This is an amazing, intense chocolate fudge cake – fudgy, rich and super chocolatey. The texture is creamy, silky and truffle-like. It’s a chocolate lover’s dream!
I’ve been married for 3 months, but only now that I’m back from my honeymoon, it’s starting to sink in. And babies? I mean they’re cute, but not so fast.
So let’s get back to my honeymoon… If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook then you’ve seen a glance at the magical month I had in Australia. Australia always seemed to me like a place disconnected from the world we live in, and I had no idea what to expect from it. I dreamt about visiting there for years, but because it takes 24 hours to fly there (Ahhhh), I was waiting for the opportunity to go for an extended period. So when we decided on a 4-week vacation for our honeymoon, Australia was the frontrunner. Erez had other ideas in mind, but now that we’re married, he understands that when I’m happy, he’s happy, and that’s how we found ourselves in the marvelous land of Oz. I’ll share the highlights from our trip in a different post, because if I start talking about it now, we’ll never get to the chocolate cake. And trust me – we want to get to the chocolate cake.
Flavor and Texture
This flourless chocolate fudge cake is decadent and fudgy, with an intense chocolate flavor. The texture is similar to that of a creamy truffle or mousse. If you’re addicted to chocolate like me, then you’ll love this one. I made it yesterday and half the cake is already gone.
How To Make This Chocolate Fudge Cake
With Passover coming up next week, I was looking for the perfect gluten free dessert, and I think I’ve found it! It consists of only 6 ingredients: chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, instant coffee and water.
The cake is quick to make, and even if something goes wrong (been there) or you mistakenly overbake it (been there too), it still turns out delicious.
To make the cake, melt together chocolate, butter, instant coffee and water in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Take it out and stir. Repeat until the mixture is melted and smooth. In a separate mixer bowl, put the eggs and sugar and whisk for 5 minutes at high speed, until doubled in size, and the consistency is light and foamy. Fold the egg foam gently into the chocolate mixture in 2 additions until well combined.
The baking time is quite short because we want the texture to be like fudge. It should be ready in about 25 minutes.
How To Bake The Cake Using a Water Bath
This cake is baked in a water bath, which gives it an exceptional texture. First, you’ll need to wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with a large piece of foil, then repeat with another piece, to ensure that water from the bath doesn’t seep into the cake. Then, bring a kettle of water to a boil. When the cake batter is ready, pour it into the cake pan, and place the cake pan inside a large roasting pan. Place the roasting pan in the oven, and pour enough boiling water from the kettle into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Be quick or the oven temperature would drop quickly. Watch this video or similar videos to get a better idea on how to do this.
More Gluten Free Recipes:
- Gluten Free Brownies
- Chocolate Coconut Brownies
- Chocolate Almond Torte
- Chocolate Fudge Cookies
- Chocolate Truffles
- 10 1/2 oz./300 g bittersweet or semisweet chocolate , roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks/180 g) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder or granules
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (50 g/1.8 oz.) granulated sugar
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Preheat oven to 325°F/160°C degrees. Grease an 8-inch springform pan. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with one large piece of foil, then repeat with another piece. This will ensure that water from the bath doesn’t seep into the cake. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
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Put chocolate, butter, water and instant coffee in a large heat-proof bowl and microwave in 20-second increments, stirring between each, until melted.
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In a mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk eggs and sugar at high speed until light and fluffy and doubled in volume, about 5 minutes.
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Using a spatula, fold half of egg foam into chocolate mixture (make sure the chocolate isn't too hot) until mixed. Fold in remaining foam until combined.
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Pour batter into prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Place the pan inside a large roasting pan, and place in the oven, then pour enough boiling water from the kettle into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Be quick so that the oven temperature won't drop quickly. Bake for 25 minutes until the cake has risen slightly and the edges are just beginning to set. The center will look undone but it will set once the cake has cooled (similar to cheesecakes). Carefully remove the pan from the water and transfer to a wire rack. Let the cake cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight until completely set. Keep cake in the fridge for up to 5 days.
57 Comments
Winnie
April 13, 2014 at 5:10 pmמזל טובבבבבבבבבבב
תהני מכל רגע, ואני מאחלת לך שתמיד תהיו מאושרים כמו עכשיו 🙂
זה כייף להיות נשואה
העוגה שלך מדהימההההההההה
יש לי מתכון מאד דומה אז אני יודעת שהיא פשוט נהדרת. עשירה ופאגד’ית.
והתמונות מעלפות!!
שיהיה לך פסח נהדר
Shiran
April 13, 2014 at 9:49 pmAs always, thank you so much Winnie!
Angie (@angiesrecipess)
April 13, 2014 at 5:32 pmA pure indulgence! Your chocolate cake looks beyond delicious.
Shiran
April 13, 2014 at 9:49 pmThanks Angie 🙂
Heather @ The Owl with the Goblet
April 13, 2014 at 11:16 pmThis. Looks. Amazing. My hubby is a chocolate addict so I might just be trying this… very soon!
Shiran
April 14, 2014 at 8:26 amThank you Heather! I’m a chocolate addict and this is one of my favorite cakes!
Jess
April 14, 2014 at 8:23 pmThis cake looks amazing, Shiran! Love how easy the recipe is and how divine that slice of cake is..:)
Shiran
April 15, 2014 at 12:41 pmThanks Jess 🙂
Gabriel Pollow
April 26, 2019 at 12:13 amThank you for this recipe. I’m a chef at a farm to table restaurant and love to make sure I’m staying up on all the health needs of our current society. That being said, I’m not a baker by trade, but enjoy it This recipe has become my easy G.F. go to. Often I’ll make it, then top with dolce de leche, or homemade blueberry compote and fresh whip cream. People always love it! Again, thank you.
Kathi @ Deliciously Yum!
April 15, 2014 at 10:03 pmOh my goodness. This cake is beyond beautiful!! I can’t believe 5 simple ingredients can create something this gorgeous and mouthwatering. Plus, I like how this cake is pretty much foolproof. Yum!
Also, congratulations on being a newly married couple. So exciting. Can’t wait to hear and see more 🙂
Shiran
April 16, 2014 at 7:04 amThanks Kathi, that’s so sweet of you. It is indeed exciting 🙂
You can’t go wrong with this cake. The ingredients are delicious and the cake is so simple to make!
Cindy @ Pick Fresh Foods
April 16, 2014 at 3:04 amA month on honeymoon! Wow, that has got to be amazing!! Probably just as amazing as this cake looks. It just looks perfect!
Shiran
April 16, 2014 at 6:59 amIt was beyond amazing 🙂 And this cake..I make it again today because my friends begged me to!
therese
May 1, 2014 at 9:46 amThanks for posting this amazing recipe I just made it and it’s absolutely amazing. … decadent. .. chocolatey… But 1 small problem. .. my cake came up with a dome… Not flat top like yours. Whew did I go wrong? I opened The oven to check at different intervals. Could that be the problem? Thanks once again!
Shiran
May 1, 2014 at 3:15 pmHi Therese! I’m so glad to hear you loved this cake! Isn’t it amazing?! Thanks for taking the time to comment. The most common reason for high domes is uneven heat. the outside of the pan conducts heat faster than the inside, so while the sides of the cake set, the center continues to bake, therefore rise higher than the sides. The solutions are using baking strips for even baking, use a silicone pan (it conducts heat more even than metal pans), or bake the cake in a water bath (you can google it).
You can also bake the cake at a lower temperature for a longer time, this also seems to help 🙂 Regardless, always try to minimize opening the oven door while baking. I hope that next time you’ll have a beautiful, flat cake! 🙂
therese
May 2, 2014 at 11:32 pmThanks for taking the time to share your experience! I did use a silicon mold… Hmm I somehow could not get a water bath exactly right because of sizing of my pans. Do you think a pan of hot water in the oven without the actual cake pan sitting in it helps? Is it just the moisture in the oven or something to do with the contact of water against the pan? Thanks in advance. Fyi the friend who ate the cake night last ate it clutching her chest!
Shiran
May 3, 2014 at 4:19 pmWhile a water bath does affect the moistness of the cake, it also affects the temperature of the pan – which is the reason why it’s important to put the pan in the water bath. When in water, the pan’s temperature won’t get higher than the temperature of the water around it. If it’s a trouble for you, next time try to reduce the oven temperature and bake the cake for a longer time (it seems like you have a pretty good knowledge in baking :)). In my experience, even when I didn’t use a water bath, the cake turned out fine and pretty flat. Pay attention that you don’t overbake the cake. The center should be wobbly. Let me know if you need anything else 🙂 I’m glad I can help!
Keren
May 10, 2014 at 8:33 amThis cake is dangerous… I brought it to the office and it was so good we just couldn’t stop until we finished it. Took us about 2 hours – is that a new record or what? 🙂
Shiran
May 10, 2014 at 10:32 amI’m glad you liked it Keren! It’s very dangerous! When I made it – it was gone in less than 2 hours 😉
natasha
October 25, 2014 at 2:06 amIs this going to set. I baked for 35 minutes removed from oven after a while I put it back into the oven for 15 minutes – it is still like soup in the middle? It is now in the fridge, fingers crossed.
Shiran
October 25, 2014 at 6:44 amHi Natasha 🙂 It shouldn’t look like soup, but the center should look wobbly. Overbaking will make the cake dry instead of fudgy. It’s similar to baking a cheesecake, it won’t look completely set. Once it’s refrigerated for a few hours, it should be set but moist.
natasha
October 25, 2014 at 6:50 amHi there, no it hasn’t set. Our oven is very hot (I reduce oven always for cake baking) so I cooked it initially at 130 and then increased the temperature when I could see it was not cooking. It tastes great. I will give it another go. Really easy and delicious – I will use a better quality chocolate next time as it is not as dark as your cake. Thanks for your reply.
Shiran
October 25, 2014 at 9:36 amYou’re welcome Natasha. Sorry to hear it didn’t set as it should, but I’m glad it tasted good 🙂 It sounds like it should have been more time in the oven. For next time, I have 2 tips for you. First, if you happen to have a thermometer, the cake will be ready once a thermometer inserted into the center of the cake reaches about 140F. Also, if your oven is very hot, I highly suggest using the water bath technique, which means placing the cake pan inside a large roasting pan and filling it with hot water (if you need more explanation about it, let me know). This method is often used to help delicate desserts retain moisture and reach an even temperature while baking. Good luck!
Judy
January 15, 2015 at 8:27 pmAny info on your garnish, beautiful! Love to make some.
Shiran
January 16, 2015 at 10:53 amHi Judy 🙂 I bought the garnish in a random store, and I didn’t make it by myself. Sorry I couldn’t help you with that!
Glenn
February 22, 2015 at 9:30 pmHi, I’m in the middle of making this and your recipe calls for 6 eggs and not egg whites. I whipped the whole eggs and sugar and after 10min it was foamy but not like egg whites would be. Is this correct?
Shiran
February 24, 2015 at 3:21 amYes it is, Glenn. It should be light and pale in color, but it won’t look the same as whipped egg whites, so don’t worry about it. I hope you liked the cake!
Etta
February 28, 2015 at 12:00 amThis looks delicious! Do you think it would be ok to eliminate the coffee? I have a strictly caffeine free diet, a bit of chocolate is ok, but coffee is definitely cheating!
Shiran
February 28, 2015 at 7:08 amHi Etta 🙂 You can definitely omit the coffee, the cake is amazing even without it. It enhances the chocolate flavor, but doesn’t change the texture of the cake.
Jane
April 4, 2015 at 2:14 pmI didn’t have a springform pan. I buttered a cake pan and lined it with parchment paper. Will it safe to flip over the cake pan onto a plate without ruining the cake? Should I wait to do this until it is completely cool? Thank you!
Shiran
April 4, 2015 at 2:26 pmHi Jane! The cake is very fudgy and delicate so I wouldn’t recommend flipping it over, unless you freeze it first (and then thaw in the fridge).
Nola
May 7, 2015 at 9:07 amGlad you loved my country. Your cake has just been made in Oz and it was beautiful. Thank You!
Shiran
May 7, 2015 at 4:45 pmI LOVED your country! I talk about it all the time 🙂 Thank you so much for the sweet comment, Nola!
Ellen Sherrill
June 27, 2015 at 10:08 pmHi Shiran, Would you happen to have any advice for baking this cake in high altitude?
Thanks, Ellen
Shiran
June 28, 2015 at 3:39 amHi Ellen, since I haven’t tested it myself, I can’t say for sure. Here’s a good guide from King Arthur Flour on high-altitude baking. I hope this would help!
Priyanka
May 13, 2016 at 8:24 amHi shiran, thanks for posting this recipe. I just tried it today in my pie tray(8 inches) but tray height wasn’t sufficient for whole batter so I filled the rest in muffin tins for lava cake. As for the pie tray cake, I somehow forgot to reduce the baking time. ???. So I got cooked throughout instead of wobley centre.I have still refrigerated just to experiment. I managed to tastes tiny bit and it’s undersweet for me, and I hope to serve it with dusted sugar. Fingers crossed. Let’s see how it turns out.
Shiran
May 14, 2016 at 6:22 amHi Priyanka 🙂 The baking time is always a crucial part in fudgy chocolate cakes and brownies. I hope that it turned out fine for you! As for the sugar, the cake is not overly sweet, so you can add more sugar next time if you prefer.
Pamela
August 25, 2016 at 12:59 pmDo you know the best thing about this cake, it’s GLUTEN FREE. And it’s gf without having to MAKE it gf by using some bizarre weird flour like garbanzo bean or buckwheat or some other odd weird flour. You know, I still remember the first time I ever had a “flourless” chocolate cake at 28 years old and a boss brought one into the office and put it in the staff lunchroom. I had never seen let alone eaten one before. I couldn’t keep out of it. I didn’t want to make a pig of myself so I just kept taking the tiniest little slivers of cake all afternoon but I was SO hooked on it. This is almost 30 years before I was diagnosed and had to start this provoking gf diet. I can’t wait to make this cake. It looks like it will be JUST like the one I had that day. A cake like this is something I don’t make very often just for myself. Believe it or not I’m not really a chocolate person. I’ll take lemon or something else over chocolate most of the time (for one thing it ALWAYS makes me thirsty) but boy I sure couldn’t stay out of this cake. I’m actually really excited about giving this one a try.
Shirin
September 10, 2016 at 2:09 amHi Shiran,
Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe. Do you think I can make a two tier cake. Will the cake at the bottom sink with the weight of the cake on top?
Thanks,
Shirin
Shiran
September 12, 2016 at 8:29 amHi Shirin, since this cake is dense and moist and sinks in the center after baking, I don’t recommend it for a layer cake.
Nadia
October 1, 2016 at 8:44 pmHi,
Thanks for a great recipe! I made it yesterday for a dinner party. Cooled it in the fridge for approx 5 hours but it was still a little mushy in the middle & the slices weren’t as solid as the one in your picture, nor as high. But it tasted amazing!! Served it with vanilla ice cream. Any idea what I did wrong?
Thanks again for a great recipe!
Shiran
October 5, 2016 at 5:59 amHi Nadia. If it’s still mushy in the center you might want to bake it for longer. The short baking time yields a fudge-like cake, but if you want it more cake-y, add a few extra minutes. It should slightly sink in the middle, so don’t worry about it.
Candy
November 24, 2016 at 8:02 amhow do I get it off of the springfoam pan bottom. I greased it and the cake looks beautiful but I can’t remove it without breaking it? any suggestions?
Shiran
November 24, 2016 at 8:30 amHi Candy, I suggest to place it in the fridge until completely chilled. The firmer it would be, the easier it is to release it . Next time you can line the bottom and even the sides of the pan with parchment paper.
Randi
March 18, 2018 at 7:35 amI was just wondering if this cake can be frozen?
Shiran
March 18, 2018 at 7:38 amYes Randi, it can be frozen for a month, just make sure to cover it well. Thaw it for several hours or overnight in the fridge before serving.
Simone
June 10, 2018 at 1:33 pmHi Shiran! Your recipe looks amazing! But I have a problem… Can I use less butter in the recipe? What can I use instead of it? Please help! I am really stuck 🙁
Nomie
October 21, 2018 at 4:46 amHi Shiran,
I’ve had so much success with your recipes – but this is the first one that hasn’t worked for me 🙁
Mine was dense and looks like it was half the height of your finished version.
The eggs whipped up nicely, so the mixture had volume and it looked as it should.
I put it in a water bath for 25 mins at the right temp.
What do you think happened?
It’s edible, but it’s more like a dense brownie.
Hope you can help!
Thanks,
Nomie
Shreya
November 22, 2018 at 6:21 pmOh dear me! This cake is amazing! I purely baked it thinking ” oh year right, this isn’t going to work’ – but OMG it did and it did so well. I made it for my colleagues , and they have just dived in. One of my colleagues (who is a chocoholic – like she needs Dr Phil to sit down with her and talk about this addiction), she keep swaying people and telling them it is not good, coz she wants it all for herself! haha. But seriously, thanks for this amazing fail proof recipe. My boss can’t tell me to do any work today, she’s too busy eating cake 😉 – Best Friyay ever!
Poonam
July 11, 2019 at 1:28 pmI tried it the exact method as mentioned…but made it in two different moulds…and it turned out to be excellent….and in 25 mins…..am super happy
Mika
January 17, 2020 at 6:55 pmI do not want to rate this as I haven’t made it yet. It seems like there are a lot of eggs in this cake. Can you taste them in the baked product? I am not fond of the taste of eggs. I don’t care for lemon bars because I can taste all those eggs in them. I don’t want to make this if it will be like that. Thank you. It does look amazing.
Shiran
January 29, 2020 at 2:31 amYou won’t taste the eggs in the final product. It’s very chocolatey!
Jene
August 8, 2020 at 3:47 pmCurious if this can be modified for a 9″ springform pan – which is 25% bigger. Perhaps increasing the ingredients by 25% (or simply reducing the baking time due to increased surface area) would work! Love your recipes! Keep up the good work!
Ali
August 3, 2021 at 8:25 amHi Shiraz,
Could I bake this in a loaf pan and if so, what size and how long? I need to make a fire engine cake for my grandson and he loves chocolate.
Thanks. Ali.
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
August 5, 2021 at 5:11 amHi Ali! Yes, you can! It will just take a bit of measurement adjustment. I recommend checking out my article on how to convert cake pan sizes 🙂
Colleen McMahon
December 18, 2021 at 5:32 amHi! How would I convert this recipe to muffins? I’m sure the cooking time would change for smaller portions such as muffins……..?
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet.
December 20, 2021 at 7:23 amHi Colleen, I recommend checking out my article on how to convert cake pan sizes 🙂 In terms of baking time, they’ll probably take around 20 minutes or so to bake full size cupcakes, but it will depend on your oven. Check them after 12-14 minutes and monitor 🙂 Good luck!