This Mocha Flourless Chocolate Cake is topped with a chocolate ganache and a whipped cream frosting.
This easy homemade chocolate cake is rich, fudgy, and full of intense chocolate flavor. This is a perfect Valentine’s Day dessert, or the perfect chocolate dessert for any day of the week! Plus, it’s a great gluten-free dessert too!
California is such a mystery.
Well, weather-wise, that is.
In the span of two weeks, we’ve hit highs of 80s, lows of 30s, and every number in between. I’ve worn boots and sweaters one day only to be in a tank top and sandals the next.
While I’m a fairly flexible person (in my top 5 strengths according to the test I had to take in college…and talk endlessly about in almost every class for the first semester…), this weather whiplash is making me beg for some consistency.
While the weather is telling me I’ll definitely want some sunglasses today (but need an umbrella by Friday, go figure), the one consistent thing I do have is this Mocha Flourless Chocolate Cake (with homemade ganache and a whipped cream frosting that’s pretty much to die for).
It’s consistently rich, consistently fudgy, and consistently delish every single time.
I feel like a few years back, flourless chocolate cakes were all the rage.
It seemed like whenever I was watching a cooking show or reading a baking magazine, the question of how to make a flourless chocolate cake arose somewhere in the midst.
It wasn’t until this December, however, that I actually decided to try out a flourless cake and see what the hype was all about.
Was the hype truly about how amazing this kind of cake was, or was it because it’s gluten-free? Would it even taste like a regular homemade chocolate cake, or would I feel like I was eating a fudge brownie? (Or with the raspberry addition, would it just be like these Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies??)
The questions, guys. I needed answers.
And while I may have been a little late to the flourless chocolate cake party, I guess it’s better late than never??
Given some dietary changes in my family, a flourless cake was kind of the perfect dessert to celebrate my dad’s and sister-in-law’s birthdays.
(Thank goodness no one in my family is allergic to chocolate, because, well, that would probably be the biggest travesty of all.)
Anyway…
I finally had all of my cake questions answered, because let me tell you, the hype over flourless chocolate cakes is absolutely real and warranted.
It’s rich like chocolate cake should be, but it’s fudgier than a traditional chocolate cake recipe, given that it is made without flour.
However, despite being flourless, the cake does not taste like a brownie either. In the scheme of things, there are some brownie-like elements to the cake, but it is definitely not a brownie.
To be honest, my favorite part about this cake was the fact it was flourless, because it was SO intensely chocolatey.
It’s the kind of chocolate cake recipe worth making over and over again (it’s also ridiculously easy to make, which just adds to the overall amazing quality this cake possesses).
While this Mocha Flourless Chocolate Cake is the star of this recipe, the Whipped Cream Frosting is no slouch either.
This Mocha Flourless Chocolate Cake was traveling about an hour (well, more like two hours thanks to CA’s major traffic problems), and due to the over-indulgence of chocolate in this cake (because that ganache is worth every single bite), the cake needed a light frosting that could handle a bit of a drive.
By itself, homemade whipped cream was not going to travel well on the cake. It’s too light and too quick to melt/lose it’s shape, so I opted to add some instant pudding powder into the whipped cream. Instant pudding lends not only a nice flavor to the whipped cream, but also lends a nice consistency to the whipped cream’s texture, meaning, it stabilizes the whipped cream.
The stabilized whipped cream won’t lose its shape, and it also tastes fantastic.
Don’t ask me how I know this, but it also makes a really, really good dip for berries. Really good.
Lastly, this cake technically is gluten-free. Because of the allergies in my family, I made sure I used all gluten-free ingredients (all brands of chocolate, espresso powder, instant pudding mix, etc. are gluten-free), so for anyone who is gluten-free, or has a gluten allergy, this cake is a great dessert option.
Because it’s naturally flourless, the cake doesn’t sacrifice any flavor or texture by being considered a gluten-free cake.
I’ll take two slices!

- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 tsp espresso powder, optional, but it really adds flavor to the cake
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp brewed coffee, room temp; milk could be substituted
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp Jell-O White Chocolate Pudding Instant Mix
- Raspberries, or any berry
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9” cake pan or 9” springform pan. (I also line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.) Set aside.
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Melt the butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring after each hit in the microwave.
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Once melted, stir in the sugar, salt, espresso powder, vanilla extract, and brewed coffee. Mix until combined.
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Add the eggs and whisk until combined.
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Add in the cocoa powder, and whisk until combined.
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan (the batter will be thick) and smooth until it’s in an even layer.
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Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
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Allow the cake to cool for 5-10 minutes before loosening the edges of the cake and removing it from the pan. (Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the ganache.)
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Heat heavy cream in the microwave or on the stove, until just below a boil. Pour cream over chocolate chips, and allow the mixture to stand 5 minutes. Whisk the mixture until smooth. Pour over the top of the cake, spreading to the edges (if some of the ganache drips down the side, that’s fine). Allow the ganache to set 1-2 hours (you can pop it in the fridge to speed up the process).
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With a standing mixer or hand mixer, whip the heavy cream and White Chocolate Pudding Mix until soft peaks form. Add in powdered sugar, and whip until the consistency of whipped cream. With a piping bag and star tip, pipe whipped cream onto the cake. Add raspberries onto the cake.
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Store leftovers in the fridge.
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Enjoy!
*Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Here are some other chocolate recipes you might enjoy:
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