Flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache
A chocolate lover's dream, this flourless chocolate cake with chocolate ganache may be my all time favorite dessert. A chocolate dessert that will satisfy both traditional and gluten free requests. Instant Coffee is a secret ingredient that magically makes the chocolate even more decadent! Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top if you wish.
My introduction to gluten free flourless chocolate cake came a few years ago when my sweet friends treated me to a birthday lunch and there was a delicious slice of flourless chocolate cake to finish off the meal.
It had never occurred to me to bake a flourless cake. To me, the "less" in flourLESS must have meant that something was missing. Taste, structure, familiarity-- something had to be wrong with that type of cake. Well I was certainly wrong about that!
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Flourless chocolate cake with ganache is a chocolate cake with a thick, chocolate glaze. It's easy to make, too. Adding the instant coffee granules deepens the chocolate flavor in the same way that including vanilla extract bumps up the intensity of the chocolate. You could omit the coffee if you don't have it on hand.
Flourless Chocolate Cake for Holiday Celebrations
A friend of mine serves a Passover flourless chocolate cake at her feast. She makes multiple cakes ahead of time and is ready to delight her guests. This cake is an excellent choice of a make ahead dessert for Passover or for most any other occasion.
One year I baked along with her and it was a true assembly line of cake making. She had the process of making this Passover dessert to a science!
What is ganache?
Want to take this cake up a level? A chocolate ganache recipe is a quick and easy topping. Ganache is a fancy word for a simple process of combining melted chocolate with cream.
When the two are mixed together a beautiful, glossy, pour-able chocolate topping is created. As the chocolate layer comes to room temperature it will solidify and make a decadent layer on this cake.
Adding a chocolate ganache on top hides any imperfections and makes this dessert something special.
Freezing the cake is also an option-- both the cake and ganache freeze very well. I like to slice the cake and freeze it in small portions so that I only eat one slice at a time.
Does Ganache need to be refrigerated?
Even though you'll read in cook books that chocolate ganache can remain at room temperature for up to two days, I'd recommend being safe and refrigerating the ganache covered cake.
Ganache, after all is loaded with dairy and although it is heated through when combined with the melted chocolate, you have not cooked the dairy. When in doubt, refrigerate.
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache
A chocolate lover's dream, this flourless chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache may be my all time favorite dessert. A chocolate dessert that will satisfy both traditional and gluten free requests. Instant Coffee is a secret ingredient that magically makes the chocolate even more decadent! Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top if you wish.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup (2 sticks) for the cake, plus 1 teaspoon butter for greasing the pan
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (be sure to choose gluten free vanilla if you want to make the cake Gluten-Free)
For the ganache:
- 4 ounces chocolate (either chips or from a bar of chocolate, chopped into pieces)
- 8 ounces heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 9 inch springform pan with butter. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment. Butter the parchment as well.
- Melt 8 ounces of chocolate and the butter in the microwave or over a double boiler.
- Add the sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, instant coffee granules, and vanilla extract. Beat well until thoroughly mixed.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. Let the cake cool completely before adding the ganache.
- For the ganache: Heat the cream on the stovetop or in the microwave (not to boiling, just to a very warm temperature). Add the heated cream to the chocolate chips and let sit for ten minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth and shiny. Remove the cake from the springform pan and pour the chocolate ganache onto the cake. Let the ganache harden at room temperature.
- Store the cake in the refrigerator or freezer if not serving that day.
Notes
Refrigerate this cake until ready for serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0g
- Chocolate Pudding Pie
- Oatmeal Fudge Bars
- Chocolate Avocado Pudding
- Gluten Free Nutty Chocolate Crunch Cookies
- Chocolate Biscotti (vegan and gluten free)
Tools used in baking this dessert:
Baking this flourless chocolate cake is easiest when using a Springform Pan, although you can be successful with a regular 8 or 9 inch cake pan too.
A double boiler comes in handy for melting chocolate or you can use the microwave.
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Post originally published in November 2012; updated in March 2018.
Holly Baker started the food blog, A Baker's House, in 2011. She is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer for the site. Holly loves to bake and shares recipes for gluten free food, canning recipes, as well as traditional desserts too. Her recipes and food photography have been highlighted by BuzzFeed, Reader's Digest, and She Knows.
As much as I love pumpkin desserts and other fall-ish things for Thanksgiving, you can't EVER go wrong with chocolate! Looks amazing!
Thanks! and I agree, you cannot go wrong with chocolate even at Thanksgiving! Thank you for your comment. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Holly, your photo is just beautiful. I hope you are going to submit it to Foodgawker. I can't wait to try this cake. Anything with a cup of butter has to be good. My son's birthday is Saturday and he is a chocoholic, so maybe this is just the right recipe for me to make him.
Thanks, Karen! Oh did you notice the cup of butter?? Yup-- it's that good! I made this as a birthday cake for myself here at home, I think your son would love it! Have a happy weekend celebrating!
Wow, I love flourless cakes and this one looks divine. I'm sure it tastes great too.
Thanks! This was my first try with flourless cakes and I'll be on the look out for more recipes like it. I think single serving-sized cakes would be nice too and will try making this cake in small ramekins next time.
I remember my first introduction to a flourless cake and had much the same thought and much the same reaction. So good.
Very pretty photos too; that second way makes it seem I could even get away with just swiping my finger through that frosting when no one is looking.
Happy Belated Birthday...and we'll miss you Saturday!
Thanks, Barb! I am sorry to miss this Saturday too. You know the second photo was taken on my iphone and yes, I nearly ate the icing on its own, it's that good.
Wow this sounds delicious! I've never really given a gluten free diet much thought either, but I'm with you if the recipes all look like this! My sister hates pumpkin pie so this would be a good alternative for Thanksgiving. Pinning this!
Thanks for pinning and for your kind comment. I think I'll make this again soon too. I hope your sister likes it!
My son is gluten free, as well as some friends of ours, so this is a perfect recipe for them!
I have a lot to learn about gluten free diets and think this dessert is a great way for me to start. : ) Any guidelines that include chocolate cake might fit my life! And for the rest of the meals of the day, I honestly think it would take some time for me to get used to the gluten free idea but it would eventually become a habit and I'd feel better because of it. Thanks for reading!
I hope you enjoy this chocolate cake, Pamela!
I love flourless cakes and frankly anything chocolate. And this is the season of flourless cakes and I need to get to work I do one similar to this but maybe I'll have to try this version. I'm drooling!
Thanks, Heather, this dessert is one of my favorites!
Because of my work schedule, I will be baking this on a Thursday for a Saturday party. Should I refrigerate it or freeze it? Or just buy a cake?!
This cake will keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. Just let it sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before serving. It is also a great cake to freeze (even with the ganache layer on top) then defrost the day you need it. I freeze left overs already sliced so that I can take single servings out of the freezer to enjoy for myself!
This looks amazing! I’m going to make it this week for my BFs bday. If I’m making it with an 8” pan would I need to cook it for a little longer in the oven as it would be a little thicker?