Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

This gluten free chocolate cake is a rich, decadent, dessert, made without any flour. I love it when I can make a gluten free dessert and not have to change the recipe too much. It’s so much simpler when it’s naturally gluten free! This flourless chocolate cake is just that!

I’ll warn you though, a little goes a long way, and this recipe will easily serve 16.  This recipe from Bon Appetit, is called La Bête Noire, or the “Black Beast”. You won’t need any gluten free flour or almond flour for this easy recipe. I get requests for this cake for special birthdays, the most recent was for a 50th birthday for 16. (This post was originally published on August 26th, 2011. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn commission on qualifying purchases.)

Ingredients for gluten free chocolate cake

• Bittersweet or dark chocolate. I wouldn’t recommend milk chocolate as it will be too sweet.
• Butter
• Sugar
• Eggs
• whipping cream (for the ganache)
• Bittersweet chocolate (for the ganache)

That’s all you need for the cake. Then you’ll top the cake with ganache. I like to use a bittersweet as a contrast to the dark chocolate cake.

What’s ganache?

A ganache sounds like a fancy French term but is actually very easy. Ganache can be used for a variety of desserts from truffles and turtles, to millionaire brownies and fondue, depending on how thin or thick you make it.

Ganache is made by pouring hot cream over chopped chocolate, then stirring until smooth. The ratio of cream to chocolate determines how thick the finished ganache will be. The ganache for this gluten free cake will be just thin enough to pour over the top and thick enough to create a thin, shiny top coat.

How to make gluten free chocolate cake

• Preheat oven to 350*F. Butter 9 inch diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper round.
• Wrap 3 layers of heavy-duty foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim.

• Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. 
• Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly.
• Add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

• Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.
• Bake cake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes. Remove from water bath; transfer to rack. Cool completely in pan.

• Bring whipping cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. 

• Pour over top of cake still in pan. Gently shake pan to distribute ganache evenly over top of cake. Refrigerate cake in pan until ganache is set, about 2 hours.

• Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream if desired.

This gluten free cake will keep for up to 4 days wrapped well and refrigerated.

Grand Marnier gluten free chocolate cake

I sometimes make a version of this gluten free chocolate cake with Grand Marnier. For this version, follow these steps:

• Add the zest of one orange to the water/sugar syrup step.
• After it cools a bit, add a couple of tablespoons of Grand Marnier before adding it to the eggs.
• For the dark chocolate ganache, I added an additional 2 tablespoons of liqueur after incorporating all the whipping cream and chocolate together.

I finished baking it the same way. I make candied orange zest to top the individual slices on the Grand Marnier version.

How to Make Candied Orange Zest

Remove the peel from an orange using a channel knife, or knife, being careful not to get any pith.

Bring 1/2 sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan.
Reduce heat to very low and add peels.
Cook for about 45 min. until peels are translucent
Remove from syrup and lay on a plate or parchment.
Form into shapes: swirls, knots, whatever.
Sprinkle with sugar and chill.

Gluten Free Dark Chocolate Flourless Cake {La Bete Noir}

Cynthia

La Bete Noir (The "Black Beast", from Bon Appetit, September 2006. Tame it!)

4.98 from 34 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 16 servings

Calories 421 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Cake

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter diced
• 18 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate chopped
• 6 large eggs

Ganache

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped

Instructions

 

Cake

• Preheat oven to 350*F. Butter 9 inch diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper round. Wrap 3 layers of heavy-duty foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim.
• Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly.
• Add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.
• Bake cake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes. Remove from water bath; transfer to rack. Cool completely in pan.

Ganache

• Bring whipping cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth.
• Pour over top of cake still in pan. Gently shake pan to distribute ganache evenly over top of cake. Refrigerate cake in pan until ganache is set, about 2 hours.
• Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release sides. Cut cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream. Serves 16

Notes

• DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.
• Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 421kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 6gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 65mgPotassium: 321mgFiber: 2gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 515IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 127mgIron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!