Flourless Chocolate Cake

Have you ever wondered if you can make a flourless chocolate cake healthier? That’s what I set to figure out when I started testing this recipe over 10 years ago.

I swapped the white sugar for natural options, like coconut sugar or honey, and I’ve lightened it up by replacing some of the oil with pumpkin puree. But, you’d never tell just by tasting it!

If you love baking without flour, you’ll also love my chocolate pumpkin muffins, healthy pumpkin bars, and banana snack cake. They’re all flourless!

Why You’ll Love this Flourless Cake Recipe

• It has plenty of feedback. If you’re like me and like to read reviews before you try a new recipe, this one has nearly 10 years of reviews to check out below.
• You have variations to choose from. I originally tested this recipe with 100% unsweetened chocolate and honey, so if you want to make a cake with no refined sugar, be sure to read the recipe notes. Over the years, I’ve actually found it easier to buy 70% dark chocolate, so the recipe has changed to keep things easier.
• It’s been tested a lot. Readers asked for an option with butter instead of pumpkin or coconut oil so that is in the recipe notes, too! I also recently tested (in 2026) two flourless cakes side by side to see if using a water bath while baking would make a difference. The good news is that the easiest way is also the best way.
• It’s unique, but delicious. The last thing you need is another flourless chocolate cake recipe that looks exactly like the others on the internet. This one has added veggies inside(!), but it still tastes like a rich chocolate cake that you’ll be proud to serve to guests.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Dark Chocolate. I’ve tested this with unsweetened chocolate, dark chocolate bars, and chocolate chips, but I think this is easiest (and best) when you use 70% dark chocolate bars. The bars melt smoother than chocolate chips, and are usually labeled by the ounce, making it easier to measure without a food scale.
• Eggs. When you’re not baking with flour, eggs are crucial for structure. If you want an egg-free chocolate cake, try my vegan chocolate pie instead. Do not, I repeat, do not use flax egg for this recipe. It will be gooey and have no structure.
• Cacao Powder. I always keep raw cacao powder in my pantry, but regular cocoa powder should work, too. (Cocoa powder is slightly less bitter, meaning your cake will be slightly sweeter, but still delicious.)
• Pumpkin + Coconut Oil. Did you know that butter is water? That’s why when you replace it with only oil, it doesn’t always turn out the same. The pumpkin adds moisture and a little fiber, but you won’t notice the flavor at all. (Seriously, you can’t taste it.)
• Salt. When you replace butter in a recipe, sometimes you’ll need to add salt to balance out the sweetness. That’s definitely the case here! You don’t need to add salt when using salted butter (I’ll share that variation in the notes) but you need salt if you’re using the pumpkin + coconut oil combination.

How to Make Flourless Chocolate Cake (Step by Step)

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 8-inch spring form pan. In a heat-safe bowl, add 4 ounces of 70% dark chocolate and 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil.

2. Create a double boiler by adding an inch of water to a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then place the bowl of chocolate snugly over the pan. When the chocolate looks glossy, stir well until smooth.

3. In a large mixing bowl, add 1 cup of coconut sugar, 1/4 cup of cacao powder, and 1/3 cup pumpkin puree.

4. Pour the melted chocolate and coconut oil over the ingredients in the bowl. Stir well, until everything looks smooth. This should help cool down the melted chocolate before you add the eggs.

5. When the bowl doesn’t feel hot to the touch, crack 4 large eggs into the chocolate mixture. Stir well, until it looks well mixed and glossy, almost like brownie batter.

6. Transfer the mixture to the greased spring form pan and spread it out evenly. Bake at 350ºF until the center doesn’t jiggle, about 25 to 30 minutes. (Mine took 28 minutes; watch closely to not over-bake it.)

7. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. It’s best if you can remove the cake from the pan while it’s still warm, but you don’t want the pan to be too hot to handle.

8. Flip the cake over onto a parchment-lined plate if you want to. This can leave a pretty pattern on top, depending on the pattern on your pan. Or, you don’t have to flip it!

9. Slice the cake into small slices; it’s very rich and dense! I usually get 12 standard slices, but you can even cut them smaller into 16 pieces if you prefer.

10. Serve with shaved chocolate on top, if desired. I think the rich chocolate flavor also pairs well with fresh raspberries, or a dollop of chia seed jam or fruit compote.

Expert Tip: If you’re not sure if your cake is done, you can test the center with an instant read thermometer. When it reaches 200ºF in the center, you’ll know it’s done. (If you don’t have one, just make sure the cake doesn’t jiggle when you remove it from the oven.)

Variations I’ve Tested

• Make it with butter. You can replace the coconut oil and pumpkin puree for one (4 oz.) stick of butter. If you’re using salted butter, don’t add extra salt to the recipe.
• Make it egg-free. I don’t recommend using an egg substitute for this recipe, because the eggs provide most of the structure. However, you can try my vegan chocolate tart for a similar dessert made without eggs or dairy.
• Sweeten with honey. If you’d like to avoid all refined sugar, you can swap the dark chocolate chips for unsweetened baking chocolate and replace the coconut sugar with 3/4 cup honey, instead. I haven’t tested this recipe with maple syrup yet, so I couldn’t tell you if it will work with another sweetener.
• Reduce the sugar. I’ve tested this recipe with only 3/4 cup of coconut sugar, and it’s not quite sweet enough for my family when I use 72% dark chocolate chips as the base. However, if you use a sweeter dark chocolate (in the 50-60% range) you may be able to use less coconut sugar. Or, if you use  semi-sweet chocolate, you may only need a 1/2 cup of added sugar. Feel free to experiment with it!
• Baked with a water bath. If you’re not familiar with a water bath, it’s the same idea I use when making cottage cheese egg bites with a velvety texture. I baked this flourless cake directly in a sheet pan with water to see if it might make the cake bake better than one straight in the oven (with no pan of water in sight). The result? The cake in the water bath took longer for the center to cook, and it wasn’t any more moist than the version without the water bath… so you can skip this idea!

Serve this Cake with…

Fruit Compote

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

How to Make Coconut Whipped Cream

Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

If you try this healthy flourless chocolate cake recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐ star rating below to let me know how you like it. Thanks for visiting!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

4.92 from 47 votes

This flourless chocolate cake has a fudgy texture, just like the classic, but it's made without butter. Instead, it has a sneaky serving of pumpkin and features melted 70% dark chocolate. But, you'd never guess what's inside just by tasting it! It's rich and impressive, yet easy to make, so it's one of my favorite desserts to bring to a party.

prep10 mins cook30 mins total40 mins

Servings:12

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 4 ounces 70% dark chocolate (or similar)
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil (see notes for variations)
• 1 cup coconut sugar (or other granulated sugar)
• ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup cacao powder
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease an 8" springform pan with cooking spray.
• In a heatproof bowl, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together, stirring until completely smooth. (You can use a double-boiler for this, or the microwave in 30-second intervals.) Set it aside to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, combine the coconut sugar, pumpkin, and cacao powder. Then add in the cooled chocolate and stir well. Stirring this together first should help cool down the chocolate, so it won't cook the eggs when you add them in.
• Next, add the 4 large eggs to the bowl and mix again. Once it looks glossy and uniform, transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake at 350ºF until the center looks firm, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Watch the pan closely as you approach the 25 minute mark. As soon as the center rises and looks dry on top (not jiggly) remove it from the oven. Mine is usually done in 28 minutes.
• Allow the cake to cool in the pan completely, or if you want to flip it out of the pan, I recommend doing that after only 10-15 minutes of cooling so it will release from the bottom of the springform pan easier. I like to line a plate with parchment paper first, then place it on top of the cake and flip it over.
• Let the cake cool for at least 1 hour before serving for the easiest slicing. Serve with shaved chocolate on top, for a pretty presentation, or a sprinkle of cacao powder or powdered sugar, if you prefer.

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1 of 12 slices. This information is automatically calculated using an online ingredient database, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee. You can make smaller slices if you prefer! 

Make Ahead Tip: You can make this cake up to 2 days in advance and store it tightly covered in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. I recommend bringing it to room temperature on the counter for at least 1 hour for the best flavor. You can also freeze this cake, tightly covered, for up to 3 months.

Butter Variation: You can omit the pumpkin and coconut oil in this recipe and use a 4-ounce stick of butter instead. If you use salted butter, you can omit the salt in this recipe. 

Egg-Free Options: Do not use a flax egg for this recipe. Check out my Vegan Chocolate Tart or Vegan Chocolate Pie instead. 

Make it with NO refined sugar:

• 4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 3/4 cup honey
• 4 eggs

Melt the baking chocolate with the coconut oil, then set it aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, cacao powder, honey, and eggs, and stir well. Add the cooled melted chocolate mixture, and mix again. Pour into a greased 8-inch springform pan and bake at 375ºF for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the center is firm. Cool completely, then slice and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1150IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 2mg

Author: Megan Gilmore

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: flourless chocolate cake

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