Flourless Chocolate Cake (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Moist, decadent, and impossibly easy to make, this flourless chocolate cake doesn’t use any refined wheat flour, but makes use of just a bit of low-carb coconut flour instead. Tastes and looks amazing topped with crunchy coconut flakes and fresh raspberries, and makes the perfect dessert for Christmas, the holidays or any special occasion! Gluten-free and dairy-free, but no one would care!

Chocolate Cake for Any Occasion

I don’t know about you, but when I think of special occasions, I think of chocolate.

From a creamy chocolate pudding, to homemade chocolate, to chocolate truffles, as long as chocolate’s involved, it’s always a good idea.

And of course, we have chocolate cake. There’s just something decadent, rich and so festive about a rich chocolate cake that is a great way to celebrate any thing – whether it’s Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day or birthdays.

Flourless, Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free

Slightly adapted from the King Arthur Flour recipe, this flourless chocolate cake recipe is possibly one of the easiest and delicious chocolate cakes you’ll ever make.

It’s flourless in the sense that it doesn’t use any refined flours (neither wheat flour nor refined gluten-free flours such as rice flour). Instead, it’s made with a base of high-fiber, low-carb coconut flour. Incredibly moist, absolutely decadent, and tastes so darn good topped with fresh berries and sprinkled with coconut chips. You’re definitely going to love it!

Best of all this delicious cake is both gluten-free and dairy-free, so even those who are Celiac or have gluten or lactose intolerances can still enjoy it!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:

• Coconut Flour: We are not using any refined flour in this recipe, but we will use a bit of low-carb coconut flour (which is both grain-free and gluten-free) to absorb the moisture and give the cake body. I do not recommend you substituting coconut flour for other flours, as it works in very different ways from other flours.

• Coconut Oil: I prefer using refined coconut oil in my baking because it has a neutral taste (as opposed to extra virgin coconut oil that has a more pronounced coconut flavor and smell).

• Cacao Powder: I used unsweetened cacao powder here since the recipe includes sugar for sweetening.

• Sugar: I used light brown sugar in this recipe, but feel free to use normal white sugar or dark brown sugar instead. If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I highly recommend that you use Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener (a 1:1 sugar substitute that has zero glycemic index).

• Vanilla Extract: This is to add a hint of vanilla to the cake. However, if you don’t like vanilla, or don’t have vanilla extract on hand, feel free to leave it out.

• Eggs: This recipe uses a total of 6 eggs, because we need them both as a binder for the ingredients, as well as to provide moisture since coconut flour naturally absorbs a lot of moisture. I have never tried this recipe without the eggs, so I don’t know how that would turn out.

• Toasted Coconut Chips: I like garnishing the cake with toasted coconut chips for a super crunchy texture.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Preheat and Line

Preheat oven to 350F (180C) and grease and line the base of an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.

2. Sift

In a medium bowl, sift the coconut flour and baking powder together, and mix well to combine.

3. Stir

In a large bowl, melt the coconut oil and mix in the raw cacao powder, stirring until well blended.

4. Whisk Well

Whisk the sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and salt into the coconut oil-cacao mixture and mix well.

5. Prepare the Batter

Add the coconut flour-baking powder mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients and whisk very well until you get a smooth and homogeneous batter. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes to allow the coconut flour to absorb some of the moisture.

6. Bake

Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

7. Cool Completely

Allow the flourless chocolate cake to cool completely in the pan for at least 30 minutes before removing (this is important as the cake with continuing cooking with the residual heat, and a cooled cake is also easier to slice).

8. Garnish and Enjoy

Garnish the flourless chocolate cake with coconut chips and fresh raspberries before slicing and enjoying.

Helpful Tips/Tricks:

• Bake a Loaf: If you would like to use this batter to make a chocolate loaf instead, simply pour in the batter into a greased and lined medium loaf pan. Bake it at 350F (180C) for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

• Bake Muffins: To make muffins, pour the batter into a lined muffin tin and bake at 350F (180C) for 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Recipe FAQs:

Other Chocolate Recipes You’ll Love:

• 5-Minute Chocolate Pudding (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Easy Homemade Chocolate (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Fudgy Chocolate Beetroot Cake (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Almond Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Gluten-Free)
• Easy Chocolate Truffles

Dessert Recipes to Indulge In:

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

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