Flourless Chocolate Cake {Gluten Free}

I love this recipe! Sometimes I have looked up a delicious dessert only to find it called for a type or brand of gluten free flour I had never heard of, did not have, or could not find in my area. Who wants to pay shipping and handling? I find it hard to justify buying and trying every gluten-free package out there. It is expensive, especially because gluten-free foods are not created equal! I never know if it is going to be dry, crumbly, and/or flavored funny!

This dish has none of those problems. It is a dense, moist chocolate cake, almost like a brownie. It is perfect for friends or relatives who are not gluten-free. There are no pricey, gluten-free flours and gums (xanthan gum or guar gum) in this dish. You or your friends do not have to buy a big bag of some ingredient that you will only use once to make a gluten free dish! This is also great for novices like my mom and I were when we found this recipe. 

You can make a basic chocolate cake, or a mint chocolate cake, or a cream cheese marble. Plus, you can make it dairy free if you use dairy free chocolate chips. I've used baking chocolate chips that are not "certified" df but don't have any dairy in the ingredients. 

Finally, you can make brownie bites in mini or standard size muffin cups! (Line the cups with paper and bake for less time.) Spooning batter into muffin tins takes more time so we usually just make the cake.

Batter:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or df chips).

*Variation: dark chocolate and mint chips (2 in 1 package from Nestle)

1/2 cup butter, or if you want to make it dairy free, coconut oil.

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs                

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup cocoa

Directions:

Melt oil and chocolate over low heat.

Add sugar and salt and stir to dissolve. I find it is still grainy, but it smooths out as you go on.

Remove from heat, whisk in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. 

Preheat oven 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sift cocoa in using a large colander. Whisk till smooth.

The batter is ready for baking. Grease a 6X7 inch glass pan or a pie pan like we used in the photo. If you are making a double recipe, use a 9x13 pan. We use coconut oil for greasing. Pour the batter in the pan.

Either do the 2nd variation (below) or bake for 25 minutes. Center should be just firm- don't let the edges get too crispy.

2nd Variation: marble cake

1, 8 ounce package plain cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl with a hand-held mixer.

Artistically place dollops on the chocolate batter with a rubber spatula.

Run a wet knife in lines thru the batter to further marble it. Have fun!
Third variation: Peanut butter
Much like the marble-- pictures and details coming soon...

Bake for 25 minutes, then check doneness.

Serving suggestions: Dish it up plain, or serve with berries and greek yogurt, or drizzle with chocolate syrup! If you are making the mint version, you can garnish the top with crushed peppermint.

Looking for more flourless recipes? Check out this flourless pancake recipe.

UPDATE: click the print friendly button at the bottom of the post to edit a printable version of this page.