Easy step by step photo instructions for this decadent flourless chocolate cake you can make with no special skills. Make this your special signature desert.
I love chocolate. I know I’m not alone, but actually, I love it more than you do… I have had this cake as the cap to great meals. I have had it cut into 1-inch squares at parties. It screams decadence; it screams chocolate, and it screams my name. If you have never had it, you must do this recipe today.
My Rating
A top recipe. So easy. So good. You must do this recipe. Check out the step by step photo instructions.
Recipe notes for Flourless Chocolate Cake
Now the story. Last week I got my year end “yearbook” from Cooks Country (part of Cooks Illustrated if you don’t know). I like Cooks Country more than Cooks Illustrated anymore. It is just more me. A little more down to earth so to speak. There in the April issue was their version. It was doable but still fussy plus seem to make more cake than I wanted.
Now the research started. Lots of choices. Lots of reading recipes. What I wanted:
- Not too big. Some of the recipes used a dozen eggs. Just massive. We are cooking for smaller households.
- Common ingredients. I want to do it without running around, and I want you to be able to do it easily at home.
- Not fussy. Picking at bubbles in the batter before baking is just not me. Lots of egg whipping going on. And water baths. I just don’t do that.
- Safe. There was actually one recipe cooked to only 140 degrees. Dangerous with eggs.
- Great taste and ratings.
I ended up with two great candidates. One at allrecipes.com and my winner at King Authur Flour. I love the ingredients, but I dummied down the instructions a little to my level, and I skipped the optional espresso powder which I would never have or use again. The expresso would kick up the chocolate a bit but use good chocolate, and you won’t need it. Now I love the results.
Preheat oven to 375.
Prepare an 8-inch cake pan with a round of parchment paper. Use the pan as a template and draw a circle and cut a bit smaller than the line. Coat the side of the pan with butter and dust with cocoa powder. Don’t bother with the bottom. Place parchment in the bottom of the pan.
Sift 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder. If you skip this, your cake may be a bit grainy.
Over very low heat, using a non-stick larger saucepan, melt 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter. While melting, add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon of salt if using unsalted butter only. Stir frequently until smooth. About 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, add 3/4 cup sugar and mix quickly until minimal grainy. Add 3 eggs and mix well.
Finally, add 1/2 cup sifted cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. It will be thick.
Pour into prepared pan and bake until internal temperature of 200 or a little more. 22 minutes for me with a dark pan. It may be up to 25 minutes for a different pan. Please go by the temperature.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5-10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a spatula or dull knife.
Place your serving dish on the pan and flip over onto the plate. The bottom will be up, but that is ok. Remove parchment paper. Allow to cool to room temperature.
For the glaze, using a larger non-stick saucepan over very low heat, melt 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup cream. Milk should be OK here, but use cream is available.
Pour into the center of the cake and spread to the edge smoothly. Some will drizzle down the side and look great. Cool for several hours before serving.
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Simple Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips - good quality
- 8 tablespoons butter - one stick
- 1/4 teaspoon salt - if using unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs - large
- 1/2 cup dutch cocoa powder - sifted
Glaze
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup cream - milk should be ok but cream is better
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Prepare an 8-inch cake pan with a round of parchment paper. Use the pan as a template and draw a circle and cut a bit smaller than the line. Coat the side of the pan with butter and dust with cocoa powder. Don't bother with the bottom. Place parchment in the bottom of the pan.
- Sift 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder. If you skip this, your cake may be a bit grainy.
- Over very low heat, using a non-stick larger saucepan, melt 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter. While melting, add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon of salt if using unsalted butter only. Stir frequently until smooth. About 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add 3/4 cup sugar and mix quickly until minimally grainy. Add 3 eggs and mix well and finally add 1/2 cup sifted cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. It will be very thick.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake until internal temperature of 200 or a little more. 22 minutes for me with a dark pan. It may be up to 25 minutes for a different pan. Please go by the temperature.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5-10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a spatula or dull knife. Place your serving dish on the pan and flip over onto the plate. The bottom will be up, but that is ok. Remove parchment paper.
- Allow to cool to room temperature.
- For the glaze, using a larger non-stick saucepan over very low heat, melt 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup cream. Milk should be OK here, but use cream is available.
- Pour into the center of the cake and spread to the edge smoothly. Some will drizzle down the side and look great. Cool for several hours before serving.
Have a question or something not clear? Ask in the comments.
If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated.
Nutrition is for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
This Recipe Featured in These Recipe Roundups
Year in Review and Top Recipes: 2016 (Winner of Recipe of the Year)
Jodi
Can you just use regular cocoa powder? Does it have to be dark? I don’t think we’d use it again unless to make this cake only and don’t want to waste the money if I don’t have to.
DrDan
It would change it a little, but it would still be great.
Dan
Joni Barnhardt
Oops, edit to the post above…the batter got very thick after the addition of the eggs AND the cocoa powder, not just after the eggs. :-)
DrDan
Hi Joni,
The sugar dissolves better when hot.so the quicker you are, the better. But I think your right about it being a bit grainy but still good. And yes when you add the cocoa it is quit thick. I think I will re-word a little on both issues.
Thanks for the notes
Dan
Joni Barnhardt
I made this cake last night to take to a function today. It’s all gone now…I guess that speaks for itself! :-) Very good! I tried to give it five stars, but I don’t think that worked. One question…after I added the sugar, I never could get it “non-grainy.” In fact, the more I stirred it, the grainier it seemed to get! Finally I just gave up and proceeded with the recipe. It didn’t seem to impact it negatively though. Do you have an idea of why that happened? Also, after I added the eggs, it got VERY thick and hard to stir/whisk. I think that was probably what it was supposed to do, but you might want to add a note about that so folks understand it is normal (just a thought). Thanks very much for this recipe! I will be making it again.
Laurajay
Wow that cake looks delightful, I cannot wait to try it out! Thank you.
DrDan
Thanks for the note. It is really good. I have frozen servings for future special occasions. This is cooking for two.
Dan