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.
Baking in grams
I share my recipes in grams and by weight since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and very affordable. You can purchase them on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. Measuring cups are very inaccurate and can cause significant errors when it comes to gluten-free baking or baking in general. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons. To learn more about Baking with a digital scale, make sure to check out my post about Baking by weight.
Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures
All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.
If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Be also prepared that the convection oven can cause your baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Be aware that it takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.
Substitutions and Modifications
Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. I test my recipes several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you find on our website.

📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

Make this flourless chocolate espresso cake for a restaurant-style dessert at home. Made with less than 10 ingredients. Naturally gluten free
Ingredients
- 350 grams high-quality chocolate, 60% or darker, chopped finely
- 165 grams light brown sugar
- 75 grams granulated white sugar
- 20 grams cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 140 grams strong, hot coffee
- 170 grams unsalted butter, very soft, cut into small pieces
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
How to make the Gluten-Free Flourless Chocolate Cake
- 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!
- In a liquid measuring cup combine your eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
- Add 340 grams of chopped dark chocolate to your food processor and chop for 30 seconds. This will make a very loud and scary sound but your food processor will be able to handle it
- Add both sugars, cocoa powder and salt to the ground-up chocolate and combine until it resembles a very fine powder. The finer this is, the smoother your cake will turn out.
- 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.
- With your food processor running, add the butter to your chocolate mixture. It should still be hot enough for the butter to melt and incorporate into the mixture.
- Turn off the food processor and scrape down the sides to make sure everything is incorporated.
- With your food processor running slowly add the egg 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
- When the cake is completely cooled, cover and chill for three hours (longer is better!) before serving.
- 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 cake can be made a couple of days ahead and holds well in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 379
Calories are a guestimate.
N says
Hi! Your recipe notes mention cocoa powder, but it's not listed in the ingredients or instructions? Is that a mistake? I'm in the middle of making the cake and panicking about a missing ingredient!
Daniela Weiner says
Thank you Nada for letting me know. I pasted that part from another recipe of mine and didn't catch the cocoa powder! I appreciate that you let me know.
Sydney Lockard says
Made this for my celiac mom for Mother’s Day. An absolute hit! So yummy!
Daniela Weiner says
YES! I love hearing this
Erin says
Strange question but my partner cannot have coffee is there anything I could sub for the strong coffee? So it’s just a chocolate flavour
Daniela says
Oh, this is not a strange question at all. You could use hot chocolate - like one of those packets you mix with hot water (not hot chocolate made with milk). Or you could just use hot water.