Just 5 ingredients, ridiculously easy, extra fudgy and intensely chocolatey! This gluten free, paleo and keto flourless chocolate cake is bound to become a favorite!
Paleo & Keto Flourless Chocolate Cake 🍫
Extra Fudgy!
This is a very good one guys, one of those classic staples which keeps you coming back for more. It’s incredibly chocolatey and decadent, and there’s something about it which feels incredibly special.
Having said that, it’s stupidly easy to whip up! i.e. this keto flourless chocolate cake is ideal for when you’re feeling lazy, but still want to impress.
Oh, and you likely have most (if not all!) the ingredients in your pantry already. #ideal
So serve it up solo, with a handful of raspberries or (if feeling extra indulgent!) a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The Deets
This is simply a keto twist on a classic flourless chocolate cake.
- Yolks and sugar are beaten until light and fluffy
2. Dark chocolate is melted along some butter and cocoa and incorporated into the ribboned yolks. And, last but not least, soft-peak egg whites are folded into the mix.
The cake will rise thanks to the egg whites, and will collapse somewhat while cooling (how much depends on how fudgy you bake it).
How fudgy? This totally depends on your taste and can be adjusted with the baking time. It will vary quite a bit from oven to oven (i.e. you need to keep an eye out for it, particularly the first time around). Ballpark figures are as follows: 23-26 minutes for fudgiest results, 27-30 for cakey edges, 30-onwards (wouldn’t advice, cake could come out crumbly).
Essentially you want take it out once the center has set but a toothpick inserted still comes out moist (but not drenched). And do keep in mind that the cake will continue to cook while cooling (very important to take into account!).
I personally prefer to slightly undercook it and chill in the fridge before cutting. The cake collapses quite a bit (expected), but it pretty much melts in your mouth while still having a good chew (ah-mazing).
You’ll also want to use eggs at room temp. Reason being that if your cocoa/butter mixture is not hot enough (and your eggs are very cold), they’ll solidify the butter and your batter will be too thick (doesn’t affect the end results, just annoying to spoon rather than pour!).
The Chocolate 
Depending on how strict keto you are, you can either use a standard dark chocolate (say a 70% or 90% Lindt), or go for a sugar-free such as Lily’s (used for the pics in the post).
I tested the recipe with Lily’s baking chips and not much (if at all really) was lost. The resulting cake is still incredibly fudgy, chewy, chocolatey and no aftertaste in sight (particularly when paired with allulose or xylitol, as erythritol tends to crystallize when cool and the cake can feel a bit ‘hard’).
And for the cocoa, just know that quality really matters here. Our favorite will forever be the Dutch-processed alkaline cocoa Valrhona, known to be one of (if not the) best cocoas in the world. You could technically use a raw cacao powder, though keep in mind that your cake will be lighter in color and more reddish in hue (and not as good taste-wise in my opinion).
The Sweetener
You’ve got a couple options here. Allulose and xylitol (non-corn to avoid tummy aches pretty please!) are my top choice for chocolate goodies. No aftertaste and best and chewier texture!
Otherwise erythritol works relatively well too (your batter might be a bit thicker, don’t sweat it!): Lakanto (barely any aftertaste, and many of you also love the Golden version), and powdered Swerve (some cooling sensation, but still great). The one thing is that once cool, your cake might feel a bit ‘hard’ (as the erythritol crystallizes). I know many of you give it a quick blast in the microwave and oven to fix this .
If using erythritol in any form, because it needs a little extra help to dissolve than xylitol (and they vary so much from brand to brand because of different fillers and so on!), you’ll want to be sure to use a powdered form. If you only have granular on hand, don’t sweat it, and simply blend it in your (very dry!) bullet or blender until powdered. Easy-peasy!
Fun fact: it might also be my taste buds here, but I’ve noticed that stevia-based sweeteners (such as Pyure) don’t work so great when chocolate is involved as the aftertaste is accentuated. So I cannot recommend enough that you don’t use stevia-based sweeteners here.
Oh, and if just paleo or gluten free (or not restricted by sugars), simply sub 1-to-1 with coconut or regular sugar.
And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup (or kitty!) around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys! 
Gluten Free, Paleo & Keto Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 170 g sugar-free chocolate chips or 70-90% dark chocolate
- 113 g unsalted grass-fed butter or 7 TBS ghee/coconut oil + 1 TBS coconut cream if paleo
- 43 g cocoa powder **
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 3 eggs whites and yolks divided, at room temperature***
- 2 tablespoons water add only if using sugar-free (erythritol) chocolate
- 1/2-2/3 cup allulose xylitol, or powdered erythritol or coconut sugar if paleo*
To garnish
Instructions
- Position a rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat to 350°F/180°C. Grease and line with parchment paper an 8-inch cake pan. Set aside.
- Melt chocolate and butter over a water bath, stirring frequently until smooth. Stir in cocoa powder, espresso powder (optional) and salt. If you're using sugar-free chocolate with erythritol (such as Lily's), the mixture will turn very thick- worry not! Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract (optional) and allow the mixture to cool slightly while you prepare the rest.
- Add egg whites to a medium bowl and whisk until soft peaks forms. Be sure not to over-do it, as stiff whites will be tougher to fold in. Set aside.
- Add egg yolks and sweetener to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer (or with a whisk and some arm muscle!) until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). Add in the prepared chocolate mixture in thirds, mixing fully before incorporating the next part. If using sugar-free chocolate, add in a couple tablespoons water to loosen up the batter.
- Fold the egg whites gently in four parts, be very gentle as the batter will lose up as you go.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 23-26 minutes for fudgiest results and 27-30 for cakey edges. Or until the center is just set and a toothpick inserted in comes out moist (not drenched). This really does vary (a lot!!) from oven to oven (think convection etc), so give it a check from minute 15 the first time around, and remember that you're cake will continue to cook as it cools.
- Allow to cool completely, and to get extra clean edges place in the freezer for 10 minutes prior to cutting. Dust with cocoa right before serving and store in an airtight container at room temp for 3-5 days (or in the freezer for a month or two).
Notes
The Sweetener
You’ve got a couple options here. Allulose and xylitol (non-corn to avoid tummy aches pretty please!) are my top choice for chocolate goodies. No aftertaste and best and chewier texture! Otherwise erythritol works relatively well too (your batter might be a bit thicker, don't sweat it!): Lakanto (barely any aftertaste, and many of you also love the Golden version), and powdered Swerve (some cooling sensation, but still great). The one thing is that once cool, your cake might feel a bit 'hard' (as the erythritol crystallizes). I know many of you give it a quick blast in the microwave and oven to fix this . If using erythritol in any form, because it needs a little extra help to dissolve than xylitol (and they vary so much from brand to brand because of different fillers and so on!), you’ll want to be sure to use a powdered form. If you only have granular on hand, don’t sweat it, and simply blend it in your (very dry!) bullet or blender until powdered. Easy-peasy! Fun fact: it might also be my taste buds here, but I’ve noticed that stevia-based sweeteners (such as Pyure) don’t work so great when chocolate is involved as the aftertaste is accentuated. So I cannot recommend enough that you don’t use stevia-based sweeteners here. Oh, and if just paleo or gluten free (or not restricted by sugars), simply sub 1-to-1 with coconut or regular sugar. If using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup (or kitty!) around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys!
And please note that nutrition facts were estimated using Lily's chocolate chips and Valrhona cocoa, and as always be sure to check your products!
I absolutely love this recipe and it is a all time favourite everywhere I take it as a dessert!
I’ve tried to mix half of the erythritol (1/3 cup) in the egg whites and the other half (1/3 cup) in the egg yolks.
This helped a lot with the folding process of the whisked egg whites to the chocolate mixtures.
I also advise to start the folding with 1/4 of the egg whites, without any fear. Just mix it in! This will loosen the batter and help with the rest of the folding.
Hey Paolo, thanks for the recipe, I’m going to try this, and I’m a hardened chocolate critic (don’t give me any chocolate with emulsifier in it!).
I’m curious though why you say avoid corn based xylitol because of tummy upsets. All xylitol is refined to such a level that chemically it’s identical. How does corn based xylitol (normally made from the cobs) differ?
Hii!! What if I only have a 9-inch cake pan? How should I adjust the recipe??