From Nigel's Kitchen Table

Autumn & Winter · Cakes & Muffins · Spring & Summer

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Recipe by Nigel Clease Kitchen-tested

Autumn & Winter 5 min read

A rich gluten-free chocolate cake with a dense, truffle-like texture and deep chocolate flavour.

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ReliableKitchen-tested instructions

PracticalClear timings and measurements

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You are going to fall in love with this gluten-free flourless chocolate cake. It is has a rich, truffle-like texture packed with chocolate in every bite. Gluten-free and so good you will end up eating more than you want to.

The best part about this deliciously rich flourless cake is that it doesn’t require any flour alternatives. It can be made ahead of time, takes minimal effort, and looks great decorated with fruit and served with whipped cream or ice cream on the side.

RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS
INGREDIENTS
HOW TO MAKE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
RECIPE TIPS
VARIATIONS
STORAGE AND FREEZING
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
NUTRITION
TOOLS YOU’LL NEED
RECIPE CARD

Recipe Highlights

EASE: Easy.
TASTE: A rich chocolate flavour.
TEXTURE: This cake has a dense, crumbly truffle-like centre.
QUANTITY: 12 slices (23cm / 9inch springform pan)
TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

For this flourless chocolate cake recipe, all you need are these 6 ingredients:

Dark or milk chocolate bar – choose your favourite chocolate for that beautiful rich flavour.

Chocolate recommendations: bars – Lindt Excellence dark 70% bar 100g, Montezuma’s darkside 51% bar 90g, Menier dark cooking chocolate 100g, Green and Black’s Organic dark Chocolate 100g, 1kg bags – Callebaut dark chocolate, Callebaut milk chocolate, Callebaut white chocolate.

Butter – adds structure and flavour. I use salted butter for most of my baking as it intensifies the flavours, but feel free to use unsalted if you prefer.

Medium eggs – build structure and richness to a recipe. Make sure they are at room temperature before use.

Cocoa powder – adds a rich chocolate flavour and builds structure.

Cocoa recommendations: Dr. Oetker fine dark cocoa powder or not as dark – Sevenhills wholefoods organic cacao powder

Caster or granulated white sugar – adds sweetness and structure to the bake.

Nigel Recommends

The Vanilla I Recommend

I recommend Taylor & Colledge vanilla products because they add a delicious depth of flavour while enhancing the other ingredients in the recipe. Choose from pure vanilla extract, vanilla paste or vanilla pods, depending on the recipe and the intensity of flavour you prefer.

VIEW THE VANILLA I RECOMMEND

Salt – Dont forget the salt – I highly recommend adding a generous pinch of salt to chocolate cakes. It may sound unusual, but salt helps balance the chocolate’s natural bitterness while enhancing its sweetness and richness. You should not be able to taste the salt itself. Instead, it makes the other flavours more pronounced and gives the cake greater depth. Don’t be afraid to add a little—it can make a noticeable difference to the finished cake.

I recommend Maldon Sea salt flakes or Cornish sea salt, but any good quality sea salt is fine.

Variations

Quality chocolate – makes all the difference in flavour.

Flavour recommendations: Lindt Excellence dark orange or Raspberry chocolate bar

Coffee – is another great flavour to add. Mix 1 tablespoon of coffee powder with 2 tbsp hot water until dissolved and stir into the chocolate once melted.

Nutrition

Serving: one cake slice

404.26 kcal

CALORIES · 20% DV

29.06 g

TOTAL FAT · 42% DV

31.64 g

CARBOHYDRATES · 12% DV

24.66 g

SUGARS · 27% DV

5.86 g

PROTEIN · 12% DV

51.04 mg

SODIUM · 3% DV

3.41 g

FIBRE · 12% DV

% Daily Values based on a 2,000-calorie diet

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and portion size used.

Storage and Freezing

This cake will keep well in an airtight container for 4-5 days in the fridge. Remove 1 hour prior to serving to allow the cake to come to room temperature.

Freezing: Wrap the cake in a layer of clingfilm and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature. Dust and decorate the cake before serving.

Flourless Chocolate Cake – preparation step 5

Equipment Suggestions

For this recipe, it is optional to use an electric hand or stand mixer, it can be made without. Other recommendations include:

Pyrex Glass Measuring Jug, 1L – I think I have said it before that I am not a big fan of plastic, so I like this type of glass measuring jug for calculating my liquids.

Milk Saucepan, 1 Litre With Double Sided Pouring Lips

This small pan is a great size for boiling small amounts of liquids and it has pouring lips built into the rim of the saucepan which makes it easy to use.

Pyrex 1L Glass Mixing Bowl

I find these small one litre glass bowls useful for mixing small amounts of ingredients.

Silicone spatula – I recommend these sturdy silicone spatulas because they are incredibly useful for baking and everyday cooking. Their firm handles make them excellent for scraping mixtures from bowls, dishes and frying pans, while the raised centre of the larger spatula gives it extra strength. You can find them and more of my favourite baking equipment in my Amazon Cake Making collection.

Springform Round Cake Pan/Tin, Loose Base, 23cm (9 inch)

These springform pans make removing cakes from them after baking a doddle. I personally tend to line them as often as possible to ensure that my cakes don’t break for added security.

Recipe Tips

When adding the egg whites to the chocolate mix, first add two dessert spoons of the egg whites and gently stir through. This will make it easier to fold in the remaining egg whites and less air will be lost.

Sudden temperature changes can cause cakes to sink in the middle, to prevent this, avoid opening the oven door before 3/4 of the baking time, even if you need to rotate your cake.

Use good quality chocolate and Dutch cocoa powder to get the best results in taste and finish.

This cake will sink slightly in the centre, but still looks amazing. If you want to disguise it simply dust with icing sugar or cocoa powder and decorate with fresh fruit.