can be baked more than an hour? If yes, what is the maximum hour the cake must ba baked?
Sonia Gupta
Chocolate cake is my son weakness and this one just steals the heart. The photographs are so tempting that I cannot take my eyes off. More than reading it was viewing your recipe for a long time. Great work.
Mary
Ashlee, I see on the recipe that you like to mix the chocolate. Do you use 8 oz. of semi-sweet, 8 oz. of bitter sweet and 8 oz. of dark?
Thank you. Trying to be brave and try this!!
Ashlee
yup! but it’s also about mixing brands too – sometimes I’ll use all bitter sweet or semi sweet but by using different brands it will help the flavor not taste like just one flavor
Cara Kretz
Ashlee,
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. I made it yesterday and it turned out perfect!!! I was able to learn from all the comments and anticipated the issues. I used the 10×3 pan with the 12×3 for the water bath. It ended up cooking for 1 hour and 45 minutes. I flipped it on the cake plate ( I wouldn’t have been brave enough to that without watching your video first). I left it on the counter (instead of refrigeration) and waiting until this morning to remove the pan. It did not sink and the pan came right off. I cannot wait to actually eat it. I am serving it tonight. I took a picture and will post on your instagram.
Ashlee Marie
YAY! so glad it worked so well for you!!!
Barbara berger
Looks wonderful, I need to make of these for passover seder, can it be frozen?
Ashlee Marie
I’ve never tried to freeze it, I think it would change the texture, still taste okay but a different texture
K
Hi Ashlee,
When would be the ideal time to make this if it is going to be served at a late afternoon party? That morning? The day before? Does it need to be refrigerated after baking/before serving?
Also, I have seen other flourless recipes where eggs are not beaten prior but just added straight into the mixture. What would be the difference in outcome if done this way?
Thank you!
Ashlee Marie
I like it after it’s set for a day – like a cheesecake. so I make it the day before, And I don’t refrigerate it, but you can. refrigeration dries out cakes so I avoid it unless I have to. And this is how I’ve always made this cake so I can’t comment on not beating the eggs first.
K
I made it and it was really really good. A small slice was perfect but honestly, I probably could’ve eaten more. I really appreciated the video instruction. I think it had a couple tips and tricks that you didn’t mention in your written instruction so very helpful. I don’t think two 8 x 2 inch cake pans are big enough though. The batter fit between two pans but did rise above the cake pans quite a bit in the oven. Not sure if it would’ve spilled over since I had put the parchment paper around just in case.
Thank you very much for the great recipe.
Michelle Mutert
I made this for guests and it was a HIT! Very rich, creamy and chocolaty!!! Next time though I will half the recipe as it made THREE cakes. I had a 9 1/2’, a 9 in and put the leftover batter in a foil pie pan! Loved the berry sauce! Definitely takes it to the next level!
Ashlee Marie
use a taller pan, I use a 10×3 inch pan
Margie
I tried this and you say to use small pan to melt sugar and then add 2 cup os butter and 24 oz of chocolate I changed pans two times because small doesn’t work Beat my ten eggs ten minutes and then poured my batter in my ten ” pan and have enough batter for another ten” pan. What did I do wrong.
Ashlee Marie
I guess small is relative, I use my smallest pan, but I have a large family so maybe my small pan isn’t very small? also I use a 10×3 inch pan, you can see it in the video.