Several years ago, a sweet friend of mine requested a Flourless Chocolate Cake for her birthday. I’d never heard of it before, but she told me that she had fallen in love with it at a restaurant once and wondered if I could make her one.
I found a number of different recipes and I tried a couple of them. Then I made this one and it took my breath away.
I’ve made this cake several times over the past few years and every time this is served, the room goes silent.
Unassuming in appearance and almost ridiculously easy to make, this cake is a fantastic decadent treat. I use dark bittersweet chocolate, instead of cocoa powder and that difference creates an entirely different cake.
This is creamy and smooth, not at all dry. The serving size truly is the tiniest sliver. The slice pictured here served two people.
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Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup water
- 18 ounces bittersweet dark chocolate I use Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Bittersweet baking chips
- 1 cup butter
- 6 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Generously grease a 10” round springform pan and set aside *. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the sugar, salt, and water. Simmer, stirring frequently, until completely clear and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water (or in a microwave at 50% power for 1 minute intervals), melt the chocolate. Pour the melted chocolate into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Cut the butter into 1 inch pieces and slowly beat the butter into the melted chocolate one piece at a time. (It's okay to have some tiny unmelted butter pieces in the chocolate mixture.)
- Pour the hot sugar and water mixture into the chocolate. Beat to combine. Slowly add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each egg is added to the mixture. Pour the batter into the well-greased springform pan.
- Prepare a pan larger than the springform pan and set the springform inside it. Pour about 4 cups of boiling water into the bigger pan, or enough water to fill the pan about halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
- Carefully set the pans in the oven and bake the cake in the water bath for 45-48 minutes. The center of the cake will still look wet when it is finished baking.
- Chill the cake overnight in the pan. Carefully slide a knife around the edge of the pan and remove the springform ring prior to serving. Slice into very thin pieces and serve topped with freshly whipped cream or fresh berries.
Tana Sanchez says
What type of butter do you use…salted or unsalted? Thanks
Mary says
I use salted butter in everything.
Jill says
I wanted to make this as mini cakes for Valentine’s Day. I was wondering if you think it would still work out if I used mini silicone molds.
Mary says
I’m guessing it will work fine, however I haven’t tested that myself.
Kat says
Mmmmmm…..!!!
Made this cake yesterday and paired it with a raspberry sauce.
A-ma-zing. Perfect in every way. This was the best flourless chocolate cake! Thank you!
Mary Younkin says
Yay! I’m so happy you like it, Kat.
Helena Guzman says
I’m SO happy that everyone likes it! I didn’t know whether it would be good or not,I have Celiac diease and I LOVE cooking (I’m 10) but it’s been hard to find Gluten free desserts that would be fit for me so I could make it all the time! Iv’e cooked breakfast and dinner by myself and I REALLY like it so thank you for sharing this recipe! I hope I like it!
Mary Younkin says
Helena – So happy to see a young cook here! Can’t wait to hear more reviews on the recipes you try.
Elise says
This cake is simply amazing. It is by far the best dessert I have ever made. I made a couple of small changes, using 80% dark chocolate and reducing the sugar to 1/2 cup – I think any sweeter would have been too much for our family. I also cooked it in a 9″ pan, so it took a little longer, but was a nice height. It was soooo rich and creamy – more like a very dense mousse than cake. I served it with raspberry sauce and plain whipped cream – next time I would use fresh fruit because the cake is so over the top it needs something fresh and slightly acidic to balance the palate. Everyone took a thin slice, and then some of us went back for seconds, but couldn’t finish the second piece – it’s that rich. Amazing recipe, and so simple! This will be our special occasion dessert forever…
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe, Elise.
Helena Guzman says
When you said dark chocolate did you mean chocolate chips?
Mary Younkin says
Helena – You can use dark chocolate baking chips.
Helena Guzman says
Thanks! Dummy me. I should have know lol.
Mary Younkin says
Oh no worries at all, Helena.
Kathleen Harris says
Did you use the 60% or 72% cacao content Ghirardelli baking chips? Please advise. I can’t find any bittersweet Ghirardelli chips that say “double chocolate” in the package. Thanks
Mary Younkin says
Either will work Kathleen but I would go with 72%.