The Flourless Chocolate Cake Bake Off

If you’re looking for the best flourless chocolate cake recipe, I tested 9 popular recipes side by side in search of the best! If you love a decadent, fudgy, deeply chocolate-y cake, this bake off is for you.

When it came to the quest for the best flourless chocolate cake, I balked. I mean, have you ever had a bad flourless chocolate cake? If you used the same chocolate across all the recipes, wouldn’t they essentially taste the same? What could possibly make one pile of butter, eggs and chocolate less delicious than another?

When others finally convinced me to embark on this bake off, I was glad I did. Between whipped egg whites, varying amounts of sugar, almond flour, cocoa and more, there are many factors driving these decadent textures. All are a far cry from a classic fluffy chocolate cake–let’s dive in!

METHODOLOGY // RESULTS // FACTORS // ANALYSIS // RECOMMENDATIONS

Methodology

• 25 total tasters
• 5 cakes were baked fresh the day of tasting; 4 cakes were baked the night before as the recipe either specified the cake could be stored overnight or in some cases, would be even better after resting overnight
• All tasters ranked each cake on a scale from 0-10 for flavor, texture and overall as a whole
• All cakes were baked in a parchment-lined 9″ cake pan or springform pan

Ingredients

• Kirkland butter
• Trader Joe’s dark chocolate Pound Plus bar
• Trader Joe’s 72% Pound Plus bar
• Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder (Dutch process)
• Kirkland almond flour
• Snowville heavy cream
• Diamond kosher salt
• Imperial granulated and powdered sugar

Results

Here is a bake off where my tastebuds can whole-heartedly agree with the crowd pick (though I had some other favorites sprinkled throughout).

Interestingly, the cakes in this bake off typically fell into two main categories:

• Lighter, cakier and brownie-like: Richard Sax, Claire Saffitz, Alison Roman, America’s Test Kitchen
• Dense and fudgy: Cake by Courtney, Dorie Greenspan, Handle the Heat

The results reflect that this crowd generally had a preference for the lighter, brownie-like cakes. However, there were many tasters that praised cakes that fell in the dense and fudgy category as exactly what they imagine flourless chocolate cake to be and their #1 pick. I think Trish slid into first place as a perfect balance between the two categories and thus the most widely crowd-pleasing texture.

As always, I think each recipe would be enthusiastically demolished if served as a standalone dessert, so don’t be too skeptical of the lower ranked picks! I always recommend you read through the entire post to see which cake sounds the best to you.

Factors

When it came down to choosing flourless chocolate cake recipes to include, I was very concerned that they would all taste the same–hence my introduction of chocolate tortes. Besides the inclusion of almond flour in America’s Test Kitchen and Claire Saffitz, I also included a recipe without sugar (Rose Levy Beranbaum), with whipped egg whites vs. whole eggs and more. Below we’ll discuss some of the different factors and the ones that I think made the biggest difference.

Fat type

Virtually all recipes used 100% butter except for Alison Roman (oil and butter) and Claire Saffitz (all oil!). One of my most shocking revelations from this bake off was how much I liked Claire’s cake despite zero butter. I felt sure the lack of butter would affect the flavor, but I couldn’t tell the difference! I also preferred the more moist texture of her cake vs. the similar recipes from Richard Sax and Alison Roman, which I think was due in part from the oil. Ultimately, my takeaway here is: if you’re short on butter, try a neutral oil in its place. The powerful chocolate flavor will easily help compensate for any lost flavor.

Whipped eggs

Nearly half the recipes called for whipped egg whites while the other half simply called for mixing in whole eggs. There was a very clear divide in texture between the two techniques. As you’d expect, whipped whites leads to an airy, almost foamy, crackly-topped cake. Mixed whole eggs leads to shorter cakes with a dense, fudge-like texture. It’s truly a matter of personal preference on what texture you prefer. I found the cakes with whipped whites had a slightly diluted (but still perfectly present) chocolate flavor in contrast to the very intense flavor of the cakes with mixed whole eggs.

Almond flour

In ATK, it was very clear that the 2 cups of almond flour added a cake-like structure and nutty texture to the cake. However, in Claire’s cake (with just 1/2 cup), it almost melted into the cake and it was hard to distinguish any graininess compared to other cakes. I think almond flour is a great ingredient to consider if you want a cake with slightly more body and structure.

Sugar

Most recipes mixed sugar into the butter/chocolate mixture or into the whipped egg whites for a meringue, but there were two interesting exceptions. The first: Rose’s cake, which omits sugar entirely. With just butter, chocolate and whipped whole eggs, Rose’s cake had the smoothest, softest texture–like chocolate mousse. I believe that sugar typically helps stabilize the structure of whipped egg whites, which helps explain why Rose’s texture was so different. (I didn’t notice a big difference in the flavor compared to other cakes as the chocolate dominates.) The second: Cake by Courtney, which makes a sugar syrup that gets added to the butter and chocolate. I think this technique is mostly to melt any sugar granules and to help melt the butter/chocolate without a microwave. I’m not sure it was any different from the typical method.

Cocoa

What does adding cocoa to a flourless chocolate cake do? Unfortunately, I don’t have a clear conclusion. It’s used in ATK and Alison Roman (both of which I found to be slightly drier cakes, but probably due to other factors). It’s also used in Handle the Heat, which is supremely moist. Perhaps it slightly enhances the flavor, but there’s so much chocolate in each recipe that it’s hard to tell.

Flourless Chocolate Cake FAQ

A Tip for People with Small Kitchens

When baking at my sister’s house, she didn’t have a stand mixer but her partner had this KitchenAid immersion blender with a whisk (and food processor attachment). It quickly became my new favorite kitchen item for several reasons:

1. It’s cordless, so it’s easy to move around with in the kitchen.
2. It’s so much more convenient than pulling out my stand mixer to whip egg whites.
3. It’s extremely efficient! I was able to whip egg whites to stiff peaks in just a few minutes.

To be transparent, the downsides in my eyes include (1) you can’t charge and use it at the same time (but as long as you’re charged beforehand, it should be fine) and (2) there’s only one speed so everything gets whipped on HIGH. But these are minor downsides for the convenience in my eyes.

I’m planning to buy one when I’m back in NYC because this will be an amazing space saver in my apartment and just wanted to share! This is 100% not sponsored and just my own opinion–but this is an affiliate link to the mixer if you’re interested in picking up one for yourself or a baker in your life.

Analysis of the Best Flourless Chocolate Cakes

America’s Test Kitchen: a nutty, slightly gritty, full-bodied, lightly chocolatey cake

ATK’s torta caprese is an Italian flourless chocolate cake that contains almonds. This cake uses a whopping 2 cups of almond flour! It also whips both the egg whites AND yolks to create “strong stable egg foams’ to lighten the batter and prevent it from collapsing. It was also one of two recipes to include cocoa powder.

Sure enough, the techniques created one of the thickest, heftiest cakes with no collapsing in the center like others. This cake almost had a foamy lightness with noticeable graininess from the almond flour. The chocolate flavor felt quite diluted in this one (probably due to the higher ratio of almond flour and relatively low amount of chocolate). While it was somewhat fudgy under the crackly matte lid, it still gave the impression of a lighter brownie. This was one of my least favorites of the group–but would be delicious if you’re looking for a lighter chocolate almond cake.

Taster comments:

• I liked how light it was. Its lightness however made it a bit dry. Flavor was great.
• Cakey and moist, which is nice, but not as decadent as I’d look for in a flourless choc cake
• Brownie like texture. Lacking flavor and depth of the chocolate. Nice sugar crust. Feels a little “oily”
• What I imagine a very standard chocolate almond flour cake to be. Feels very cooks illustrated 1990s somehow.
• Dry, cakey/crumbly, a bit flat. Not how I imagine flourless cake to be

Alison Roman (via Bon Appetit): a silky, brownie-like cake that’s slightly drier with an airy density

This is a stated riff on Richard Sax’s renowned recipe. Alison slightly increases the amount of chocolate and reduces the sugar while adding salt and vanilla. I was mainly interested to see how the addition of 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and cocoa powder would affect the cake.

Ultimately, you could definitely tell this cake was related to the Richard Sax cake with its poofy, crackly sugar-crusted top and fallen middle. The flavor felt very similar to the Sax cake but with a slight edge thanks to the salt and vanilla. Texturally, the main difference was that it felt a tiny bit drier. While the cakey texture is smooth, the slight dryness adds an almost chalky feel to the texture. Overall, a solid cake but wasn’t overly memorable in the landscape of other cakes.

Taster comments:

• Ultimate favorite, really good flavor, airy, not too fudgy, not just chocolate flavor and more cake like
• The touch of salt was nice. The texture detracted a bit from the flavor. It was a bit more dry than the others.
• Nice soft crumble but a little dry. Crispy top is good though.
• Very cake-like. Almost more like a light brownie
• Reminds me of cake [America’s Test Kitchen]. This is drier/cakier, less fudgy. Flavor is flat and lacking complexity

Dorie Greenspan: a dual-layered cake with a dense, bittersweet bottom and a meltingly smooth lid

Dorie’s Lisbon chocolate cake is inspired by the cake from Landeau Chocolate cafe in Lisbon. She describes it as a dense brownie-like cake covered in a whipped chocolate ganache. Her recreation includes a 1/3 cup of cocoa powder, cornstarch and cold whole eggs. No egg whipping is required as Dorie mixes whole eggs into the batter (with a tiny bit of baking powder for lift). The ganache is simply melted chocolate and heavy cream that gets whipped with additional whipped cream folded in. Note: I completely forgot to cover the cake with the finishing touch of cocoa powder!

Although this cake came out worryingly thin compared to the other cakes, the added ganache made for a stunning presentation. The flourless cake was dense and deeply chocolatey with a slight bite. I thought it paired beautifully with the sweeter and lighter creamy ganache layer that melts away in your mouth. While some tasters found the ganache slightly too bitter, this was one of my favorites. I do think the instructions for the ganache are cumbersome (you have to stir the ganache every 10 minutes as it chills in the fridge), but overall, it felt worth it. I’ll likely return to this cake for a show stopper dessert!

Taster comments:

• My favorite so far! Fudgy but still had some “crumb” to it, which I appreciate in a flourless cake. Nice crackly top. Loved the bittersweet flavor. 10/10!
• Just perfect blend of good, strong taste, ample fudginess, and real structure. Best cake of them all!
• The dual layer thing is mind blowing. It gives the fudgy on top and cakey on bottom, really nice.
• This one was super interesting due to the two layers (light whipped ganache on top?). But the topping was a little too bitter. I actually prefer the bottom by itself!
• Texture was a little mushy for me. The top is nice and smooth, but it’s problematic how easily it falls apart

Rose Levy Beranbaum: a soft, mousse-like cake with deep chocolate flavor

Rose’s chocolate oblivion torte is just three ingredients: chocolate, butter, eggs. Despite the short ingredient list, this recipe is somewhat finicky: you must heat the eggs and whip them until they’re tripled in volume. The eggs get folded into the melted chocolate and butter and then baked briefly in a water bath–first without foil, then covered. Then it must cool and be refrigerated until firm (at least 3 hours)–but then you need to bring it up to temp to enjoy. Note: she calls for chocolate “no higher than 62%–I used Trader Joe’s dark chocolate Pound Plus bar and I’m not quite sure what percentage that is. So this may have been slightly darker than intended!

As promised by Rose (“it is most moussey and delicious at room temperature), this cake had the most incredibly silky, meltingly soft texture. Imagine pure bittersweet chocolate that was transformed from bar to mousse form. It’s hard to call this a cake as there is virtually no crumb to it–just structured mousse on a plate. It’s pure decadence and I couldn’t stop eating it. If you want rich, silky, decadent deliciousness (without feeling like you’re eating a straight candy bar), this is it.

Taster comments:

• Soft, dense but not heavy. Delicious
• Dense and creamy, melts in your mouth. Great flavor, more fudge like than cake like.
• Fudgy but def a higher content of dark / semi sweet. It’s like a fudgicle in cake form.
• Too dense, almost fudge like. Melts in your mouth. Like the strong chocolate flavor but because it is so dense it can be too much after a couple of bites
• Overall felt very oily and could of use more sweetness

Cake by Courtney: like firm whipped ganache, embodied

Courtney’s recipe is at first notable for its impressive amount of chocolate (18 oz) and eggs (7 whole eggs). She also uses a simple syrup that helps melt the chocolate and butter. This was another recipe that doesn’t require any beating of the eggs–simply mixing them into the melted chocolate mixture. (Note: be sure to mix in your eggs completely, lest you end up with some cooked whites in your cake.) She also calls for a water bath to help the cake cook evenly and add moisture so the cake doesn’t crack.

As to be expected with such a high percentage of chocolate, this cake felt like actual fudge. The generous amount of ingredients leads to a dense and tall cake that is so decadent and rich! I truly don’t know how else to describe it besides a slice of bittersweet fudge. The salt and vanilla add a lovely balance to the dark chocolate. This is one that I could only eat a small piece of because it is so intensely chocolatey. A number of tasters called this cake exactly what they want in a flourless chocolate cake!

Taster comments:

• Rich and delicious, maybe a bit too heavy but overall what I think of when I want a rich flourless chocolate cake
• Very velvety mouthfeel, intensely fudge-like. Incredible!
• Strong dark chocolate flavor. Although it is very dense it has a nice texture. Not a fan of fudge like cake but can be a good option for those that prefer that texture
• If you want to eat a chocolate bar, but softer – this is the delicious cake for you. The texture is so extremely fudgy, it is hard to call it cake
• Fudgy, dark, rich, dense. Delicious, but a little intense, would want a small portion. Almost too dense and fudgy to call it a cake.

Handle the Heat: like firm whipped ganache, embodied

Like Dorie, Tessa incorporates a good amount of cocoa powder into her cake. Her recipe is somewhat similar to Dorie’s but with an extra egg yolk, espresso powder, and slightly more chocolate, cocoa and sugar. The most interesting characteristic of this recipe? No whipped egg whites, but Tessa folds in whipped heavy cream for lift.

This cake feels essentially like a slab of firm whipped ganache. It’s very buttery with lovely notes of espresso that adds to the a robust richness. The texture is extraordinarily smooth and silky to the point where it barely reads as cake. I think it’s nearly a perfect midway point between Rose’s uber-soft mousse cake and Courtney’s very fudgy cake. It has mousse-y qualities while still remaining structured and intensely chocolate-y.

Taster comments:

• Fudgy, smooth, soft without being dense or heavy. exactly what I’d want in a rich flourless cake
• Loved the texture and flavor. Seemed like the coffee enhanced the flavor which was amazing. Loved it.
• Best texture so far- dense but not too fudgy- still felt like it had a little tiny bit of lift to it. Wish it was a tiny bit less sweet or else it would be 10/10
• Very good chocolate flavor, but a little too dense
• Super sweet, coffee flavor, fudge was almost custardy. Way too sweet

Claire Saffitz: a spongy and airy yet moist, rich brownie-like cake

Claire uses very similar ratios to Richard Sax’s cake, but she reduces the sugar and swaps butter for oil. She also adds salt, vanilla and amaretto (which I omitted) along with 1/2 cup of almond flour (making this into a torta caprese).

This cake is far airer than denser versions like Cake by Courtney or Handle the Heat. It’s almost spongy in a delightfully chocolatey way. The lower ratio of almond flour keeps this from being as grainy as America’s Test Kitchen. To me, this felt like a more moist version of Richard Sax and Alison Roman. I was truly shocked that the oil in this cake didn’t seem to affect the flavor, which remains unflinchingly chocolatey (though not as deeply as others). I agree with tasters who called this the most brownie like–this is the one that I could easily eat the most of. One of my favorites!

Taster comments:

• #1 hands down. My favorite dessert is a fudgy brownie and this is like a giant brownie. I’d have a hard time refraining myself from eating an entire pan. It melts in your mouth, perfect crumb.
• Loved it! Almost like a brownie. Texture is perfect, crumb is tight but still melts in your mouth. Flavor is strong but not overpowering. Would be perfect by itself or with a spiced whipped cream or ice cream
• My favorite! Not overly dense and great flavor, amazing texture
• Most brownie like. Airy, not too heavy, could use more flavor
• Very soft, nice crumb, but overall not the decadent recipe I’d go to for a flourless chic cake experience
• Feels like a Godiva box brownie mix. Texture a bit cakey. Not a lot of depth.

Richard Sax: a crackly-topped, airy yet deeply chocolatey cake

Food52 compares Richard’s cake to Rose’s oblivion torte and notes that he uses half the amount of chocolate and butter to her same amount of eggs. While Rose whips whole eggs, Richard uses the more typical version of whipped egg whites and sugar to create a meringue that gets folded into the batter. (Note: I did omit the optional cognac and orange zest). This creates a souffle-like cake that intentionally collapses in the center.

Because this is such a popular recipe that many have riffed upon, I think many will recognize this as what they expect a flourless chocolate cake to be. An amazing bittersweet chocolate flavor permeates the slightly airy, cakey texture. This feels like the silky, non-gritty version of America’s Test Kitchen but with a deeper chocolate flavor. While I personally found this to be a little dry in contrast to Claire’s denser, moister cake, many tasters loved how this struck the right balance between being dense but not overly fudgy.

Taster comments:

• Very balanced chocolate flavor with some hints of coffee. Nice crumb and not too dense. Very balanced cake!
• Best balance to me of fudgey, soft, sweet, not too moist. I want to eat it for breakfast with tea.
• My #3, brownie meets mousse, giving me dense pavlova vibes (in a great way)
• Like [America’s Test Kitchen] but with a smoother texture. LOVE the fudginess, and chocolate is more nuanced.
• Light consistency, too much air and weird flavor like it has too much cocoa powder

Trish DeSeine: a smooth and silky but not overly dense, richly chocolate-y cake

Trish calls the taste and texture of this a “cooked, intensely flavored chocolate mousse.” It calls for almost equal amount of butter, dark chocolate, sugar and eggs (slightly more eggs). Frustratingly for gluten-free folks, it calls for just 1 tablespoon of flour (though you could easily omit this or use cornstarch instead). Trish’s recipe was also perhaps the least fussy as you simply melt the butter and chocolate together, then stir in the sugar and eggs (no whipping!).

It’s easy to see why this cake has achieved such fanfare–it’s deeply dark and chocolatey. For me, it strikes the perfect balance between a mousse and a cake–kind of like a mix between Handle the Heat and Claire Saffitz. While it might look quite fudgy in the photos, it actually feels quite light and has a delightful texture that melts in your mouth. She suggests making it the day before to let the flavors develop and I can attest that the flavors are AMAZING.

Taster comments:

• This is my ideal chocolate flourless torte! I’m not sure how it could get better. Maybe it could be a TAD less fudgey, but I prefer a fudgey torte. The flavor is deep, rich, and more complex than the others. Love this one.
• Very soft and gooey which was nice, but unexpected. I think I’d try a brownie recipe if I wanted the gooey factor, instead of looking to a cake for that. Enjoyable though
• Tied for favorite. Best flavor. A softer, less dense example out of the firm/fudgy options.
• Super smooth, fudge like, nutty aftertaste
• Great for flavor but too dense and dark… I couldn’t take more than a bite