The Ultimate Healthy Flourless Chocolate Cake
I may be biased, but this is my favorite flourless chocolate cake — and one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever find! This decadent dessert is supremely rich with a deep, bold, irresistible chocolate flavor (similar to 70-75% dark chocolate) and a texture almost like pure fudge. It’s perfect for serving company, celebrating special occasions (especially Valentine’s Day!)… And for any chocolate lover! Leftover cake will keep for at least four days, if not longer, if refrigerated after being (a) tightly sealed inside of plastic wrap and foil or (b) placed inside of an airtight container with plastic wrap covering the exposed edges.
Ingredients
- 1 scant tbsp (13mL) canola oil or melted coconut oil (see Notes!)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup (183g) unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp (120g) coconut sugar
- ¼ cup (60mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 ½ cups (120g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (measured like this – and see Notes!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Completely line a 6”-round cake pan with foil, folding the excess over the top rim, and coat with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the applesauce. Stir in the coconut sugar until thoroughly combined. Stir in the milk. Very gradually and carefully stir in the sifted cocoa powder by hand. (Do not use a mixer!)
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake at 300°F for 55-65 minutes, or until the center appears set. (See Notes!) Cool completely to room temperature in the pan; then cover the cake with plastic wrap, ensuring that it fully touches the top surface of the cake, and chill for at least 8 hours (see Notes!) before lifting it out of the pan by the foil, slicing, and serving.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Measure the cocoa powder before sifting. It’s extremely important to measure the cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much cocoa powder will make your cake taste bitter, and it’ll also make your cake dry or crumbly.
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: The cake is done baking when the center looks set and no longer wiggles substantially when you shake the pan. If you lightly touch the cake’s center and top edges with your finger, they should feel soft yet firm — not sticky or wet. Although it may rise while baking, it should quickly deflate and sink as it cools. If the edges noticeably pull away from the foil by a decent amount within 10 minutes of removing the cake from the oven, that’s a good sign that you’ve baked it long enough!
These are the 6”-round cake pans that I own. I haven’t tried any other pan sizes, but you’re welcome to experiment on your own! Other larger pan sizes will likely reduce the baking time.
IMPORTANT CHILLING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: If you serve your cake before it’s had enough time to chill, it won’t be as moist or fudgy, and you may detect an apple flavor in the background. If you have enough time to plan ahead, I found that it had the best taste and texture after chilling for 24 hours.
MIXING SHORTCUT: This requires a very critical eye! At the end of Step 2, instead of gradually folding in the sifted cocoa powder, you can add it to a large bowl, make a well in the center, and pour the contents of the other bowl inside. When you stir, some of the cocoa powder will begin to form small clumps, so once the batter appears ready, look very closely and smear out any tiny lumps along the side of the bowl. It usually takes an extra two minutes or so of gentle stirring to smooth out those pinpricks of cocoa powder, so be patient and thorough!
OIL ALTERNATIVES: Any neutral tasting oil may be substituted. Unsalted butter or stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one) that have been melted and cooled slightly will also work.
UNSWEETENED APPLESAUCE ALTERNATIVE: Sweetened applesauce may be substituted for the unsweetened applesauce. I haven’t tried any other options, so I’m not personally sure about what other alternatives might work.
COCONUT SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: Light brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar. I haven’t found a good sugar free alternative just yet, but I’m working on it and will update the recipe if I do!
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
COCOA POWDER NOTES: I like using Hershey’s regular unsweetened cocoa powder because it’s affordable, easy to find, and has a good chocolate flavor. I do not recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. Both Dutched and special dark cocoa powder have a different acidity level, which affects the taste and texture of your cake.
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: No modifications needed!
EGG FREE, DAIRY FREE + VEGAN OPTION: No modifications needed!
NUT FREE ALTERNATIVE: Use your preferred neutral tasting nut free oil (or unsalted butter that’s been melted and cooled slightly), light brown sugar in place of the coconut sugar, and your preferred nut free milk for the almond milk.
HOW TO STORE: Store it in the refrigerator tightly sealed in plastic wrap (this is my favorite kind because it clings much more tightly than other brands, so it keeps baked goods fresh longer!) and foil or inside of an airtight container with plastic wrap covering the exposed edges. It should keep for at least four days, if not longer.
{gluten free, egg free, dairy free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, nut free option}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.