Does it matter why you're looking for a gluten-free, sugar-free, no-flour chocolate cake? No, it doesn't, because we all need a slice of good chocolate cake in our lives.
Why we ❤️ it
Months ago (or was it years? you know, in the "before" times) I shared these pictures on Instagram, and I got lots of "pretty, but where's the recipe?" comments. Then "the thing" happened, and I never got around to actually publishing this recipe for my gluten-free chocolate cake.
Please accept my apologies along with this recipe, I was caught in the "interesting times".
About this recipe
This is a buttery, moist (sorry people who hate that word, but what's the alternative? Damp?), soft cake with a strong chocolate taste. This is why you see the serving is quite modest. It is also very easy to make and requires few kitchen gadgets. I love it in the afternoon with a cup of steaming coffee.
So, a few questions I also got:
Is it gluten-free / flourless?
Yeah. I used almond flour, which does not contain gluten.
Is it sugar-free?
Technically, it is no-sugar-added, because it has carbs, which your body will turn into sugar. But it is very, very low on carbs, more about it on the nutritional information at the end of the recipe. So no, it's sweetened with erythritol, a low-carb sweetener. If you don't care about the sugar-free, or low-carb thing, you can use regular sugar instead.
Recipe
Gluten-Free, No Sugar Chocolate Cake [+ Video]
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter (salted), [113 g], at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the pan
- 1 cup almond flour, [100 g]
- ¾ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened), [52 g]
- ½ cup Erythritol/Sucralose sweetener, (Amazon affiliate link) - Or equivalent sugar (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder, [3 g]
- 1 teaspoon xantham gum, [2 g], (Amazon affiliate link) see notes
- A pinch of salt
- 3 egg (medium), medium, [165 g]
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, (whichever one you have)
Instructions
Beforehand: Heat oven to 300º F [150 ºC].Grease a bread loaf pan with some butter. Set aside.
Mix dry ingredients: Combine almond flour, cocoa, sweetener, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.Sift to remove any clumps.
Add wet ingredients: Add butter, eggs, and vanilla extract.
Mix: Combine with a wire whisk or mixer until you have a smooth batter (3 to 5 minutes). It will be a bit on the dry side, compared to other cake batters, that's fine.
Bake: Scoop into the baking pan, and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Serving: Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature before serving.
Video
Tips and Notes
We cannot agree in my home on whether this cake is just right (me), or not sweet enough (my kid, my husband does not opine). If you prefer your sweets very sweet, you may need to add more sweetener. If you're not familiar with xanthan gum, it is a thickener commonly used in gluten-free baking. This gives this cake a soft texture closer to wheat flour, but it will work without it; the texture will be different though, not bad, just different. I prefer it with it.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutritional information.
