This rich and dense vegan Flourless Chocolate Cake is also gluten-free for a decadent dessert nearly everyone can enjoy. Made with just 7 simple ingredients for a quick and easy sweet treat.
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Before my blogging days, I spent many years as a baker.
Among my most notable jobs, was the cake maker at a popular dessert restaurant here in Portland. There I learned how to make the perfect meringues, chiffon cakes, Italian buttercreams, and French gateaus. These recipes were all traditional (non-vegan, that is) and so I spent a lot of time justifying my decision to work in an environment that was at complete odds with my deepest values.
I told myself that someday, after I understood the technique and had enough financial freedom to be a bit choosey about where I worked, I would take everything I learned from my time in the food service industry and veganize it.
I’ve worked on this goal over the past 6 years of blogging, veganizing desserts such as creme brûlées, pots de creme, baccone dolces, and so much more. Every time I perfect one of these delicate desserts that rely so much on eggs, I feel immense satisfaction that I am making dreams come true.
But I’m not done veganizing. And so today I bring you this vegan flourless chocolate cake.
Recipe Video
Ingredients & Substitutions
This flourless chocolate cake is another classic dessert I made a lot in the various bakeries I worked in. Traditionally, rather than relying on flour for the structure, this cake relies on eggs. This technique gives the cake a delicate structure that is incredibly rich and decadent, more similar to a brownie than a cake.
Here is everything you need.
- Dark Vegan Chocolate – You can use either chocolate bars or chocolate chips.
- Vegan Butter – Look for a high-quality non-hydrogenated vegan butter. I recommend either EarthBalance orMiyoko’s.
- Granulated Sugar – Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements.
- Chickpea Flour – I love the chickpea flour because it has serious binding powder, similar to that of eggs which gives the cake it’s structure. It also is completely flavorless* meaning it won’t affect the taste of the cake itself. I’ve tried this cake with other egg replacers without the same success.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I recommend something thick, creamy, and neutral in flavor. Soy, cashew, or macadamia nut milk are the ones I prefer.
- Cocoa Powder – I prefer Dutch as it is a bit smoother and less acidic but regular cocoa powder works as well.
- Baking Soda
*IMPORTANT – while cooked chickpea flour is completely flavorless, raw chickpea flour has a potently unpleasant taste. That means you won’t want to be licking the spatula for this recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One – Chop and Melt the Chocolate
Roughly chop your chocolate and place it in a metal bowl with the vegan butter. GENTLY melt your chocolate and butter over medium-low heat. This can be done in a double boiler or with a metal bowl placed over a pot of steaming water that has been removed from the heat.
Stir the chocolate/butter mixture with a spatula, taking careful effort not to over mix.
Step Two – Make the Chickpea Egg
Whisk together chickpea flour and soy milk until you have a thick gooey paste. Make sure the chickpea mixture is evenly hydrated throughout. This is best done in a small blender.
Step Three – Make the Batter
Once the chocolate and butter are melted, stir in sugar until it is dissolved. Add the chickpea egg, stirring with a spatula to combine. Fold in cocoa powder and baking soda until a uniform batter is achieved.
Be careful not to agitate the chocolate by over-mixing.
Step Four – Bake
Transfer the batter to a prepared cake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.
Do not open the oven door before 35 minutes of baking or the cake will fall. Check the cake at 35 minutes and give it a gentle shake. To know the cake is ready, the cake should not be wobbly and a thin top crust will have formed.
Serving and Storing
Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before removing it. Because this cake lacks the same structure that flour gives the cake, it could fall apart if removed too early from pan. Serve the cake chilled with fresh berries and powdered sugar.
Leftover cake can be wrapped tightly and stored in the refrigerator. Eat leftover cake within 5 days.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure not to over-mix your chocolate. This can agitate the chocolate, causing it to clump and lose its shine.
- When making the chickpea flour egg, mix the chickpea flour and soy milk completely. This is best done by using a small blender.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet. The more you mix, the more deflated your cake will be.
- Do not open the oven door while the cake is baking or it may fall. Check the cake at 35 minutes and give it a gentle shake. To know the cake is ready, the cake should not be wobbly and a thin top crust will have formed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use something other than chickpea flour?
Unfortunately no. Chickpea flour has serious binding powder, similar to that of eggs, which gives the cake it’s structure. It also is completely flavorless* meaning it won’t affect the taste of the cake itself. I’ve tried this cake with other egg replacers without success.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
Vegan Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 4 ounces vegan dark chocolate, chopped
- 6 tbsp vegan butter
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp chickpea flour
- 1/2 cup soy or cashew milk
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2-3/4 cup fresh raspberries
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Generously spray a 6" cake pan and set aside.
- In a double boiler, gently melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring occasionally.
- While chocolate melts, whisk together chickpea flour and soy milk until a thick gooey paste has formed. Make sure the chickpea mixture is evenly hydrated throughout.
- Once the chocolate and butter are melted, stir in sugar until it is dissolved. Add chickpea/milk mixture, stirring with a spatula to combine. Fold in cocoa powder and baking soda until a uniform batter is achieved.
- Transfer batter to the prepared cake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a thin crust has formed and cake doesn't wobble when gently shaken.
- Remove from the oven and let set up in the pan for 30 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Dust with powdered sugar and fresh raspberries to serve.
Video
Notes
- Make sure not to over-mix your chocolate. This can agitate the chocolate, causing it to clump and lose its shine.
- When making the chickpea flour egg, mix the chickpea flour and soy milk completely. This is best done by using a small blender.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet. The more you mix, the more deflated your cake will be.
- Do not eat this batter raw. Chickpea flour has an unpleasant raw taste that goes away completely once it is baked.
- Do not open the oven door while the cake is baking or it may fall. Check the cake at 35 minutes and give it a gentle shake. To know the cake is ready, the cake should not be wobbly and a thin top crust will have formed.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Elizabeth says
Love your board by Joel! I have one too
Rachel says
Delicious! I made this using almond milk, took my time melting the sugar in the chocolate, which was semi-sweet. The cocoa powder I use is very strong and the end result was perfect! I rushed the cooling and put it in my cold garage after baking and then carefully removed it from the heart shaped tin I used, let it chill further in the fridge until dessert. served it with berries and vanilla ice cream was offered as well. I ate it with just strawberries, and it was perfect. the texture in the middle was closer to rich brownie, and the edges were crispy and less soft. I might try a little lower temp for longer next time if I use the heart shaped pan again. or just let it cool in the pan in room temp. Either way, the more fudge like middle was welcome and delicious!Thanks for a great dessert that didn’t feel too bad, just the right amount of decadent!
Joanna says
This tasted delicious but like a few other people I had some problems getting the texture right. It was with a thin crust but wobbly inside like a thick pudding. I think the problem was the temperature- I used 325 but fan forced which I think made it higher. I will try it again at some point because it is a great recipe.
Melissa Mohabir says
Super awesome recipe! Have you tried baking this in the instant pot by chance? Wondering if you know how long that would take. Thanks so much!
A.F. says
I loved this, the texture was perfect. I followed the recipe exactly and then made a raspberry sauce to serve. Everyone loved it and you are right, the chickpea flour flavor is undetectable after it is baked. All my omni friends and mom loved it. My only change next time will be to use a semi-sweet vegan chocolate as this was a tad too dark for my taste. Making it next week again with the semi-sweet chocolate! Many thanks for this as it will be my go-to for a flourless chocolate cake–which has been something I have missed very much. Now… if only you could give us a recipe for those double fudgie crackle cookies that have a glossy crackly top…??? Thx again. 🙂
Deb says
It tastes excellent! We made it for Passover. Thank you for this!
riick says
luv yourVegan recipes & tips , but might want to use a darker font/text – the gray is difficult to read (usually end up copy & pasting to a notepad.
thanks
Samira says
Hi
Can you please recommend a brand of chickpea flour?
I did not have good results with the one I used. It had a very strong taste—I had to almost double the sugar to mask it. Is love to try the recipes again with a different flour.
Lilly S. says
Hello,
Can I use coconut butter instead of vegan butter?
Thank you in advance.
Jan says
My husband can’t have any oils at all, coconut or otherwise. Is there something else I can use beside butter, vegan butter, or any oil based butter that would work?
Holli says
Can this be doubled?
Sarah McMinn says
Yes, just increase baking time if you’re baking in a 9″
Erin says
Increase the baking time by how much in a 9in pan?
Tanya says
This is absolutely delicious! I used Lindt 70% dark chocolate and it was perfect. I do think I over mixed the batter because the cake consistency felt more like a brownie than a cake but it was amazing regardless.
I will bake this again in the future. Thanks!
V says
Hi
Could I use almond or coconut milk instead ?
Sarah McMinn says
Yes, either would work.
Debra Sabah Press says
My 10 year old twins and I made this cake for Father’s Day yesterday. It was amazing and soooooo easy. We used 70% mini baking chips which melt easily. We put them in a bowl with tbe butter and nuked for 25 seconds. Then we mixed it and did another 25 seconds after which the consistency was perfect. We used salted butter, but if we had not, I would have added a small amount of salt. We added 1 tsp vanilla. We used unsweetened cocoa instead of powdered sugar, because we like our desserts on the less-sweet side.
It was soooooo perfect. We also love the size. Large recipes frequently go to waste in our house.
Judith Mabbott says
This looks great. It’s in the oven at the moment. Two questions: how long will it keep in the fridge and have you tried cooking it in the microwave?
Sarah McMinn says
It should keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days as long as it’s well wrapped. I haven’t tried microwaving it and I’m not sure what would happen. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out for you!
Anna says
Hi Sarah, would love to try the cake tomorrow. How big is the cup that you use? Or how much millilitre fit in your cup?
Thanks for your answer,
Anna
Sarah McMinn says
1 cup of flour = 236 milliliter
Laura says
Can you use rice milk if you don’t have soy milk for the chickpea flour eggs or does it have to be soy milk or cashew milk? ( I don’t have these items on hand). Thanks!
Sarah McMinn says
Sure, rice milk works