This Flourless Chocolate Cake channels the finest truffle, with rich chocolate taste and silky smooth texture.
I have made a number of flourless chocolate cakes over the years, but all of them were comprised of using just egg whites that were folded into the chocolate. This Flourless Chocolate Truffle Cake caught my eye since it uses whole eggs, that are whipped up to frothy goodness before being folded into the chocolate.
The result? Rich chocolate taste and a silky, truffle-like texture. This is a chocolate lovers cake and perfect for any special occasion.
The other bonus of this cake is that it can (and should) be made ahead and left in the fridge to set. Simply remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving and enjoy.
Cook’s Notes
Use the best quality chocolate you can find. You’ll need a full pound (16oz). for this one.
Don’t rush the whipping of the eggs. You want them to be frothy before folding, carefully so as to not deflate, into the chocolate.
The cake will look very jiggly when it’s ready to take from the oven. It will firm up as it cools.
You can make this one in a 9-inch springform pan if that’s all you have. Reduce the cooking time to 18-20 minutes.
Feel free to dress this one up with edible flowers, as I’ve done here or a dusting of cocoa powder or very finely chopped nuts.
As this is very rich, only a small slice is needed. It’s lovely as it, but also would be nice with ice cream or a fruit sauce, such as raspberry.
An instant-read thermometer is super handy here to test the cake for readiness to remove from the oven. Eliminate the guessing!
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Get the Recipe: Flourless Chocolate Truffle Cake
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs, cold
- 1 lb (454 g) high-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 16 Tablespoons (227 g) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces (1 cup)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) strong black coffee or liqueur, optional
- Confectioners’ sugar or unsweetened cocoa for dusting the cake, optional
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees F. (not fan assisted)
- Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides of the pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with 2 sheets of heavy-duty foil and set it in a large roasting pan. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
- Beat the eggs in the bowl of a standing mixer at high speed until the volume doubles, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and the butter (adding the coffee or liqueur, if using) in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water until smooth and very warm (about 115 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), stirring once or twice.
- (To melt in the microwave, heat the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at 50 percent power for 2 minutes, stir, add the butter and coffee, if using, and continue heating at 50 percent power, stirring every minute until the chocolate and butter have melted and are smooth, another 2 to 3 minutes total).
- Fold a third of the egg foam into the chocolate mixture using a large rubber spatula until only a few streaks of egg are visible. Fold in half the remaining foam, then the last of the egg foam, until the mixture is totally combined with no visible egg.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. Set the roasting pan on the oven rack and pour in enough boiling water to come about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the cake has risen slightly, the edges are just beginning to set, a thin glazed crust (like a brownie) has formed on the surface, and an instant-read thermometer inserted halfway into the center of the cake reads 140 degrees F., 22 to 25 minutes. Remove the cake pan from the hot water bath and set on a wire rack. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight to set. (The cake can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days.)
- About 30 minutes before serving, remove the sides of the pan, invert the cake onto a sheet of wax paper, peel off the parchment paper, and reinvert the cake onto a serving platter. Sieve a light sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder over the cake to decorate. To slice, use a sharp, tin-bladed knife, dipping the knife into a pitcher of hot water and wiping the blade before each cut.
Notes
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Loved this! Super easy to make and tasted amazing!!
So glad to hear! Thanks so much, Bri :)
I’m curious if quality chocolate chips can be used in place of chocolate bars.. does the recipe need to be altered if doing so?
Thx
Hi Marcea, I’m not sure you can get as high a quality chocolate chip as you might get with a chocolate bar, but that said, chips should technically work. As long as you use the same amount of chocolate, you shouldn’t need to make any other alterations.
OMG! This was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made!! A go to I will use a lot!!
Thank you for sharing!!
I’m so glad to hear, Shelley! Thanks so much :)
Can I substitute no dairy butter in this recipe without compromising the end result?
Hi Eleanor, I’m afraid I don’t know, as I’ve never tested this substitution.
This is my favorite flourless cake. Very rich. I like a dollap of homemade whip cream on top. Thank you for the recipe.
Sounds lovely, Lois :) So glad you are enjoying it!
Hi can this be frozen?
Hi Lori and yes, this should freeze well. Enjoy!
I know you said the highest quality chocolate, but I don’t eat sugar, can I sub with Lily’s. Chocolate which is made with stevia?
This looks so GOOD!
Thank you!
Hi Donna, I have no experience with this chocolate, but it does sound like it performs like chocolate, so in theory, it should work in this cake.
How does the recipe differ if you use coffee or liqueur vs neither? It seems a fair amount of liquid to not have any impact.
Hi Natalie, the optional coffee or liqueur is simply flavouring. You can add it or not, as you like.
Hi.
This cake sounds divine. I usually make a flourless choc cake with almond flour but it’s always good to have an option without almond flour too as some people are allergic to nuts
Thanks. Will keep you posted on how it turns out.
Yes, it’s nice to have a flourless cake that doesn’t rely on almond flour. This one is very moist and truffle like, as it is using eggs for structure.