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.
This turned out perfect! The people who had problems obviously can’t read. Her directions are great – just read them and follow them! I loved the taste of this rich cake with fresh raspberries and dairy free whipped cream – perfect for my dairy free gluten free daughter and grand daughter because I didn’t have to go to the store and purchase some obscure ingredients that will only go bad in my cupboard. Plus, I learned a new trick to get difficult cakes out of the pan – it worked just great.
Evelyn – I’m glad you enjoyed the cake! It’s one of our favorites for special occasions. So glad it was a hit for you, too! 🙂
Can I substitute date paste for the maple syrup/honey?
This may be my bday cake…
Rob – I haven’t tested it with date paste. Usually, date paste isn’t quite a 1:1 substitute texture-wise for recipes like this, but I’d love to know how it goes if you give it a try!
Made this today and my friends loved it! I used sweetened dark baking chocolate and grade A maple syrup and it was perfect. Not too bitter, not too sweet. My friend’s discerning 3 year old boy loved it too! The raspberry sauce was deemed unnecessary as it detracted from the chocolate brownie as they called it which was rich and fudgy and moist but not overwhelmingly sweet. Friends did suggest ice cream or whipped cream as listed in the website which I may consider.
Thanks very much for this easy win to dinner parties! It’s my go-to chocolate perfection now!
How fantastic! I’m so glad you all loved it! We LOVE this one so much! (I love the whipped cream + toasted almonds combo or a scoop of vanilla or salted caramel ice cream!)
By now my number one choc cake recipe. I use butter and 70% dark chocolate and 1/2 a cup of honey and it’s AMAZING! Everyone says Wow and goes for another piece! Brilliant, thank you.
I’m so happy to hear that Antoinette! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂 You made my day!
Delicious cake. I ended up making it twice in one day because the first time I made it some of the batter leaked out of the spring form and there was smoke in the oven. Both times it turned out perfectly. I used gluten free 70% cocoa chips, coconut oil, and the maple syrup. Cake was super light but rich. Would make it again in a heart beat.
Gigi – I’m SO glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of my favorite desserts for a special occasion 🙂
I don’t normally comment online, but this recipe is so outstanding that I had to leave a review and praise Emily!! I often wonder why sweets with maple syrup or honey aren’t more popular. My husband and I loooove sweets, but want to keep our sugar down…and this cake delivers! He loved it! I only had a small bell shaped cake pan, maybe 8″, but it worked perfectly! In fact, it ended up being about 1 1/2″ tall. It looks and tastes like a dessert from a high-end restaurant. I think it will be even more amazing when I add a little whip cream or something! I was worried about some of the comments that said it wasn’t sweet enough, but ours was. We used JRiley maple syrup out of Redlands, CA — not a product plug, but important to mention because it is all natural, but the sweetest maple syrup I’ve ever had. What a great result!
WOW! Mandy- Thank you so much for leaving this comment! You totally made my day. I’m SO happy you enjoyed it! (And I’m off to check out JRiley syrup!)
My doctor recently told me to not eat gluten and dairy! It’s been a rough adjustment as those were two staples of my diet 🙂 thank you for this recipe! It is nice to still have sweets to enjoy. One question: what’s the best way to store the leftovers?
Cay – I TOTALLY understand! It was so overwhelming to us at first, but it gets easier and easier all the time. Hopefully it will to you, too! As for storing the cake, I usually keep my leftovers in the fridge or freezer. I like freezing individual slices so I can pull one out when the cravings hit 😉
It says this recipe is dairy free, but 3 eggs are required
Yep! Eggs aren’t dairy. Dairy is defined as “containing or made from milk.” Since eggs come from chickens and don’t contain any milk (dairy), they aren’t considered dairy. (They’re just typically sold in the dairy section at the grocery store). I hope that helps!
Should I use refined or unrefined/virgin coconut oil?
Either will work! I use virgin when I make it. 🙂
Many thanks for this recipe! I’ve been searching for some kind of cake for my adult son who avoids flour, dairy and table sugar. I made this for his birthday (so easy, too) and he was so impressed. He had two pieces. He asked to see the recipe! My grandkids ate theirs with whipped cream. So good!
Oh how wonderful! I’m so glad to hear that.