This is one of the easiest Small Flourless Chocolate Cake recipes you will ever make! It is incredibly fudgy, dense, and rich, with each bite giving you all the chocolate flavor you can handle! Enjoy this 6-inch chocolate cake with a simple sprinkling of cocoa powder or powdered sugar topped with fresh berries.
Jump to:
8 Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
- It's made in a 6-inch cake pan
- Ultra soft and fudgy in texture
- You only need eight ingredients, and one of them is optional
- The rich chocolate flavor in each bite
- A very easy-to-make recipe
- It's gluten-free
- Perfect for enjoying for Valentine's Day, a special birthday, or any day of the year
- A simple sprinkling of powdered sugar or cocoa powder is the perfect garnish.
This easy flourless chocolate cake recipe is one of the most decadent desserts you can make—a little goes a long way!
Ingredients Needed
To make this chocolate flourless cake recipe, you'll need the following ingredients:
- Unsalted Butter. Use your favorite brand. Only ½ cup or one stick is needed.
- Dark Chocolate. The darker, the better, and bars of chocolate are preferred over chocolate chips. I used 6 ounces of Moser Roth 70% cocoa chocolate bars from ALDI.
- Espresso Powder. This optional ingredient gives the chocolate a slightly more robust flavor.
- Vanilla Extract. Pure vanilla extract is preferred. You can also mix things up by using a flavored extract. The best ones I've seen are from Heilala Vanilla.
- Salt. Just ¼ teaspoon is needed.
- Eggs. You'll need three large eggs at room temperature.
- Granulated Sugar. You can also use pure cane sugar. ½ cup is used in this recipe to help give it a little sweetness
- Dutch Process Cocoa Powder. Because more chocolate is never a bad thing. This gives the chocolate that intense flavor.
You can use powdered sugar or unsweetened cocoa powder topped with some fresh berries for garnishes.
Substitutions
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. In place of the dutch process cocoa powder, you can use regular unsweetened cocoa powder or dark chocolate cocoa powder.
Extracts. Mix up the flavors a little by using a flavored extract like chocolate espresso instead of vanilla extract.
I did not test this recipe using egg, butter, or sugar substitutes.
Helpful Baking Tools
I recommend a few baking tools when making this incredibly moist flourless chocolate cake. Scroll through the carousel below for more!
- 6-inch Cake Pan. My preference is to use a 6 x 3-inch round cake pan. Fat Daddio's makes the best ones. This will also work if you only have a 6 x 2-inch round cake pan. Just note the cake will come right up to the top.
- Heavy Bottom Saucepan. Used for melting the unsalted butter and chocolate together. I used my Cuisinart 4-quart saucepan.
- Mixing Bowls. It works well for dry ingredients and wet ones.
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer. Either one will work well. My preference is the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
- Whisks and Spatulas. Always good to have a few of these on hand while baking! I used my GIR spoonula to melt the chocolate and butter together and then again when folding in the melted mixture with the eggs and sugar. I love them, and they come in a ton of colors!
How to Make the Recipe
Below is a brief overview of how to make this flourless chocolate cake. For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card.
STEP 1. Prepare the pan well. I sprayed my 6-inch cake pan with Baker's Joy, added a circle of parchment paper, and then lightly resprayed the parchment paper. Adding a cake-baking strip to the outside of the pan is okay to use but not required.
STEP 2. Melt the unsalted butter and chocolate together. A heavy-bottom saucepan is good to use here. The chocolate and butter should be melted over low heat until it's nice and smooth. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the espresso powder, vanilla extract, and salt.
You can also use a glass bowl to microwave the butter and chocolate together. Microwave at 50-60% power for 1 minute, stirring until it's melted.
STEP 3. Beat the eggs and sugar well. Use your hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment for this part. You ultimately want this mixture to double in size, be very pale yellow in color, and be frothy and fluffy in texture.
This takes about 5-6 minutes. The mixture should start to look like a meringue that leaves a ribbon effect from the whisk attachment.
STEP 4. Fold in the chocolate and cocoa powder. To start, only fold half the melted chocolate mixture with a spatula until only a few streaks of the whisked egg mixture are visible. Do not use your hand mixer or stand mixer for this part.
Then you will fold in the rest along with the dutch process cocoa powder. Stir gently until the chocolate cake batter is well combined.
The batter should be shiny in appearance and on the thicker side but still light and easy to pour into the prepared 6-inch cake pan. The consistency reminds me of a mix between brownie batter and chocolate frosting.
STEP 5. Bake the cake. The recommended bake time for this small chocolate cake recipe is 30-35 minutes at 350ºF. The cake will be ready when it has a slightly crusty top—like brownies—and the center no longer jiggles.
Remember, if you use a 6 x 2-inch cake pan, the cake will come up almost to the top. A 6 x 3-inch cake pan will give your cake just a little bit more room.
STEP 6. Cool the cake, then invert. I recommend letting the chocolate flourless cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. The cake will settle and sink some as it cools.
For inverting the cake, you will do this twice. Do this carefully too. First, invert it onto a plate. Then invert it back onto the wire cooling rack so the top faces back up again. Let it finish cooling completely.
STEP 7. Add your toppings. I chose to keep this simple with a dusting of some cocoa powder and fresh raspberries. Instead of cocoa powder, you can sprinkle some powdered sugar.
FAQs
Good quality bars of dark chocolate (60% or greater) are really preferred for this chocolate flourless cake recipe. Dark chocolate baking bars are also good to use. If chocolate chips are easier to find in your area, ensure they are good quality.
I recommend not using a springform pan. I initially tested this recipe using one but discovered mine leaked a little during baking, so I switched to a regular 6-inch cake pan. If a 6-inch springform pan is all you have, I suggest covering the bottom with a layer or two of aluminum foil.
I tried both, but prefer the 3-inch tall sides because it gave my cake a little more space as it baked. If you have only a 6-inch round cake pan with 2-inch sides, know that this will come right up to the top of the cake pan. As it cools, however, it will settle.
Mine did not do this, but if you are worried about the batter spilling over the sides, preheat your oven with a jelly roll pan on the oven rack you plan to bake your cake on. This will catch any possible drips.
The batter should be shiny in appearance and on the thicker side but still light and easy to pour into the prepared 6-inch cake pan. The consistency should be a mix between brownie batter and chocolate frosting.
The cake will be ready when it has a slightly crusty top to it—like brownies—and the center no longer jiggles.
Yes. After the cake has cooled completely, you can store it in a tightly sealed container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
About five days at room temperature in a tightly sealed container.
Enjoy More Delicious Small Batch Dessert Recipes!
📖 Recipe
Small Flourless Chocolate Cake
Author:Ingredients
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter
- 6 oz Dark Chocolate 60% (chopped or broken into small pieces)
- 1 teaspoon Espresso Powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 3 Large Eggs (room temperature)
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar (or organic cane sugar)
- ¼ cup Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the 2nd level position (just above center) and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Generously coat the inside of a 6 inch cake pan with a flour-based baking spray. Add a parchment paper liner to the bottom of the pan, then lightly respray the top. Set to the side.
- Melt the unsalted butter and chopped dark chocolate in a heavy bottom medium saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until blended and smooth. Remove from the heat, then add in the espresso powder, vanilla extract and salt. Let cool for a few minutes while you whisk the eggs and sugar.½ cup Unsalted Butter, 6 oz Dark Chocolate 60%, 1 teaspoon Espresso Powder, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs on medium-high speed. As you whisk them, gradually add in the granulated sugar until the mixture is pale yellow in color and has doubled in size to a frothy and fluffy texture, about 5-6 minutes. The mixture will almost start to look like a meringue and will have a ribbon effect from the whisk.3 Large Eggs, ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- Fold in half of the melted chocolate mixture until only a few streaks of the egg mixture is visible. Then fold in the rest along with the dutch process cocoa powder. Stir gently until the batter is well combined. The batter should be shiny in appearance and on the thicker side. It should be light and easy to pour into the prepared cake pan. The consistency reminds me of a mix between a brownie batter and chocolate frosting.¼ cup Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
- Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350ºF until the top of the chocolate cake has a slightly crusty top, like a brownie, and the center no longer jiggles.
- Let the cake cool in the cake pan for about 10-15 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a plate. Then invert back onto a wire cooling rack (so the top of the cake is facing back up again). Let it cool completely.
- Before serving, add a dusting of either cocoa powder or powdered sugar then top with fresh berries (I used raspberries).
- Keep the cake stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.
Video
Recipe Notes
- My preference is to use a 6 x 3 inch round cake pan. Fat Daddio's makes the best ones. If you only have a 6 x 2 inch round cake pan, this will also work. Just note the cake will come right up to the top.
- You can use regular unsweetened or dark chocolate cocoa powder instead of the dutch process cocoa powder.
- Mix up the flavors a little by using a flavored extract like chocolate espresso instead of vanilla extract.
Nutrition
Nutritonal information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Tiffany says
Made this flourless chocolate cake for my husband and I for our anniversary. It was gone by the next day! Loved how fudgy this was. Thanks for the recipe!
Jennifer says
Glad to hear you and your husband enjoyed this recipe, Tiffany!
Jenny Lambrech says
I am a little confused with this recipe. I am a baker and tried this recipe three times. All three times the cake has collapsed after taking out of oven after the 35 minutes. Then after letting them cool for 15 minutes they completely fell apart when gently inverting onto plate. I used Fat Daddio’s 6”x2” and 3”. I took a pic of you would like to see.
Jennifer says
Hi Jenny, I'm so sorry this recipe didn't work for you! With this traditionally being a sunken cake and not having any flour or leavening agents, the cake will sink some in the middle (you can see it in some of the blog post photos here). Is that what you mean by collapse? I'm not sure why it would have fallen apart when inverting it, though. Did you have it cool completely with the top facing up on the cooling rack? Yes, that would be fine if you would like to email me or message me the photo on Instagram or Facebook if you're on social.
Elsa says
I made this with xylitol and a mix of Lily’s peppermint/dark chocolate to make it sugar-free as well & it was fantastic. On my Christmas baking list for this year!! Thanks, Jen!
Jennifer says
Yay! I love to hear that, Elsa; thank you! And thank you for sharing the changes you made to make it sugar-free!
Betsey says
Can I substitute the chocolate powder with something else?
Jennifer says
As an ingredient in this flourless chocolate cake recipe, no. But as a topping, yes. You can swap the cocoa powder for powdered sugar and/or fresh raspberries or strawberries.
Alene says
Delish! I served it with a raspberry coulis, and it was perfect. I made it for my husband for Father's Day. He's the chocolate fiend in our house. He does like them more dense, but I don't so this was a compromise. He got the flourless bittersweet chocolate cake and I got the lighter crumb! Thank you for a lovely recipe.
Jennifer says
Thank you for making it!
Steph says
Hi I’ve made this today as a chocolate orange cake - hoping to grab some kumquat at the market and caramelise those for the topping. Just to say, the metric version doesn’t convert the chocolate weight - if possible could you change that so people like me don’t have to keep googling the gram conversion 🤪. Many thanks!
Jennifer says
Ah yes, so sorry about that! I will get that updated shortly!
Marta says
Can you use bittersweet chocolate or a mixture of dark and bittersweet? Would you change the amount of sugar? Thank you! I can’t wait to bake this cake!
Jennifer says
Hi! I only tested this with the 60% dark (my preference), but you could absolutely try it with a combination of dark and bittersweet, or if you prefer, only bittersweet. I would not change the amount of sugar used in the recipe. Happy baking!
Shira says
Double amount for a 22 cm pan?
Jennifer says
I didn't test it in that size pan, but I think a 23 or 25 cm might be better.
Neetu says
Instead of eggs pls tell me what can we use
Jennifer says
I'm sorry, I don't have an egg substitute for this recipe. If you google egg substitutes you should get a whole bunch of different ideas to try.
Erica says
I made this small flourless chocolate cake and it turned out incredible!!! It was easy to put together and baked up perfectly! The consistency of the cake was smooth and silky, and super rich. This is my go to chocolate cake from now on!!!
Jennifer says
Love this! Thank you so much for taking the time to make it, Erica!