Healthy Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe

You don't need a special occasion to want cake. Maybe it's a birthday, maybe it's a Sunday afternoon and baking is how you switch off, or maybe someone in your life just needs a slice of something good. Whatever the reason, this flourless chocolate cake is rich, chocolatey and simple enough to make without a long list of specialty ingredients.

It's naturally sweetened with dates, made with almond flour instead of wheat flour, and works for gluten-free and dairy-free diets, so anyone at the table with dietary requirements can happily cut themselves a slice.

Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes + 30 minutes soaking time

Cook time: 30 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes + 30 minutes soaking time

Serves: 1 cake or 10-12 slices

Dietary preferences: Gluten-free, dairy-free 

Ingredients

• 10 Medjool dates, pitted

• 125g dark unsweetened chocolate pieces (70% cocoa is good), melted

• 40g coconut oil

• 3 large eggs, separated

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 60g (½ cup) almond flour

• 25g cacao powder

• ½ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp baking soda

• pinch of salt

Topping ideas (optional)

• Fresh strawberries

• Mixed berries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F) and line a 20cm round springform pan with baking paper.

2. Place the dates in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 30 minutes to soften. Drain well.

3. Place the dates, egg yolks and vanilla in a food processor and process until well combined and smooth. 

4. Break the chocolate into pieces. Place the chocolate pieces and coconut oil in a medium saucepan and melt over a low heat, stirring constantly. Allow to cool slightly.

5. Place the dates, egg yolks and vanilla in a food processor and process until well combined and smooth.

6. Place the almond flour, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the date mixture and melted chocolate mixture and mix until well combined.

7. Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form.

8. Add a quarter of the beaten egg white to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites, being careful not to overmix. 

9. Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared springform pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes before removing from the pan and transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

10. To serve, slice the flourless chocolate cake and serve with fresh strawberries or mixed berries, if desired. Enjoy!

Why this cake works without flour

Almond flour and eggs do the job wheat flour usually does, giving the cake structure without the gluten. The dates take care of sweetness naturally, so you can choose a chocolate that suits your own taste, whether that's a deep 70% dark or something a little sweeter.

If you're keeping an eye on refined sugar, a higher cocoa percentage chocolate is generally your best bet. The more cocoa-dense the chocolate, the less room there usually is for added sugar.

Getting the most out of one bake

This recipe makes 10 to 12 slices, so it's a good one for sharing, whether that's a family dinner, a get-together, or just having something ready in the freezer for later in the week. Once it's cooled and sliced, portion it into airtight containers and freeze what you don't need straight away. Pull a slice out whenever the craving hits.

If you're after more recipes like this, the Sweat app has a library of healthy, family-friendly bakes, sweet treats and desserts.