Dairy-Free Flourless Chocolate Cake for the win! This dense, perfectly rich chocolate cake is gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, and naturally sweetened, but has all the indulgent flavor you’re looking for on a special occasion.
I need very few excuses to make something chocolate, but Valentine’s Day is one of my favorites. So, I did it up right–a dense, perfectly rich flourless chocolate cake. And, because I couldn’t resist, a bright, beautiful raspberry sauce to drizzle over top.
This, dear reader, is what chocolate dreams are made of.
I love flourless chocolate cake for its fudgy texture and the delicious richness that’s perfect in small doses. A thin little slice feels just decadent enough without being too much. This flourless chocolate cake is made from gluten and dairy free ingredients and couldn’t be easier.
Start With Simple Ingredients
Another great thing about dairy-free flourless chocolate cake? The simple ingredients list! Let’s take a look:
How to Make Dairy-Free Flourless Chocolate Cake, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below!
- Preheat & Prep. To start, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8 or 9 inch springform pan, or grease an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan. If using a cake pan instead of a springform, cut two long strips of parchment paper and make an “X” on the bottom of the pan. Fold them over the edge of the pan a bit so they don’t flop right into your batter. Then, layer in a circle that’s been cut to fit the bottom of your pan (I just trace the pan on parchment and cut it out). When the cake has cooled a few minutes on a cooling rack, you’ll use the “X” strips as handles to lift the cake out.
- Melt Chocolate & Coconut Oil. In a medium microwave safe bowl (or a medium saucepan), melt unsweetened chocolate and coconut oil together over low heat until completely smooth.
- Whisk Eggs. While the chocolate is melting, whisk eggs together in a bowl until they are slightly lighter in color. (When you lift your whisk up, the eggs should fall in a thin stream instead of in clumps–this is called the “ribbon test”)
- Combine. When the chocolate is melted, remove from heat. Stir in maple syrup to cool the chocolate mixture down slightly, then slowly whisk in the eggs. Stir in vanilla extract and salt. Sift in the cocoa powder (to avoid lumps) using a sifter or fine mesh sieve and stir to just combine.
- Transfer The Batter. Pour cake batter into your prepared pan, gently shake the pan back and forth a bit to settle the batter, and transfer to the oven.
- Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the middle is just set. (if using a 9 inch pan, you’ll want to check it at 13-15 minutes as it may cook slightly faster) Remove from oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes in the pan before transferring out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. If you’ve used a springform pan, you’ll open the ring and allow the cake to finish cooling on the cooling rack that way. If you’ve used the parchment trick, use the “handles” you made with the parchment to gently lift the cake out and transfer to a cooling rack.
- Serve. Enjoy this cake with your favorite toppings, like raspberry sauce, powdered sugar, dairy-free whipped cream, etc. Store leftover cake (without toppings!) in an airtight container at room temperature 1-2 days, in the refrigerator 3-4 days, or freeze up to 2 months.
Delicious Toppings To Try
Flourless chocolate cakes are very no-fuss, but they feel really indulgent and a little bit fancy, which makes them perfect for dinner parties or holidays. They stand on their own beautifully, but there are also a TON of ways you could serve this to take it to the next level…
- Fresh raspberry sauce (raspberry coulis)
- Sliced strawberries
- Whipped coconut cream or whipped cream
- Shaved chocolate
- A pinch of coarse sea salt
- Toasted almonds or hazelnuts
- Vegan caramel sauce
- A sprinkle of powdered sugar
- Coconut (especially toasted coconut)
- Toffee bits
However you plan to serve it, trust me that a thin little slice goes a long way. And the final result will be delicious!
Tips & Tricks For The Best Paleo Flourless Chocolate Cake
THIS IS A DENSE CAKE. This flourless chocolate cake won’t rise much at all, and it’ll be very fudgy and rich (somewhere between a truffle and a brownie). That’s the beauty of flourless chocolate cake. It’s a little bit different, and it’s SO GOOD. Don’t panic if it doesn’t puff up much in the oven. That’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.
IT FREEZES LIKE A DREAM! You can slice and freeze flourless chocolate cake with no trouble, which means it’s great for making ahead of time (or pulling out a single slice on a day when it would hit the spot). Similarly, you can make the raspberry sauce ahead of time. You can freeze it, or refrigerate it.
Tips For Getting Flourless Chocolate Cake Out Of The Pan
- Try A Springform Pan! You can certainly use a spring-form pan for this. Springform pans have removable sides, which means you don’t have to worry about flipping or lifting the cake out of the pan. I’ve also made it with an 8-inch or 9-inch cake pan and haven’t had any problems.
- Use Parchment Paper. If you’re using a regular pan, the trick is to use parchment paper. First, grease your pan (or spray it with nonstick spray). Cut two long strips of parchment and make an “X” on the bottom of the pan. Fold them over the edge of the pan a bit so they don’t flop right into your batter. Then, layer in a circle that’s been cut to fit the bottom of your pan (I just trace the pan on parchment and cut it out) and pour in your batter. When the cake has cooled a few minutes on a cooling rack, you’ll use the “X” strips as handles to lift the cake out.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Flourless Chocolate recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Flourless Chocolate Cake (Dairy Free, Gluten Free)
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
- 1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) coconut oil – measure solid
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder*
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For Raspberry Sauce:
- 1 (10 oz) package of frozen raspberries, slightly thawed (or 10 oz fresh raspberries)
- 2-3 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Other Optional Toppings:
- Fresh strawberries
- Dairy-free whipped cream
- Toasted almonds or hazelnuts
- Flaky sea salt like Maldon
- Shaved chocolate
- Powdered sugar
- Toasted coconut
- Vanilla ice cream
Instructions
Make The Cake:
- Preheat & Prep. To start, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8 or 9 inch springform pan, or grease an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan. If using a cake pan instead of a springform, cut two long strips of parchment paper and make an "X" on the bottom of the pan. Fold them over the edge of the pan a bit so they don't flop right into your batter. Then, layer in a circle that's been cut to fit the bottom of your pan (I just trace the pan on parchment and cut it out). When the cake has cooled a few minutes on a cooling rack, you'll use the "X" strips as handles to lift the cake out.
- Melt Chocolate & Coconut Oil. In a medium microwave safe bowl (or a medium saucepan), melt unsweetened chocolate and coconut oil together over low heat until completely smooth.
- Whisk Eggs. While the chocolate is melting, whisk eggs together in a bowl until they are slightly lighter in color. (When you lift your whisk up, the eggs should fall in a thin stream instead of in clumps–this is called the "ribbon test")
- Combine. When the chocolate is melted, remove from heat. Stir in maple syrup to cool the chocolate mixture down slightly, then slowly whisk in the eggs. Stir in vanilla extract and salt. Sift in the cocoa powder (to avoid lumps) using a sifter or fine mesh sieve and stir to just combine.
- Transfer The Batter. Pour cake batter into your prepared pan, gently shake the pan back and forth a bit to settle the batter, and transfer to the oven.
- Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the middle is just set. (if using a 9 inch pan, you'll want to check it at 13-15 minutes as it may cook slightly faster) Remove from oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes in the pan before transferring out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. If you've used a springform pan, you'll open the ring and allow the cake to finish cooling on the cooling rack that way. If you've used the parchment trick, use the "handles" you made with the parchment to gently lift the cake out and transfer to a cooling rack.
- Serve. Enjoy this cake with your favorite toppings, like raspberry sauce, powdered sugar, dairy-free whipped cream, etc. Store leftover cake (without toppings!) in an airtight container at room temperature 1-2 days, in the refrigerator 3-4 days, or freeze up to 2 months.
Make The Raspberry Sauce:
- Blend. Place raspberries, honey, and lemon juice in a blender. Puree until smooth, adding a few tablespoons of water, if needed.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds and refrigerate until ready to serve!
- Serve & Store. Raspberry sauce can be made in advance and will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator 3-4 days, or frozen up to 2 months.
Notes
- Chocolate. Be sure to use UNSWEETENED chocolate for this recipe. Semi-sweet chocolate, dark chocolate, etc. are not recommended.
- Coconut Oil. Butter or vegan butter can be substituted here, depending on your dietary needs. I don’t recommend substituting other oils, like vegetable oil or olive oil here.
- Cocoa Powder. I recommend natural cocoa powder (like Hershey’s or Ghirardelli), rather than Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Find it Online:
https://www.onelovelylife.com/flourless-chocolate-cake/Recipe originally shared February 2017. Updated with step-by-step photos, additional recipe notes, and new video and republished January 2026.
Can this cake be successfully frosted? I’m assuming no, but …
Also, I assume this is less sweet than your brownies?
💕
Hi Cassandra! It *is* less sweet than the brownies (it’s more dark chocolate/bittersweet in taste, where the brownies are more semi-sweet).
The top is a bit light and crackly, so a frosting might be a bit thick for it (and peel off the top layer), but you could probably get along with a thinner glaze or ganache!
Great! 😁
Thanks for the reply.
I made this for a holiday dessert as my son in law is dairy and gluten free. It was a major hit! I did use semi sweet chocolate and baked it in a torte pan with a removable bottom and it came out of the pan without a problem. The raspberry sauce was perfect with it.
I’m SO GLAD you guys loved it! It’s my favorite for special occasions!
Seriously—this cake is BEYOND amazing. I used the coconut oil and maple syrup and everyone that tried it RAVED ❤️ … we also did the raspberry sauce and whipped cream!
Yaaaaaay! I love hearing that. So glad you loved it as much as we do!
I made this for my little guy’s first birthday cake 🙂 He LOVED it!! (And so did the rest of the family!) We love super dark chocolate so I cut the pure maple syrup in half. It was divine! Thank you, Emily!
YUM! (and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to your little guy!!!)
I made this for my friend’s birthday. Between she and he husband, they can’t eat grains, soy, nuts, dairy, night shades, strawberries, apples, etc. I was really excited for this recipe. When I made this recipe, the eggs seemed to separate out and formed a gelatenous goo on the bottom of the cake. I scraped it all off and the remaining cake was still yummy, just really thin! (and the gooey egg bits were delicious– almost had a creme brulee taste). But it was strange. I don’t think I would make it again.
That’s so strange! That’s never happened to me in all the times I’ve made this. I wonder if they didn’t get beaten in solidly enough at the start?
Hi Emily,
I tried baking this for the office for my birthday yesterday, but I failed badly. haha. I went for the honey option instead of maple syrup and I used egg replacement instead of egg and unfortunately the cake ended up hilariously flat. About 1-2mm.
It tastes delicious, but I’m wondering if you have any advice or ideas of what might have gone wrong…
…If it helps, I did cook it a bit too hot for the last 10 minutes (~going up from 375F slowly to 482F, because my ovens thermostat is broken, so I have to turn it up a little to keep it on). I then later tried to keep baking for a while, when it hadn’t risen… :s
Any tips appreciated! Thanks!
Yannick – I’ve been thinking about this for the last few days wondering what to recommend… I’m wondering if the egg replacer is the problem. The egg itself binds, but it also does puff up a bit and expand while cooking. I’m not sure which egg replace you used, but that may have had an impact. I also think the temperature issue probably had an impact. I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you!
Hi Emily,
Thank you so much for getting back to me. I used orgran no egg, egg replacer. That makes sense. Thanks for explaining. If the egg puffs up, maybe I’ll try to use some baking powder next time and get our oven fixed.
Thanks again. And rising apart, the cake tastes delicious! We are eating it anyway. We just keep it in the freezer too keep it together and then scrape it off and eat it with fresh raspberries. Haha. Thanks for me first vegan cake recipe. I’ll try to remember to write an update if I find a solution that works.
Yannick
I hope it does, Yannick! Thank you again for sharing!
Might this work by subbing gelatin for the eggs?
Emily – I’ve never tried using gelatin as a substitute for eggs! That’s a smart idea. I’m not sure about how it would work in this recipe since it’s a pretty essential part of the structure, but if you give it a try, I’d love to know how it goes!
I’m a little confused about beating the eggs. I can’t get them to “ribbon”. Instead they fluff and bubble. The recipe works even so, but I’m wondering if it would be better if the eggs “ribboned”.
I beat them by hand with a whisk.
I’ve looked online for tips, but they all say that eggs only ribbon when mixed with sugar.
I don’t want to add sugar, so I’m wondering you have any advice.
Thanks for your time.
Steve – So sorry for the confusion! I don’t add sugar to mine either. When I whisk them (by hand with a whisk), mine get lighter in color and do get bubbly as well. But the big thing to look for is that when I lift up my whisk, the eggs stream down in a smooth stream instead of in lumps. If you haven’t whisked them very much, they’ll plop off your whisk instead of streaming off the whisk. Does that help at all?
That does help, thanks! Now I’m more sure of what to look for.
I followed directions, greased the 9″ pan, cooled entirely , but it’s so moist that I’m having trouble trying to get it off the flat bottom section of the springform pan. I used a knife to go under the cake to try to get it off the pan. Afraid it will break if I slide it off . Any suggestions? The cake that got on the knife is out of this world.
(Guess I could get some tiny cups and scoop it into them, top with a raspberry if it does fall apart. )
Kathy – Hm… I don’t usually take it off the springform pan! I just remove the edges/casing and leave the cake on the bottom. I usually slice and serve right from the bottom of the pan (I put it on a pretty plate or something while it’s still on the pan). You might try that? Your cups and raspberry idea is adorable!
Hi
I am dairy free but not gluten free. I have almost two cups almond flour can I use reg flour to get to a full two cups?
Thanks
Tina
Tina – This one is a flourless chocolate cake. You won’t want to add any flour at all, or it’ll throw off the texture 🙂