Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

Naturally gluten free and made with just a few ingredients, this gluten free flourless espresso chocolate cake will satisfy any chocolate craving you may encounter. It has a very smooth, fudge-like texture and is very rich. The cake is made in your food processor with just a handful of ingredients you most likely already have in your pantry and fridge anyways.

And just a little fun fact - this cake and I go way back. This used to be my signature dessert when I was the Pastry Chef at a restaurant in Michigan. It was served with Sourcream Sorbet and a tart cherry sauce.

If you love chocolate desserts, make sure to check out my Gluten Free Fudge Brownie Cookies and my Gluten Free Chocolate Cheesecake.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Chocolate: In this recipe, I recommend using a high-quality, dark chocolate. I have only tested this recipe with Chocolate between 60% and 70% dark. I recommend using a product you enjoy eating on its own (you should always use chocolate you enjoy eating on its own). But since this recipe has only a few ingredients, the flavor of the chocolate you use will stand out. This is a great recipe to use an artisan chocolate bar.

Coffee: The recipe calls for hot coffee - if you do not like coffee or the taste of coffee in your dessert, you can replace it with hot chocolate or just use hot water.

Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder: I prefer using dutch processed cocoa in my baking. It creates what some people consider a richer, fudgier flavor in baked goods. My go-to brands are Cacao Barry Extra Brute and Valrhona Pure Cocoa Powder. If you are looking for a better price point cocoa powder I recommend Hershey’s Dutched Cocoa, Special Dark, 100% Cacao. I have not tested this recipe with natural cocoa powder.

Kitchen Equipment needed to make Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

I make this recipe in my food processor. If you don't own a food processor and are in the market for one, I would recommend looking into buying one. I own a 15-year-old Kitchen Aid Food Processor and use it almost more than my stand mixer.

This recipe can be made by hand but the cake will be very airy and won't be the same consistency if made with Food Processor.

This cake is baked in an 8-inch springform. I highly recommend making it in a springform. If you only own a 9" springform your cake may turn out a bit thinner in height.

How to make Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Cake

As mentioned above, I highly recommend making this recipe in a Food Processor.

• Preheat your oven to 325 F.
• Spray your 8" cake pan with a nonstick spray and line the bottom of the pan with parchment. Please make sure your spring pan is fully closed! If your spring pan may not be 100% leak proof, I recommend placing it on a parchment lined sheet tray and baking the Gluten Free Flourless Cake on a sheet tray. This way none of the batter will drop on the bottom of your oven.
• In a liquid measuring cup combine your eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
• Combe dark chocolate, brown sugar, white sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in the food processor and blend until it's a very fine powder. This will be loud but your food processor should be able to handle this without any issues. The finer the chocolate and sugar mixture is, the easier it will melt with the hot coffee.
• With your food processor running, carefully add the HOT coffee to your chocolate sugar mixture through the feeder. The heat of the liquid will melt the chocolate and sugar. Once all the liquid has been added, blend for 30 seconds. Turn off your food processor and with a spatula scrape the bottom to make sure everything is melted. Blend for an additional 30 seconds.
• While the food processor is running, add the very soft butter to your chocolate mixture through the feeder. It should still be hot enough for the butter to melt and incorporate into the mixture. The butter should be very soft - like when you touch it with your finer, you can poke right through it.
• Once the butter is fully incorporated, with the food processor running on BLEND, slowly add the eggs and vanilla mixture - if you can egg by egg. Allow the eggs to fully incorporate into the batter but don't over blend it. This should not take longer than one minute. It should be very smooth and shiny.
• Transfer the cake batter to your prepared 8" cake pan and place it in your oven.
• Bake at 325F for 55-60 minutes and avoid opening the oven door for the first 30 minutes if you can. Your cake will be done when it's puffed and cracked on top. You want the center of the cake to be fully cooked and not wiggly.
• Carefully remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool. Do not worry - the cake will sink and develop some cracks. If you over blended your eggs you most likely will see more cracks, But that's okay - this is why we have powdered sugar or whipped cream. To cover up all those cracks.
• When the cake is completely cooled, cover and chill for three hours (longer is better!) before serving. I like to chill mine for at least overnight.
• When you are ready to serve the cake, use a butter knife or small offset and run it around the edges of the cake to release it from the spring pan. If you skip this step, your cake may rip apart while opening the spring pan.
• Cut in 8-12 pieces. I normally start with quartering the cake and then cut each quarter of the cake into equal pieces.
• This gluten free flourless espresso chocolate cake can be made a couple of days ahead and holds well in the refrigerator for up to one week.

How to serve a Flourless Chocolate Cake

This gluten free flourless chocolate cake will stay fresh when kept in the fridge for up to 7 days. You can also wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in a ziplock bag and freeze it for future use.

• Serve it as is: top it with some powedered sugar and serve the cake on it's own. It's very indulgent and will definetly take care of any chocolate cravings you may have.
• Top with espresso whipped cream: add 1 tablespoon of instant espresso and 1 tablespoon of granulated white sugar to 150ml of heavy cream. Whip to stiff peaks and serve with cake
• top with ice cream and a sauce made of fresh berries like raspberries. I used to serve with a Tart Cherry Sauce and Sourcream Sorbet.

How to cut a Flourless Chocolate Cake

This cake can be tricky to cut - especially if it's not chilled long enough. I recommend heating up your sharp chef's knife under hot water, using a clean towel to wipe off the water, and then cutting the cake. The heat of the water should heat up your blade. To have all my slices cut clean, I repeat the heat-up step between every slice. Using a clean knife is very important here.

Frequently Asked Questions about Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Espresso

Can I make this cake without coffee?
Yes. Please replace the hot coffee with hot chocolate or hot water.

How should I store this cake?
I recommend storing it in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 7 days or freeze for future chocolate cake cravings.

How can I make this cake without a food processor?
Making this cake without a food processor is possible but the consistency of the cake may be different.

To make this Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake without a food processor, add the chocolate and cocoa powder to a large, microwave-proof mixing bowl and set aside. In a medium-sized saucepan combine butter, coffee, and both sugars, and over low heat, simmer until butter and sugars are dissolved. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate and cocoa mixture. Allow for it to sit for 1-2 minutes before mixing it all together. You want to make sure your chocolate is fully melted. If there are still chunks of chocolate, I recommend placing the bowl in the microwave and nuking for 30-45 seconds. Stir again to make sure fully combined.

In the meantime whisk together your eggs with a whisk. Add the whisked eggs to the melted chocolate/butter mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake as directed.

Can I make this recipe vegan?
While this recipe can be made with dairy free butter, I have not tested it with a vegan replacement for eggs. This recipe heavily relies on eggs so I don't think it would work with flax eggs.