Decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake

A mixing bowl and a whisk is all you need to make this insanely good flourless chocolate cake! You would never guess that it doesn’t contain any grain flours, starches, or dairy, and after one bite, the only thing you’ll think is how unbelievably delicious it is!

Hold onto your hats.

I’ve got a insanely good chocolate cake recipe for you.

But it’s not just any chocolate cake.

It’s a flourless chocolate cake.

And it’s low-carb.

Totally insane, right??

What this cake doesn’t have

As the name suggests, this flourless chocolate cake contains no grain flours…not wheat, rice, sorghum, etc. It also doesn’t contain any dairy, so no butter or milk or yogurt. There is no refined white sugar.

So what does it have?

Firstly, there’s chocolate. DUH. You can throw the chocolate chips as-is into the cake batter, or you can melt them like I do and stir them in.

The dry ingredients are made up of almond flour, coconut flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Baked goods that use almond flour are often quite heavy and dense, but a little bit of coconut flour helps to balance the texture so it is more cake-like.

The wet component is composed of eggs, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, melted chocolate, and canned pumpkin.

Yes, canned pumpkin. It adds moisture to the cake as well as sweetness while being low-carb. If incorporating a fruit into baked goods for moisture and sweetness, bananas are a common choice. However, compared to canned pumpkin, they are quite high in carbohydrates. Using canned pumpkin in this recipe makes the carbohydrates at 13g per serving versus 20g if you used mashed bananas.

You might also think that you can get enough sweetness from the maple syrup and melted chocolate alone, but the pumpkin actually adds another layer of sweetness to the cake without making it taste like pumpkin.

Canned pumpkin vs Applesauce

You can use either canned pumpkin or applesauce in this recipe as they will act the same in adding moisture to the cake, and they are both better low carb alternatives to using banana. However, pumpkin beats applesauce in a nutritional level. It is a great source of protein, bests applesauce by leaps and bounds in Vitamins A, C, E, and K, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, and B6. Then it is rich in minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron…I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Compared to applesauce, canned pumpkin is a nutritional powerhouse which adds to this chocolate cake more than you realize.

Quick and Easy

Besides being insanely good and relatively (dare I say) healthy, it’s also super easy to make. Combine all the dry ingredients and whisk together. Combine all the wet ingredients and whisk together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix with the whisk. Add the melted chocolate and stir into the batter with a spatula or spoon. Transfer the batter to a parchment-lined baking pan and pop it in the oven.

In 45 minutes you’re going to have the most amazing looking and amazing smelling chocolate cake.

But…you can’t cut into it just yet! Well, you could, if you really wanted to, but let it rest and cool down completely. Your patience will be rewarded.

You’ll have an amazing piece of cake that you can either top with a dusting of icing sugar or cocoa. If you don’t have an issue with dairy, top it with a dollop of homemade whipped cream to take this your piece of cake up a notch.

One bite of this cake and you won’t even think about how it’s totally gluten-free or that it doesn’t contain any grains or dairy. You probably won’t guess there is an ounce of pumpkin in it, and you probably won’t even think it’s even remotely healthy.

All you’ll think is that this is one crazy delicious chocolate cake and about taking that next bite. 😉

~ Lisa.

Watch How To Make It!

Decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake

A mixing bowl and a whisk is all you need to make this insanely good flourless chocolate cake! You would never guess that it doesn't contain any grain flours, starches, or dairy, and after one bite, the only thing you'll think is how unbelievably delicious it is!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: chocolate cake, dairy-free, flourless, gluten-free

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake time: 45 minutes

Makes: 20 servings

Calories: 146kcal

Author: Lisa from A Day in the Kitchen

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Dry Ingredients:

• 200 g blanched almond flour
• 60 g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 tbs coconut flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 15 oz. can canned pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup maple syrup
• 6 tbs extra light olive oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Optional Garnishings:

• Icing sugar
• Unsweetened cocoa
• Whipped cream
• Chocolate shavings

Instructions

• Preheat oven 350F/180C.
• Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 1 minute to melt. Stir well. Microwave another 15 seconds more, if required, to melt chips completely. Set aside.
• Combine all dry ingredients and whisk together well.
• In mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients and mix together with a whisk until well combined.
• Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well.
• Add melted chocolate to cake batter and stir in with a spatula.
• Pour cake batter into a parchment lined 8x8-inch pan or 9x13 pan (see notes on pan sizes below).
• Bake for 45 minutes, checking for doneness with a toothpick to make sure the batter is not still wet.
• Let cake cool in pan for at least an hour before attempting to remove it (or just leave it in the pan).
• Dust with icing sugar or top with whipped cream, if desired.
• Store leftover cake in the fridge.

Equipment Used

• Stainless Steel Wire Whisks
• 8x8 Baking Pan
• 9x13 Baking Pan
• 9-inch springform pan

Notes

• If you want to make the cake less sweet or reduce the carbs even more, you can reduce the maple syrup by half. You can also reduce or eliminate the chocolate, knowing that you will lessen the chocolatey flavor in the cake.
• If you omit the chocolate chips, your cake will have a slight "fruity" flavor from the pumpkin, but it will not be that strong.
• You can opt not to melt the chocolate and simply add whole chocolate chips to the batter.
• In place of chocolate chips, you can simply use dark chocolate bars.
• Applesauce can be substituted 1:1 for the canned pumpkin.
• If you use an 8x8 pan for the cake, the sides of your pan should be no less than 2" (5cm) to account for the rise in the cake.
• You can also use two 9-inch round pans, or a 9-inch springform pan with high sides would also work.
• Cake tastes great chilled!
• Top with a sprinkle of icing sugar, cocoa, or a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Nutrition

Serving: 1square | Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g

Have you tried this recipe?Mention @dayinthekitchen or tag #adayinthekitchen!