Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake
You won’t find a more decadent dessert than this flourless chocolate almond cake!
This flourless chocolate almond cake is rich, luscious and all about the chocolate. There’s one pound of chocolate in this thing, for crying out loud! One whole pound. Most chocolate desserts require less than half that amount.
It’s got a great dense and fudgy texture, which is exactly what you want in a flourless chocolate cake. It’s a delicious cross between cake, a brownie, and chocolate fudge. Almonds are a unique addition and help give the cake a nutty texture and flavor. Serve it with whipped cream and/or fresh berries for a special decadent dessert!
How to Make this Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake
Flourless chocolate cakes are a very easy “fancy” dessert to make. Don’t feel at all intimidated by this recipe!
- Chop almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Or use almond flour and skip this step.
- Melt butter, cream, and chocolate in a saucepan over the stove until combined and smooth.
- Stir in egg yolks one at a time followed by the almond extract.
- Beat egg whites and sugar together to stiff peaks.
- Fold the egg whites into the chocolate batter, alternating with the almonds/almond flour.
- Pour into a springform pan.
- Bake until the center of the cake is set.
- Let cool at room temperature, or for a fudgier texture chill in the fridge for a few hours.
Serving ideas
This chocolate cake is delicious as it is! But a simple topping of whipped cream, powdered sugar and fresh berries definitely takes it to another level. Other servings ideas are vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and/or sliced almonds.
baking tip:How to separate eggs
While there are a few ways to separate eggs, this is the one that works best for me. Even a little bit of egg yolk can ruin a batch of egg whites meant for whipping as it prevents them from thickening properly. Use this simple method and you’ll never have a problem!
- Gather 3 small bowls— one to use as you separate, one for the yolks, and one for the whites.
- Crack an egg over bowl #1. Gently slide the yolk into your cupped fingers and let the egg whites fall through into the bowl.
- Place the yolk in bowl #2 and the white in bowl #3. However, If any of the egg yolk fell through into the egg white in bowl #1, discard and try again.
For more tips and a video tutorial, see my full post on how to separate eggs.
Other decadent chocolate recipes
Shop Tools for this Recipe
This recipe was originally published February 2015.
Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds (140 grams) or use almond flour
- ¾ cup unsalted butter , cut into cubes (170 grams)
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream (120 ml)
- 1 lb quality bittersweet chocolate , chopped (455 grams)
- 6 large eggs , separated
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- Optional toppings: Whipped cream, powdered sugar, jam, fresh berries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease with nonstick spray or with butter and flour.
- In a food processor, process the almonds until finely ground. Set aside. (If using almond flour, skip this step)
- In a medium saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, whipping cream and bittersweet chocolate. Stir frequently and remove from heat when melted and smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes, then add the egg yolks one at a time, stirring after each. Stir in the almond extract, if using.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand-held mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy. With the mixer still running, slowly add the granulated sugar. Continue to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks.
- Carefully fold one third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture just until combined, followed by another third of the egg whites. Fold in the ground almonds, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Do not over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and bake until cake surface is puffed and cracked, and center is set (it should barely move when you jiggle the pan), about 40-45 minutes.
- Let cool in the pan 30 minutes, then remove the springform pan sides and cool completely to room temperature. For a more fudgy texture, chill in the fridge 1-2 hours before serving. Serve with whipped cream, powdered sugar, berries or other desired toppings.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below, send me an email, or take a photo and tag it on instagram with #completelydelicious.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Diamond of California as part of a long-term food ambassadorship program, a brand I still love and believe in. All opinions are always 100% my own.
This looks amazing. Do you know the measurement if I want to use almond flour instead of making my own out of whole almonds? Happy Valentine’s!
Hi Katie! I actually don’t have a specific amount for using almond flour as I haven’t tried it. I would guess it would be a little over a cup.
I buy pecan meal in my local grocery store and have used it when recipes call for grinding pecans in the food processor. I weigh the called for amount of pecans (I always have lots of nuts, chopped, whole, etc, on hand so I can do this), then weigh an equal amount of ground nut meal to use in the recipe. In this case you’ve saved me a step and provided the weight so I would use 140 grams of ground almonds or almond meal. Keep in mind, however, that ground nuts and nut meal are not the same as nut flour, which is very fine and powdery and would measure differently. Hope this helps.
I’m so glad we aren’t messing around and we’re just getting down with 1 whole pound of chocolate. Sounds perfect to me!
Ooh this is the PERFECT use for a pound of chocolate! It looks so moist 🙂
Omg! I want my valentine to make me this for valentines day. Since that won’t happen, I’m taking matters into my own hands! I “need” this!
Ha, I always make myself something sweet for Valentine’s Day. Let the guy buy the flowers. 🙂
This is such a gorgeous flourless cake.
This actually seems like a dessert I could handle!!! I want this!
You could totally do this, it’s so easy! Thanks for the comment Liz!
Lovely cake! Makes me want to get in the kitchen and bake!
The cat’s pajamas. I’m so ready for this. Looks amazing Annalise!!
Annalise,
This is a great looking cake. I wish I had sum now.
Annamaria
Wish I could share a slice with you, Annamaria! 🙂
You had me at ONE POUND of chocolate! (Well, after “flourless.”) Such a perfect Valentine’s dessert…or breakfast…
This looks so good!!! I have never tried a flourless cake. I’m craving this now!
This looks great, can it be frozen week before eating?
Yes, probably, though I haven’t tried it myself. Before freezing double wrap in plastic wrap. Thaw overnight in the fridge or for several hours at room temperature will in its wrappings.
I made this the other night for the birthday party of a gluten-intolerant friend. Fantastic! The whipped egg whites make it lighter than other flourless chocolate cakes, which I find can be too rich and fudgy. Guests loved it, and described it as “silky.”
The only change I made was to use SALTED butter, which I highly recommend.
I used “dark chocolate” with 67% cocoa. I melted it using a double boiler, which is so much easier than doing it directly on the stove because you basically can’t burn it.
I’m already planning to make this again for my family at Christmas. A new favorite!
Can I make this without adding eggs
Not without making other adjustments, and I don’t know what those would be. I suggest searching for another recipe that doesn’t include eggs. Hope this helps!
The almond cake you made was delicious and delicious. You are very skillful.