Photograph of this dish. No machine-readable author provided. CdnStar~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domain.
French · France
Flourless Chocolate Cake
A low, dense cake of chocolate, butter, and eggs. No flour at all.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
This is the cake you bake when you want chocolate to be the whole story. Cocoa and dark chocolate carry the flavor, eggs give it structure, and a water bath keeps the center soft. It is gluten-free by nature and unapologetically rich.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
59
Health score
Rich, enjoy occasionally
Indulgent
Richness
Balanced
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 6%
- Carbs 39%
- Fat 55%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Watch · High protein
Protein is about 4 g, under the 25 g mark.
Suits · Low sodium
About 93 mg of sodium, under the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Watch · Dairy-free
A milk ingredient is in the required list.
Suits · Vegetarian
No meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish in the required list.
Watch · Pregnancy caution
Alcohol, liver, caffeine, a higher-mercury fish, or a soft cheese is in the required list.
Watch · Gentle when sick
Fat or sugar is high for a day when appetite is low.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Dark chocolate, 70%110 kcal
- Unsalted butter81 kcal
- Granulated sugar58 kcal
- Egg29 kcal
- Unsweetened cocoa powder5 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 18.6. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 282 kcal.
Allergens. Egg, Milk
Make it healthier
Use half the butter
Half the butter grams stay out of the plate. The new figure subtracts those grams on the ingredient table.
About 241 kcal after the change.
Use half the granulated sugar
Half the sugar grams are left out, and the calories follow that cut on the table.
About 253 kcal after the change.
Skip the vanilla extract.
The cake does not need it, and the extract contains alcohol. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Serve a thin slice with berries.
The cake is dense. A smaller slice changes the calorie story. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 282 kcal | 14% |
| Protein | 4 g | 8% |
| Carbohydrate | 28.3 g | 10% |
| Fiber | 2.2 g | 8% |
| Total sugars | 24.3 g | 49% |
| Fat | 17.8 g | 23% |
| Saturated fat | 10.3 g | 52% |
| Cholesterol | 100 mg | 33% |
| Sodium | 93 mg | 4% |
| Potassium | 175 mg | 4% |
| Calcium | 28 mg | 2% |
| Iron | 2.3 mg | 13% |
| Magnesium | 43 mg | 10% |
| Zinc | 0.8 mg | 7% |
| Vitamin A | 110 mcg | 12% |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg | 0% |
| Vitamin D | 0.4 mcg | 2% |
| Vitamin E | 0.6 mg | 4% |
| Vitamin K | 3 mcg | 3% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0 mg | 2% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.1 mg | 8% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.2 mg | 1% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0 mg | 2% |
| Folate | 10 mcg | 3% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.2 mcg | 10% |
These figures follow the USDA-linked ingredient table where a safe FoodData Central row exists. Optional ingredients are left out. A few pantry items still use Pai's curated numbers because no close USDA row was found. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Saturated fat is moderate to high. Worth noticing if cholesterol is on your mind.
- Sugars are noticeable. A smaller portion changes the day.
- Sodium stays in a comfortable range.
- Contains caffeine from coffee, tea, matcha, or cocoa. Count it toward your daily caffeine if you are pregnant or sensitive.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Oven
- Scale
- Mixing bowls
- Parchment
- The pan named in the method
- Cooling rack
- Oven thermometer
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Dark chocolate, 70%, chopped7 oz200 g
Unsalted butter0.5 cup113 g
Unsweetened cocoa powder0.25 cup20 g
Granulated sugar0.75 cup150 g
Egg4 eggs200 g
Kosher salt0.5 tsp1.5 g
Vanilla extract · optional1 tsp4 ml
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Skip the vanilla extract.. The cake does not need it, and the extract contains alcohol.
- Serve a thin slice with berries.. The cake is dense. A smaller slice changes the calorie story.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Heat the oven to 325°F / 165°C. Butter a 8-inch pan and line the bottom.
AI-generated photo.
2Melt the chocolate and butter together until smooth. Stir in cocoa, sugar, and salt.
Melt 4 min
AI-generated photo.
3Beat in the eggs one at a time until the batter looks like satin. Vanilla is optional and contains alcohol.
AI-generated photo.
4Bake in a roasting pan with hot water halfway up the sides until the center is just set.
Bake 35 min
AI-generated photo.
5Cool in the pan, then chill at least an hour so slices cut clean.
Rest 1 hr
How you know it is done
The center of Flourless Chocolate Cake is set for its kind: a skewer shows moist crumbs for a cake, a hollow tap for a loaf, set edges for a cookie, or a bubbling center for a pie.
If it goes wrong
- Flourless Chocolate Cake looks done on top and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue in the method, not the color alone. Give it a few more minutes and check the center.
- Flourless Chocolate Cake spread, sank, or turned out dry. Measure by weight next time, heat the oven fully, and stop when the doneness cue appears rather than when the timer ends.
Storage
Cool Flourless Chocolate Cake completely. Keep it covered at room temperature for 2 days, or wrap and freeze for a month. Refrigerate custard, cream, and fresh-fruit fillings the same day and eat them within 3 days.
How this dish helps your daily life
- One cake covers a celebration without a frosting project.
- It is naturally free of wheat flour, which matters at a mixed table.
Notes
Pregnancy. Eggs are baked through. Dark chocolate and cocoa contain a little caffeine. Skip the optional vanilla extract if you are avoiding alcohol. Choose a chocolate bar you trust if you avoid milk.
From the kitchen. A few cracks on top are the look, not a failure.
Allergens in the required list: Egg, Milk.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.