How to Make a Restaurant-Quality Flourless Chocolate Cake

My husband, Lewis, is very particular about chocolate cake. He will reject slices of devil’s food cake, Texas sheet cake, and even cute little chocolate cupcakes because they are not chocolatey enough for him. The only chocolate cake he will happily eat is the flourless kind: rich and pleasantly bittersweet, with crisp edges and a fudgy interior that comes from folding melted chocolate into a mixture of whole eggs and sugar that have been whipped until thick and pale.

As intimidating as that sounds, making an excellent flourless chocolate cake is actually quite simple. With a few tips and tricks—and a foolproof recipe from our Birmingham, Alabama-based test kitchen colleague Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman—it’s possible to make a restaurant-quality dessert at home whenever you want. Here’s how.

4 Tips for Making the Best Flourless Chocolate Cak

Melt the chocolate gently. One of the easiest ways to melt chocolate is to place it in a heatproof bowl that’s just large enough to nest in a saucepan of simmering water. The steam from the water gently melts the chocolate, while avoiding higher temperatures that can cause it to overheat, seize, and become grainy. Just be careful not to drip any water into the chocolate, as that will also cause the chocolate mixture to break. 

Use a blend of bittersweet chocolate, espresso powder, and unsweetened cocoa powder. For a cake with bold chocolate flavor, Stuedeman uses a trio of bittersweet chocolate that’s at least 60% cacao, instant espresso powder, and unsweetened cocoa powder. The espresso powder, while not chocolate itself, has similar roasted and bitter characteristics that enhance the chocolate’s fruity notes and, together with the unsweetened cocoa powder, give the cake a robust depth of flavor. (Feel free to experiment with chocolates that have different cacao percentages, but keep in mind that using something with a lower cacao percentage, like milk chocolate, which can range from 30 to 50% cacao, may result in a sweeter cake.)

Whip the eggs and sugar until they ribbon. It's important to beat the eggs and sugar together until they’re pale and thick—what bakers call the “ribbon” stage, as the batter is sturdy enough to leave a ribbon-like trail that slowly sinks back into the rest of the batter when the beaters are lifted. This gives the cake its rich yet delicate texture, as the properly whipped egg foam contains many tiny air bubbles that help aerate the cake while also providing structure.

Use a springform pan. Because the cake is so delicate, it’s best to bake it in a springform pan, which will allow you to easily unmold the cake without accidentally wrecking it. And if transferring the cake to a serving platter feels too daunting, you can serve the cake on the pan base.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (175ºC). Using baking spray, coat the interior of a 9-inch springform pan; line bottom of pan with a parchment paper round and the sides with a separate parchment strip; set aside.

Fill a medium saucepan with water to a depth of 1 inch and bring to a boil over medium-high; reduce heat to a simmer over medium-low. In a medium-size heatproof bowl, combine chocolate, butter, espresso powder, and salt, and place over saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring frequently, until chocolate mixture is melted and smooth, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat, being careful not to drip any water into the melted chocolate. Whisk in cocoa powder and vanilla extract until combined and smooth; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine eggs and sugar. Whisk on medium-high speed until mixture is pale, falls off the whisk attachment in thick ribbons (they should slowly sink back into the batter) and has increased by about 1/3 in volume, 5 to 7 minutes. (Alternatively, an electric hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment can be used to whip the eggs and sugar.) Using a flexible spatula, fold chocolate mixture into eggs gradually until just combined and no streaks remain. Gently scrape chocolate batter into prepared pan, using a small offset spatula to evenly spread and smooth the top if necessary.

Bake until top is dry and a wooden toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 25 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Run a small offset spatula or butter knife around edges of cake to loosen, if necessary; remove pan sides, and discard strips of parchment. Let cake cool completely on pan base on wire rack, about 1 1/2 hours. Using a large offset spatula, gently loosen cake from pan base and carefully transfer cake to a plate, removing and discarding parchment round. Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust cake with additional cocoa powder. Serve with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Special Equipment

9-inch springform pan, parchment paper, medium saucepan, stand mixer, wire rack, fine-mesh sieve

Notes

The cake can also be dusted with confectioners’ sugar.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Once cooled, the cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

The cake can be tightly wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 1 month. To thaw, let sit in refrigerator overnight.