This decadent keto flourless chocolate cake has the perfect fudgy texture. It’s a rich sugar-free dessert for the diehard chocolate lover. And it’s totally dairy-free!
I’ve been working on a secret project and this keto flourless chocolate cake is part of it. You may have seen me hinting at it a few times recently, but now the cat is out of the bag.
I’ve put together a new e-cookbook, and it’s devoted to dairy-free desserts! I am truly excited about this one and I think you will be too.
It goes on sale on January 4th, but I thought I’d share one of the recipes and a few other sneak peeks so you can see what’s coming.
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Easy sugar-free chocolate cake
There are so many delicious ways to make keto chocolate cake. But for this book, I wanted a one-layer cake that was simple to prepare but still decadent enough for a special occasion.
And keto flourless chocolate cake was the perfect solution. You prepare the batter in a single bowl, so there’s less to clean up. And unlike many flourless cakes, there’s no need to whip the egg whites.
It’s incredibly dense and rich, almost like biting into a piece of fudge. When you top it with sugar-free chocolate glaze, it becomes something truly special. And it all comes together in less than an hour!
Ingredients
This one-bowl chocolate cake takes basic keto ingredients and is totally dairy-free. You will need:
- Unsweetened chocolate – don’t confuse this with sugar-free chocolate, which contains non-nutritive sweeteners.
- Coconut oil
- Sweeteners – I used Swerve as well as a little allulose for the glaze.
- Eggs
- Coconut cream – the thick portion from the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk.
- Cocoa powder
- Espresso powder – this is an optional ingredient but it helps intensify the chocolate flavor.
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
How to make keto flourless chocolate cake
- Prep the baking pan. Make sure to grease it well and line it with parchment, so it’s easier to flip the cake out at the end.
- Set up a double boiler. Set a heatproof bowl over a pot that has one or two inches of water, and bring the water to a light simmer. This creates a more gently heat for melting chocolate.
- Melt the chocolate carefully. Unsweetened chocolate is finicky at best so keep your eyes on it and stir frequently. Once it’s fully melted, remove the pan from over the heat but keep the bowl over the warm pan.
- Stir in the eggs. You will see the mixture thicken up considerably as you whisk in the eggs, but this is normal.
- Whisk in the coconut cream. Add this in right after the eggs, and whisk until the chocolate mixture smooths out again, then spread it in the prepared pan.
- Bake until just barely set. This cake is meant to be moist and fudgy so don’t over-bake it.
- Let cool. Don’t flip it out of the pan too soon or you risk baking it.
- Prepare the glaze. The dairy-free chocolate glaze is optional but oh my, is it ever delicious!
- Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
No, not at all. If you prefer to use dairy-based ingredients, replace the coconut oil with butter and the coconut cream with heavy whipping cream.
I developed and tested this recipe using Swerve so I really can’t guarantee the results with anything else. In my experience, allulose tends to make cakes like this softer and puffier, so it won’t be quite the same. And it make take longer to bake through and set properly.
I don’t recommend it for several reasons. Using sugar-free chocolate rather than unsweetened chocolate raises the carb count considerably. They also have less fiber and will change the consistency of both the cake and the glaze.
A little bit of coffee helps intensify chocolate flavors, but it won’t make it taste at all like coffee. It is an optional ingredient so if you prefer not to use it, simply leave it out.
Storage Information
Keto flourless chocolate cake can be kept on the counter for 3 days and in the fridge for a week. Be sure to cover it up and place plastic wrap against any cut surfaces to keep it from drying out.
The unglazed cake can be frozen for up to two months.
Dairy-Free Dessert Cookbook
Eager to hear more about my new ebook? I am so proud of this one and excited to share it with you. It’s been in the works for over a year!
Easy Dairy-Free Keto Desserts contains 50 easy and delicious keto dessert recipes. Some are already here on the blog but about two-thirds of them are completely new.
I worked with a designer this time around to make it a truly beautiful and useful e-cookbook. Many thanks to Melissa from Fine Lime Designs, for bringing my ideas into fruition. Check out this sneak peek of all the recipes!
For the time being, it is available only as a downloadable PDF. However, I am considering trying to upload it to Amazon as a Kindle book as well. That may take me a little while to figure out!
It goes on sale on Tuesday, January 4th so keep your eyes peeled for that!
Keto Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake:
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- ¾ cup Swerve Granular
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup coconut cream
- ½ cup cocoa powder
Glaze:
- ⅓ cup coconut cream
- 1 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped
- 3 tablespoon powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tablespoon allulose or BochaSweet
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease an 8 inch round metal baking pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and grease the paper.
- In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, combine the chopped chocolate and the coconut oil. Stir until melted and smooth.
- Remove the pan from heat but keep the bowl over the warm water. Stir in the sweetener, vanilla, espresso powder, and salt until well combined.
- Add the eggs and stir to combine. The mixture may thicken considerably so add the coconut cream quickly and keep stirring until it smooths out again. Stir in the cocoa powder until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the sides are set and the top is just barely firm to the touch. Do not over-bake.
- Remove and let cool 30 minutes in the pan, then flip out onto a cake platter and remove the parchment (the bottom will become the top).
Glaze:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the coconut cream to just a simmer. Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit 5 minutes to melt.
- Add the sweeteners and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Let sit a few minutes to thicken and then spread over the top of the cake.
- Refrigerate 20 minutes to set the glaze.
Margaret says
Is the coconut oil liquid or solid ?
Carolyn says
Solid.
Michelle says
I would like to make this tomorrow! Looks amazing. Question: does it need to be a metal, circular pan? I have an 8 inch metal square pan. And I have a 9 inch ceramic tart pan that is circular… Or would it best for me to try to buy or borrow a round, metal pan?
Carolyn says
Oooh tricky question! So metal and ceramic bake VERY differently (watch my video here: https://youtu.be/grmTX7ZggPY). It may take longer and not rise as well, and be too gooey to get out of the pan properly. But an 8-inch square pan has a larger area than an 8-inch circle so your cake would be a lot thinner. If you can find someone to borrow one from, that’s what I would do!
Tina says
This was so easy to make, I thought I ruined it when I added eggs but it smoothed right out when adding the coconut cream. It was delicious, very decadent!!! Thank you for a great recipe. I baked it 15 minutes.
Carolyn Gentry says
What do you suggest “greasing the parchment paper” with? Would spray coconut oil work? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Yep, that’s fine.
Pam Forrester says
I have been low carb/ keto 11 years. When I don’t stick to the plan of course I gain a little weight back. I have finally realized that I MUST have keto sweets available at all times or I will go and get into my husbands stash of chip, cookies and or candy. This chocolate cake is delicious and her recipe for meringues was perfect!
Carolyn says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Jackie Burrell says
I made this earlier this morning-super easy to make. This is genuine your eyes roll back in your head delicious cake. (happy dance going on here) At first I thought a 1/12th of a slice, how skimpy. No….. this is so rich and decadent I couldn’t possibly eat anymore at one sitting. I did add some orange extract to the glaze because I love the orange chocolate combination. Next time I may add raspberry extract. Oh Caroline, what would I do without you on this journey? Thank you so much!
Tina says
Oh my gosh, I almost wrote your comment word for word before I even saw it. It is one of the best recipes yet. I will have to try the orange extract next time.
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing flourless chocolate cake recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Toni says
Such a perfect guilt-free dessert for my keto journey!! Thank you!
Katie says
This is one of our favorite treats! I love that it’s better for you and still has great chocolate flavor.
Caroline Nielson says
I made this cake for my family and they absolutely loved it!!
I enjoyed it even more the next day as it had hardened and it
was just like eating fudge! Yum.
Thank you Carolyn for scoring yet again !!
Angie says
This is decadent and delicious! You have never failed me in the recipe department since I began my low carb sugar free journey. Thank you for all that you do to help us stay on track for optimum health without feeling deprived.
Karen Pollard says
I made this yesterday. Delicious! I’ve never been much of a baker but your instructions make it easy. Everyone loved it. Thanks for another great recipe Carolyn!
Regards Karen
Karen Pollard says
Hello Carolyn, could I substitute bocha sweet for the granular swerve in the recipe or will it change the texture of the cake?
Thanks Karen
Carolyn says
For the cake, it should be fine. Not sure how it will fare in the glaze.
MyDarlin says
Hello Carolyn,
Is the unsweetned chocolate the same as baking chocolate?
Also espresso powder – similar to instant coffee?
RebeccaJ says
Thank you so much, Carolyn, for all the keto dairy-free recipes. I’ve been eating your chocolate cake for the last several days, and I love it. I am definitely going to try this one soon, and also buy your new ebook. It will be a wonderful resource for me, as I only recently learned that I can’t have dairy, and so many keto/low carb recipes are full of cream and cheese.
Sherry Corson says
I have all your cook books and look forward to this one even though I don’t have an issue with dairy. I would love for you to create a cookbook that all the recipes use a blender. A Keto Blender Cook Book! Since getting a Blendtek I enjoy all the recipes you have that use them!
Carolyn says
🙂 I might consider it! But my next cookbook, which I hope to release in the spring, will be devoted to cakes.
jean says
Sounds yummy – thank you! Can you use finely ground coffee in lieu of the expresso powder? Trying to use what I have in the pantry.
Carolyn says
Sure, as long as it’s very fine!
Kim says
Hi Carolyn,
I would really love to try this recipe but we don’t have alluose or Bocha sweet here in Canada. What could I use to substitute that tablespoon for? And by the way I made your death by chocolate cheesecake and omg , Devine!!!
Carolyn says
You can skip it… it just helps keep the glaze a little shinier.
Tracy says
Is the allulose supposed to be granular or powder form?
Carolyn says
Doesn’t matter. The thing is the powdered is relatively new. So when I wrote the recipe, there was only granular.
Victoria says
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but was wondering if unsweetened cocoa powder could be substituted in place of the chopped unsweetened chocolate? If so, what other changes would I need to make to the recipe?
Thank you in advance and happy New Year!
Carolyn says
So there is a formula for converting cocoa powder into chocolate. I think it’s 3 tbsp plus 1 tbsp of oil for every ounce of unsweetened chocolate. But I know if you google it, you will find it.
Georgene harkness says
Will definitely be getting this book, as hubby is dairy free. Only problem is I have to not cook too much dessert stuff, or he fusses at me for “tempting” him. But then when I do …. He loves it. This one looks very good!
Just a heads up: there’s a MINOR typo in step 7 (baking/breaking) of the recipe instructions. :-). Easy typo to make!
Looking forward to January 4th!