This Flourless Chocolate Cake is a chocoholic’s dream! Rich, dense and fudge-like, a slice of this gluten free cake is pure indulgence. And the raspberry-swirled whipped cream on top is the perfect finishing touch. Let’s make this restaurant-quality dessert at home together!
Chocolate cake of any kind is a big yes for me. If I had only one dessert for the rest of my life, it would most likely be chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. And a huge glass of cold milk, of course.
Chocolate cake was the go-to birthday cake for us growing up. My mom used a boxed mix and a storebought can of frosting and guess what – it was flippin’ delicious. My mom made the best chocolate cake!
This Flourless Chocolate Cake is a bit more sophisticated, and about as decadent a chocolate cake as you can get.
WHAT DOES FLOURLESS CAKE TASTE LIKE?
This rich chocolate cake is somewhere between a brownie and chocolate fudge, and that’s a good place to be. Rich, fudgy and so indulgent, just a small sliver will send you straight to chocolate heaven.
The whipped cream on top is a delicious complement to the richness of the cake. It’s pillowy and light and gently swirled with fresh raspberries that you’ll puree in the blender.
I like to spend a few extra minutes whipping the cream so that it’s super fluffy and can be piled high on top of the cake without slumping down the sides.
What’s in this Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe
Unlike many other flourless chocolate cake recipes, this one does not require bittersweet chocolate or unsweetened cocoa powder. We’re using simple ingredients and pure chocolate, without any powder. The result is a rich chocolate flavor without any bitterness. Here’s what you’ll need:
HOW TO MAKE THIS FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
This gluten-free dessert is the perfect dessert for a special occasion. It takes a few steps to make, but it’s worth the extra time. If you have a springform pan and a roasting pan, you’re good to go.
First, melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan.
Then, pour in the espresso. That’s an easy step.
Then, beat the eggs with a hand mixer until they start to become pale in color. This takes about 8-10 minutes of beating, so get comfy. You want them super frothy with lots of air bubbles.
When you combine the eggs and chocolate mixture, go slowly! You don’t want to break all of those air bubbles you worked so hard to create with the eggs. So gently fold the ingredients together until they’re incorporated, and be patient.
Once the ingredients are all incorporated, pour them into your springform pan and make a water bath in a larger roasting pan. The water bath will prevent your beautiful Flourless Chocolate Cake from cracking.
What kind of pan to use for flourless chocolate cake?
The best way to bake a flourless cake is in a springform pan. A springform pan has a removable bottom, so you don’t have to lift the cake out of the pan. You simply release the sides and bottom and there’s your cake.
To prepare the springform pan for baking, trace a circle of parchment paper and place it into the bottom of the pan. Then, spray the parchment paper and sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
HOW TO MAKE THE RASPBERRY SWIRLED CREAM
You can save time by making the whipped cream while the cake bakes. My advice for making homemade whipped cream is always the same: find a bowl bigger than you think you need, and put the bowl into the sink. This will help reduce some of the inevitable splatter that happens when you start whipping cream with a handheld mixer on high speed.
Then, fold in the raspberry puree. We’re making homemade puree by processing the fresh berries into a blender until smooth. No added sugar needed!
I am obsessed with fresh berries and will put them on any dessert I can find, but if you’re not, just leave the raspberries out. If you don’t have raspberries on hand, you could swap in strawberries as an equally pretty and delicious option.
How to Serve this Flourless Chocolate Cake
Use a wet knife to slice the cake. I like to use a pizza wheel that I’ve run under the faucet to make nice, smooth cuts. Top each slice with a generous dollop of raspberry whipped cream and more fresh berries, if desired.
I have also served this flourless cake the opposite way – I’ve topped the whole cake with pillowy clouds of whipped cream and fresh berries, and then sliced it. It makes an impressive appearance when you do it that way.
Is Flourless Cake Gluten Free?
In most cases, flourless cake is going to be gluten free. People following a gluten-free diet avoid wheat, rye and barley which are all gluten-containing grains. So a flourless cake would have to be – and usually is – free of all three of those flours.
Should a flourless cake be refrigerated?
It is not necessary to refrigerate a flourless cake. It can be stored, either covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container, at room temperature.
You should, however, refrigerate this cake for a few hours after it bakes just to firm it up. I actually prefer to keep it in the fridge at all times because I like to serve it cool. But it’s not necessary to do that.
I hope you’ll try this Flourless Chocolate Cake with raspberry swirled cream the next time you need something a little special. And when you make it, let me know! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more chocolate recipes, try these:
For more gluten free desserts, try these:
Best Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
The Cake
- 8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
- 8 oz. milk chocolate chips
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 6 eggs
- 1 tsp. instant espresso powder
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. salt
The Whipped Cream
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3 Tbsp. sugar
- 4 oz. raspberries pureed to yield 1/4 cup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lay a springform pan on a piece of parchment paper and trace around it with a pencil. Cut out the circle. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Lay the parchment circle in the pan and then spray the parchment paper. Wrap the bottom half of the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Place the pan into a large roasting pan.
- In a small saucepan or double boiler, combine the butter and both chocolates. Over the lowest heat, melt everything together until smooth. Quickly remove from heat and pour into a separate bowl. In a small bowl, combine the espresso powder and vanilla and stir. Pour the espresso mixture into the chocolate mixture and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer until they start to lose color, about 8 minutes. Beat in the salt. In two or three stages, start adding the eggs to the chocolate mixture and gently fold in. (It will take some time until everything is thoroughly incorporated – just be patient and slow with it). Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Place the roasting pan into the oven and pour warm water until it comes about 1/3 of the way up the springform pan. Bake for 35 minutes until set.
- Remove the springform pan from the roasting pan, take off the aluminum foil and allow to cool to room temperature. Then cover and place the pan into the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours.
- Puree the raspberries in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the whipped cream and sugar on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5-6 minutes. Once it reaches the desired consistency, gently fold in the pureed raspberries.
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator, release it from the springform pan and slide it onto a serving dish. Top with whipped cream and additional berries.
I was looking for a special dessert to bring to our family’s Christmas celebration, but I also wanted it to be gluten free so my sister could enjoy it! When I found this recipe that was gluten free and chocolate, I had to try it!
This dessert was delicious and my kids had fun helping me bake it! Everyone loved it!!
I’m so glad your family enjoyed it!
I made this for company and they raved about it! It was really decadent!
I want to make this flourless chocolate cake, but it didn’t say what size springform pan to use.
Hi Jane,
I use a 9 inch pan, but an 8 inch will also work. Hope this helps 🙂
Silly me, I whipped the eggs up in a blender then drizzled the chocolate into mixture – it was like a soufflé when finished
Hi Curtis, it sounds like you created a new recipe! 🙂
I hope it was still delicious!