Description
Rich, fudgy, and delicious, this Vegan Flourless Chocolate Cake is gluten-free and also kosher for passover!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Cake
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate (see note 2)
- 2/3 cup canned coconut cream (see note 3) or vegan butter
- 1 cup organic cane sugar (see note 4)
- 2/3 cup tapioca starch (see note 5)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used almond)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup blanched almond meal
- 1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder (see note 6)
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder, optional
Raspberry Sauce, optional
- 2 cups frozen or fresh raspberries
- 1/4 cup water
- 1-2 tbsp organic cane sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch + 1/3 cup water
Instructions
- Prep: First, gather all your ingredients, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (163 degrees Celsius), and prep your baking pan. I like to cut a circle of parchment paper to the size of the bottom of my pan and use coconut cream or cooking spray to adhere the parchment to the bottom. Then I use coconut cream or you can use cooking spray to grease the sides of the pan very well.
- Melt chocolate: Start a small pot of water (or the bottom half of your double boiler) on to simmer. Bring the water to a medium simmer and place the bowl or second half on top. Add the chopped chocolate and coconut cream or vegan butter and stir gently, frequently, for about 3-5 minutes until the chocolate is JUST melted. Slowly stir in the sugar with the heat still on, then remove from heat and add the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk it up: While that’s cooking, whisk together the tapioca starch (or cornstarch/arrowroot/potato starch) and non-dairy milk and set it aside… but not so far aside that you forget it (ask me how I know).
- Add other liquid ingredients: Add the vanilla extract and tapioca starch mixture to your melted chocolate and fold it in gently until barely combined.
- Add the dry ingredients (just fold it in!): Now add in the almond meal, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Fold in until gently combined. Insert Schitt’s Creek joke here.
- Fill the pan: Add the entire mixture to your lined/greased cake pan and smooth out the top with your spatula.
- Bake: Bake for 38-45 minutes or until a thin crust has formed on top. It will still be a lil’ soft to the touch but it will set.
- Chill out: Speaking of which, let it cool in the cake pan for about 45 minutes. This helps the cake set up.
- Set it free: Then run a butter knife around the inside edge to release any crumbs that might be holding onto the walls of the pan. If you didn’t use a spring form, use an upside down plate and carefully turn the whole thing over to release your cake. This is why I use a spring form. So easy!
- Optional Raspberry Sauce: While it cools, you can create the optional raspberry sauce. Add frozen or fresh raspberries to a pot with the water, and sugar. Heat over medium until the raspberries have thawed (if frozen) and started to break down. Keep stirring every few minutes to ensure it doesn’t burn. It should thicken into a drippy syrup like texture after about 15-20 minutes. If it starts to burn, add a little more water and turn down the heat. If you get impatient waiting for it to thicken (and I only say this because I often do), you can thicken it with a cornstarch or arrowroot slurry. Just mix ⅓ cup water with 1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch or arrowroot powder and mix it in. When it’s done, remove from heat, mix in the lemon, and let it cool till it’s just warm to the touch (or cooler, your choice) and drizzle over a fat wedge of the chocolate cake.
- Garnish/decorate: Finish off the cake with a dusting of powdered sugar (use a flour sifter or a tea strainer to get a gentle and even dusting), fresh raspberries/mint, and some of the raspberry sauce if you like, or you could make a quick ganache with melted chocolate and coconut milk.
- Store: Store the leftover cake in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days (gluten-free goods tend to last about that long) or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Note 1: This recipe makes a smallish cake. The height of the cake depends on the diameter of your pan. I used a 6-inch springform pan and got a nice tall flourless cake. If you use a very wide pan, like a 8 or 9” or a muffin tin, your cake will take less time to cook. I recommend getting a 6” pan (it doesn’t have to be springform, I just find those easiest to get cakes out of cleanly).
- Note 2: Here I’ve used 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate bars (chopped up). The bittersweet chocolate is rich and lush. Not a fan of bittersweet chocolate? You can use dark chocolate or semisweet instead, just don’t change the amount.
- Note 3: I use solid coconut cream, which can be found in some canned coconut milks or definitely in canned coconut cream. Some coconut cream brands have more of the good stuff than others. Native Forest, Thai Kitchen, and CocoGoods have all yielded good results for me. You can also use vegan butter.
- Note 4: Coconut sugar should also work fine. You can reduce the sugar in this recipe by up to 25% without messing up the ratios (I’ve tested it). I recommend a solid sweetener like sugar over maple syrup or agave, as those may throw off your liquid to solid ratio too much and your cake may not set.
- Note 5: To bind everything together, I’m using tapioca starch mixed with non-dairy milk. Instead of tapioca, you could also use cornstarch, arrowroot powder, potato starch, or even GF flour (or regular flour if you’re not even gluten-free)--that last one however would kinda ruin the whole vegan flourless chocolate cake idea, but it’d still be good.
- Note 6: Regular cocoa powder will work, but it’s not as rich and it’s a bit more acidic than Dutch processed. I’ve found that my cakes and brownies taste better with the Dutch processed stuff, but you do you.
- Note 7: For the melting chocolate, I recommend gently melting chocolate over the stovetop. This gives the best texture. You can use a double boiler if you have one. If not, use a small pot fitted with a glass or metal bowl that doesn’t touch the bottom of the pan and has a snug fit. You can do this in the microwave if you need to--but check it and stir it every 30 seconds or so. It’s easy to burn it or separate it, so I recommend doing it over the stove for more control.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American, Jewish
Keywords: Vegan, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Vegan Chocolate Cake, Vegan Flourless Chocolate Cake