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Flourless Chocolate Cake

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Almonds and Coconut

I’m one of those rare souls born without a lusty attraction to chocolate. I’m not saying I don’t like chocolate, I’m just saying it better darn well be worth it. So I look for recipes that elevate the ingredient into something especially heavenly. This Flourless Chocolate Cake is darn well worth it and deserves all the fervor and longing my heart can muster.

The secret to success in this Flourless Chocolate Cake with Toasted Almond and Coconut is getting the texture just right. The edges and top develop a crisp crust while the center remains moist and fudgy.  It’s this gooey texture that makes this flourless chocolate cake so seductive to those of us born without the chocolate gene.

Here are a few tips that should make your flourless chocolate cake as lusty as possible:

  • If you’ve never baked with coconut oil, be prepared for a revelation. It comes in a jar and is the consistency of Crisco. It’s a good vegetable fat and the best replacement for butter in baking that I know.
  • Don’t use the microwave to melt the chocolate and coconut oil. It’s hard to control the heat and part of the success depends on not overheating the chocolate mixture; it should be just warm enough to melt. If it’s too hot, the egg will curdle when added.
  • Use a high-quality chocolate– whichever brand you prefer.
  • Don’t use chocolate chips in this cake. Most are designed to retain their shape when baking, so use them only when appropriate.
  • Dark chocolate in percentages well over 70% may be all the rage, but they don’t work well in every recipe. Ganaches, certain frostings and even this flourless chocolate cake will simply not have the texture you are looking for if you use too dark a chocolate. Choose something more traditional in the 50% and 70% range. Remember baking is as much science as it is art.
  • You can make this flourless chocolate cake in one 8 or 9‑inch pan or two 6‑inch pans. It’s easier to get the right texture if you use two pans in my opinion. The smaller cakes cook quicker, and I like the ratio of cake to goo. But I’ve had good results either way.

GREG

flourless chocolate cake

Flourless Chocolate Almond and Coconut Cake 

Print This Recipe Total time Yield 8–10Published
Chocolate Almond and Coconut Cake

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup dried coconut flakes
  • ¼ cup sliced almonds
  • unsalted butter (as needed for pans)
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (plus more for dustiing pans)
  • ½ cup coconut oil (plus 1 tablespoon for frosting)
  • 12 ounce 60% chocolate (chopped and divided)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ⅓ cup almond flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill, or grind your own in a food processor)

Directions

Toast the toppings: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread coconut flakes and sliced almonds on a parchment-lined baking pan in as single layer and bake in preheated oven until lightly browned; 5 to 8 minutes. After a few minutes stir the mixture and rotate the pan to help ensure even color. Watch them closely, sweetened flakes will take less time to brown than unsweetened. Remove the pan from the oven then slide the parchment onto the counter to keep the mixture from getting too dark. Set aside. Leave the oven on.

Make the cake(s): Butter one 8 or 9‑inch cake pan or two 6‑inch cake pans. Line the bottom(s) with a parchment round cut to size; butter the parchment and dust lightly but thoroughly with cocoa.

Melt ½ cup coconut oil and 8 ounces chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Turn off heat; whisk in sugar until well incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth. Whisk in cocoa, vanilla, and salt; gently fold in the ground almond flour. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan(s). Tap the pans gently to spread the batter evenly and to remove any trapped air.

Bake until barely set; about 25 to 35 minutes for a 8 or 9‑inch pan or slightly less for two 6‑inch pans. The size, color, thickness and material of your cake pans play a huge role in cooking time, so watch the cake closely. I do the “clean toothpick” test about 2‑inches in from the edge on a 8 or 9‑inch cake and about 1‑inch in for a 6‑inch version. 

Once set to your liking, remove from oven and let the cake(s) cool completely (or up to overnight) in the pan(s) on a rack. Run a knife around the edge to loosen; gently remove from pan placing the cake(s) topside up onto serving plate(s).

Meanwhile make the frosting: Melt the remaining 4 ounces chocolate and 1 tablespoon coconut oil over simmering water. Stir until smooth. Spread the the frosting onto the top(s) only of the cake(s) in a thick, rustic manner. Sprinkle toasted coconut and almonds in the center(s). Cut into wedges; serve.