Flourless Chocolate Cake (Four Ingredient)

A rich and delicious flourless chocolate cake is naturally gluten free. One bite of this rich fudgy chocolate dessert will have you swooning for more!

Made with just four simple ingredients!

Rich and delicious chocolate cake

When you need a cake that's full of chocolate and is rich and delicious, this flourless chocolate cake is for you.

This cake is made with just four simple ingredients and the process isn't difficult, but it does take a few crucial steps to make this cake. You'll first separate the eggs and white the whites to stiff peaks.

The beaten egg whites are what give the cake its lift and body. They are gently folded into your chocolate mixture.

This cake is baked in a low temperature oven in a water bath, like you would cook a cheesecake. This helps keep the cake moist and prevents the top from cracking.

The steps may sound a little intimidating, but this really isn't a difficult cake to make. Just read through all the instructions before beginning and then follow them step by step while you're baking.

This flourless chocolate cake doesn't need any sort of frosting or fancy topping. Just sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar and add some fresh berries. You could serve with a dollop of whipped cream too.

You just need a small slice of this cake to satisfy your chocolate cravings.

Ingredients

You only need four ingredients to make this cake!

• Bittersweet chocolate - Can also use a mixture of bittersweet and semisweet chocolate. Do not use unsweetened chocolate.
• Butter - I use salted butter
• Eggs
• Sugar

Step by step directions

• Line an 8 inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Spray the paper and the sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place a metal baking dish, large enough to hold the cake pan, in the oven and fill with 1 inch of hot water.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.

Melt chocolate

• Place small pieces of chocolate and slices of butter in a large bowl.
• Melt chocolate in microwave. Heat for 30 seconds at a time until butter begins to melt.
• Stir well until chocolate is fully melted. You may need to return to microwave and heat for 30 seconds again, until chocolate is fully melted. Don't heat longer than 30 seconds so you don't burn your chocolate.
• Set mixture aside and let it cool while you prepare the eggs

Prepare the eggs

• Separate eggs being careful not to get any yolk in the egg whites.
• Place egg whites in a mixing bowl and mix with a whisk until stiff peaks are formed.

Mix the batter

• Once chocolate mixture has cooled (can still be warm, but not hot), add sugar and a pinch of salt
• Stir in egg yolks
• Gently fold in egg whites

Bake the cake

• Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
• Place cake in oven in the center of the pan with hot water. Be careful to not get any water into the batter.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Testing the cake

• Gently touch top of cake with your finger. If the cake is jiggly, cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
• Testing the cake for doneness is different than any other cake.
  • A toothpick inserted in the center will be very moist and does not determine if the cake is done
  • The sides of the cake will still be touching the cake pan. The sides pull away while the cake is cooling, but not while still in the oven. If you cook until the sides are pulling away, the cake will be overcooked!

Serving the cake

• Once cake is fully cooled, run a knife around the cake pan.
• Place a hand on the top of the cake and invert cake pan.
• Remove parchment paper and place cake on a cake plate.
• Dust with powdered sugar and add fresh raspberries or strawberries. A bit of fresh mint can also be added for garnish.
• A drizzle of homemade raspberry sauce would also be delicious!

Recipe tips

• When adding beaten egg whites, fold in carefully so you don't deflate the egg whites.
• Be certain all egg whites are fully incorporated into chocolate mixture. Just keep folding until everything is mixed well.
• Be certain to use parchment paper in your cake pan. This will ensure your cake can easily be removed from the pan. I usually spray a bit of nonstick spray in the bottom of my cake pan and then add the parchment paper. Then I spray the parchment paper and the sides of the pan.
• To make a perfect size parchment paper, lay the cake pan on top of the paper and trace the bottom of the pan with a pencil onto the paper. Then cut out a perfectly formed circle.

More delicious desserts

• Chocolate Meringue Cookies - these light cookies are also gluten free
• Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes
• Chocolate Walnut Tart
• Strawberry Swiss Roll Cake

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop

Check out all my delicious, homemade dessert recipes!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Kathy

Rich, decadent chocolate cake

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10 people

Calories 221 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Measuring Cups
• ▢
  Measuring Spoons
• ▢
  Stand Mixer
• ▢
  Parchment paper
• ▢
  Cooling Rack
• ▢
  8 inch cake pan

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (broken into small pieces)
• ▢ 8 tablespoons butter (salted butter)
• ▢ 5 eggs (separated)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 1 pinch salt

Instructions

 

Preheat Oven

• Line an 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper on the bottom. Spray sides and paper with nonstick spray.
• Place a metal baking dish, large enough to hold the cake pan, in the oven and fill with 1 inch of hot water.Preheat oven to 325°F.

Melt Chocolate

• Place chocolate and butter in a large microwave safe bowl.
  8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, 8 tablespoons butter
• Microwave for 30 seconds at a time. Stir and reheat in microwave until completely melted. Be careful not to burn chocolate.
• Set aside to cool.

Cake Batter

• Beat egg whites to a stiff peaks. 
  5 eggs
• Mix sugar and a pinch of salt into chocolate mixture.
  2 tablespoons sugar, 1 pinch salt
• Mix egg yolk to chocolate mixture.
• Gently fold in egg whites.
• Pour cake mixture into prepared cake pan.
• Place in oven in center of prepared roasting pan with water.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 30 -35 minutes. Gently touch top of cake with your finger. If the cake is jiggly, cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
• Fully cool cake in cake pan on a baking rack.
• Run a knife around sides of cake. Place hand on top of cake and invert cake pan. Remove parchment and place cake on a cake plate.
• Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Notes

• When adding beaten egg whites, fold in carefully so you don't deflate the egg whites.
• Be certain all egg whites are fully incorporated into chocolate mixture. Just keep folding until everything is mixed well.
• Be certain to use parchment paper in your cake pan. This will ensure your cake can easily be removed from the pan. I usually spray a bit of nonstick spray in the bottom of my cake pan and then add the parchment paper. Then I spray the parchment paper and the sides of the pan.
• To make a perfect size parchment paper, lay the cake pan on top of the paper and trace the bottom of the pan with a pencil onto the paper. Then cut out a perfectly formed circle.

Nutritional Disclaimer:

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 221kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 1gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 82mgPotassium: 128mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 290IUCalcium: 17mgIron: 1.4mg

Keyword chocolate cake, flourless chocolate cake, gluten free chocolate cake

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Recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking