The Easiest Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe [Just in Time for Valentine’s Day!]

Valentines Day is quickly approaching, so I thought I’d share a really simple [and delicious!] recipe. When I think of Valentines Day, I think of chocolate–and this chocolate cake checks all the boxes!

It’s rich, fudgy [but not TOO fudgy!], gluten-free AND you probably have everything you need to make it in your pantry right now.

I like to bake this cake in muffin tins or mini bundt pans instead of a large cake pan. Mini cakes are cuter and getting your own, individual one feels so much more special.

Little desserts are also portion controlled, which is something I appreciate–I’m a chocolate fiend, and can’t be trusted 😜 .

These flourless chocolate cakes are dang near perfect all by themselves! But if you’re like me and you want to fancy them up a bit to impress your loved ones or you plan to give them as gifts, you could simply dust them with a bit of powdered sugar or glaze them with chocolate ganache.

Grab some pretty, pink ruby chocolate if you’re feeling festive. Speaking of ruby chocolate, have you ever tried it?! It’s really interesting. Ruby chocolate has a beautiful [natural!] pink color and has a subtle berry flavor–a great balance to the rich dark chocolate in the cake. I usually buy the Chocolove brand [available at most stores–Peoples Food Coop and Hyvee, locally].

Easy Chocolate Flourless Cake

Adapted from Bob's Red Mill, this is an easy and delicious recipe for a gluten-free chocolate cake– using ingredients you probably already have on hand!

• 1 cup chocolate chips (use whatever brand you prefer. Milk, semi-sweet and bittersweet all work but you may want to adjust the amount of sugar to your tastes)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs (slightly beaten)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (I like dark cocoa powder)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Line an 8” round cake pan (or pan of your choice–I like muffin tins) with parchment paper and grease with a non-stick spray. Keep ready.

3. Add the butter and chocolate into a microwave safe glass bowl and heat until the butter is melted and the chocolate is mostly melted. Stir the mixture until the chocolate fully melts.  If you need to, reheat in 10 second intervals until you have a smooth consistency.

4. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir to combine. Add the eggs. Mix well.

5. Add the cocoa powder and gently mix until incorporated. Do not over-mix.

6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes. The top may have slight cracks and form a crispy crust. The center should still be just slightly fudgy (but this isn’t a lava cake–so it shouldn’t be runny in the center).

7. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then loosen the edges with a butter knife (use a plastic one if your pan is non-stick!)

8. Let the cake cool completely then top with powdered sugar, chocolate ganache, whipped cream or fruits before serving.

• In this recipe I’ve melted the chocolate and butter in the microwave. You can also melt them stove-top using a double boiler.
• I prefer dark chocolate but if you like milk chocolate or semi-sweet, feel free to use it–no adjustments need to be made.