Have you ever had a flourless chocolate cake? If you haven’t, you’re missing out on a little slice of gluten free heaven. Thanks to the missing flour, this dessert by nature is gluten free and has become quite popular in the restaurant circuit. A number of restaurants now offer a flourless chocolate cake as a dessert option, my favorite and where I first tried this divine creation is at Salt Creek Grille.
This sweet treat is best described as a very rich, chocolatey dessert. Depending on where you have tasted it, it can either be very fudgy in texture or resembling more of a lava cake. Either way you taste it, equally delicious! If you like chocolate, this dessert is totally for you and lucky for me I am a chocolate lover. As my husband’s birthday had passed, mine was quickly approaching and this year I had decided to go the chocolate route and indulge a little by making a flourless chocolate cake. After some googling I came upon the perfect recipe from Whole Foods Market for a Flourless Chocolate Cake Topped with a Chocolatey Glaze. After a tweak or two, some shopping, and baking away in my kitchen, my flourless chocolate birthday cake was born and was it ever delicious. This recipe is so simple and easy and the product is truly impressive! So give it a try!
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate (Hershey’s baking chips are gluten free according to the website)
- 1 cup plus 3 tbsp unsalted butter sticks (Land O’ Lakes states gluten free)
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s)
- 1 tbsp skim milk (can use whole milk if you prefer)
- 1 tbsp honey (Groeb Farms Pure Honey Clover is gluten free)
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract (McCormick states gluten free)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat 2/3 (8 ounces) of the chocolate and 1 cup of the butter in a saucepan at medium low heat. Stir frequently, preventing chocolate from burning and combining butter and chocolate completely.
- Remove melted chocolate from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add 1 1/4 cup sugar and mix well.
- Add 6 eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Finally, add 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to chocolate mixture and stir until completely mixed.
- Spray 9 inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray, line bottom with a circle of parchment paper, and spray paper with cooking spray.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Cake is finished when it has risen and formed a thin crust (should be firm in the center).
- Cool cake for 10 minutes and then invert onto a plate, remove sides of springform pan.
- Allow cake to cool completely (an additional 30 minutes or so).
- While cake is cooling, prepare the chocolate glaze by melting the remaining 4 ounces of chocolate and 3 tbsp of butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Stir frequently until all is melted and combined.
- Once chocolate is smooth, remove from heat and stir in 1 tbsp skim milk, 1 tbsp honey, and 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract. Set glaze aside to cool slightly (only about 10-15 minutes).
- Pour glaze on top of the cake.
- Using the back of a spoon, smooth chocolate glaze over the top of the cake, allowing it to spill over the sides.
- Leave cake uncovered for an additional 30-60 minutes for the glaze to set. Then add fresh or frozen berries for serving. I recommend raspberries whose sweetness complement the richness of the cake perfectly. Fresh are preferred but I used frozen which were much cheaper than the fresh.
I don’t know about you but when I first even thought of making this dessert my mouth began to water. It turned out perfectly and certainly was a wonderful divergence from my norm of gluten free birthday cupcakes or brownies. My only downside was that I ran short on time and couldn’t try my raspberry sauce that I had planned but no worries topping each slice with some frozen raspberries was a perfect compliment to the richness of the chocolate. Next time though, I will be making a raspberry sauce to drizzle on top which will literally and figuratively be the icing on the cake.
If you’re expecting company, celebrating a special day or holiday, or just craving chocolate than try this recipe. It was so easy and is a truly impressive dessert to make, not only in presentation but also in taste. Tastewise, I always watch my non-gluten free eaters take their first few bites of whatever gluten free dish I prepare. As my opinion, being the only gluten free eater, is slightly bias I like to hear or rather see the reactions of my fellow diners. In this case, as each of my family members tried a slice of my flourless chocolate cake and immediately after taking their first bite drew a smile, I knew for sure that this recipe was a success and will most certainly be repeated on another special occasion for all to enjoy!
Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Lindsay
- 9 inch springform pan
- 12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate (Hershey's baking chips are gluten free according to the website)
- 1 cup plus 3 tbsp unsalted butter sticks (Land O' Lakes states gluten free)
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey's which states gluten free on website)
- 1 tbsp skim milk (can use whole milk if you prefer)
- 1 tbsp honey (Groeb Farms Pure Honey Clover is gluten free)
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract (McCormick states gluten free)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat 2/3 (8 ounces) of the chocolate and 1 cup of the butter in a saucepan at medium low heat. Stir frequently, preventing chocolate from burning and combining butter and chocolate completely.
- Remove melted chocolate from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add 1 1/4 cup sugar and mix well.
- Add 6 eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Finally, add 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to chocolate mixture and stir until completely mixed.
- Spray 9 inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray, line bottom with a circle of parchment paper, and spray paper with cooking spray.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Cake is finished when it has risen and formed a thin crust (should be firm in the center).
- Cool cake for 10 minutes and then invert onto a plate, remove sides of springform pan.
- Allow cake to cool completely (an additional 30 minutes or so).
- While cake is cooling, prepare the chocolate glaze by melting the remaining 4 ounces of chocolate and 3 tbsp of butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Stir frequently until all is melted and combined.
- Once chocolate is smooth, remove from heat and stir in 1 tbsp skim milk, 1 tbsp honey, and 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract. Set glaze aside to cool slightly (only about 10-15 minutes).
- Pour glaze on top of the cake..
- Using the back of a spoon, smooth chocolate glaze over the top of the cake, allowing it to spill over the sides.
- Leave cake uncovered for an additional 30-60 minutes for the glaze to set. Then add fresh or frozen berries for serving. I recommend raspberries whose sweetness complement the richness of the cake perfectly. Fresh are preferred but I used frozen which were much cheaper than the fresh.
Jo-Lynne Shane
October 13, 2014 at 1:33 pm (10 years ago)Mmmmm that looks HEAVENLY!