This Healthy Flourless Chocolate Cake will satisfy your deep dark chocolate cravings with only 217 calories per serving. It’s a decadent gluten-free dessert with a secret healthy ingredient!

cutting into a piece of Flourless Chocolate Cake with a fork

Why We Love This Healthy Flourless Chocolate Cake

This Low Calorie Flourless Chocolate Cake is the perfect bit of indulgence. The addition of prunes keeps the cake moist without the need for oil or butter. This secret addition also adds sweetness, which keeps the added sugar content down.

You know when you buy an over-the-counter medicine and the label says how much of the “active ingredient” is included in the product? Well, that’s pretty much how I approach my selection of chocolate. For me, the dark chocolate is the active ingredient, and I want the medicine with the most “active ingredient” in my chocolate.

I don’t mess around with factory diluted mass-produced imitators. I go for the best. And I stash the stuff everywhere. Thank goodness the weather has turned a little cooler. I have had one too many melted chocolate bars in the side pouches of my car door.

But as you know, I am a healthy eater. 90% of what I eat and what I serve my family is great for you. The trick is, I satisfy my craving for chocolate and have just a bit of the very best quality, and then I go on with my day, satisfied.

That’s where this flourless chocolate cake comes in! It is the perfect recipe for a chocolate craving. Make it for a weekend baking project, Valentine’s Day or as a celebratory dessert for a special occasion.

dusting cocoa powder onto a slice of Flourless Chocolate Cake

Key Ingredients For This Flourless Chocolate Cake

Prunes

For this recipe, I wanted to develop a healthy chocolate cake. I knew I wanted to add pureed prunes. This is an idea I’d gotten from this dense and delicious Eating Well Chocolate Cake recipe. It replaces some of the fat and added sugar and keeps the cake naturally moist. As a result, I added no butter or oil and only ½ cup sugar for 8 servings.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is chocked full of nutrients and antioxidants and can be a healthy choice when consumed in moderation.

Other Ingredients For This Recipe

  • 1 cup boiling water, plus more for water bath
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Step By Step Instructions For Low-Calorie Flourless Chocolate Cake

Step 1: Soften the prunes.

Place prunes in a large heat-proof measuring cup or small bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water over them and allow to soften and cool, about 30 minutes. This softens them and makes them easier to blend in the blender (this way you won’t bite down on a chunk of prune when enjoying a slice of cake). 

Step 2: Preheat the oven and prepare the pan.

Meanwhile, arrange oven rack into the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9-inch spring-form pan with cooking spray. Wrap spring-form pan in a double layer of foil to prevent leaks. Set in a large roasting pan.

Step 3: Combine the dry ingredients.

Whisk cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Step 4: Puree the prunes and add the remaining ingredients.

To make this recipe as simple as possible, you puree all the wet ingredients for this flourless chocolate cake in the blender (this works because there’s no flour in the recipe). Puree prunes and their soaking liquid in a blender until smooth. Add eggs, sugar and vanilla and puree until smooth. Drizzle chocolate through feed tube while motor is running and puree until fully combined. Beat in vanilla and the pureed prunes until smooth on medium-low speed.

Step 5: Combine the prune puree with the cocoa mixture.

Pour prune puree mixture into the cocoa mixture and mix with a silicone spatula until completely combined.

Step 6: Place the batter in the prepared pan, make a water bath and bake.

Spread batter in the prepared pan. Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan, around the spring-form pan to create a hot water bath (this helps the cake cook evenly throughout). Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and bake until puffed, starting to crack slightly and jiggles as a whole when the pan is tilted, 38 to 42 minutes. It will not seem firm like a cake with flour but will firm-up as it cools. If the cake jiggles slightly when you tilt the springform pan, that’s okay! 

Step 7: Remove from the oven, cook on a wire rack, chill and serve.

Remove from water bath and carefully remove foil from sides. Cool on a wire rack until room temperature. Chill in refrigerator until cold and firm, about 2 hours. Remove pan sides and slice to serve.

What To Serve with Flourless Chocolate Cake

FAQ’s and Expert Tips

Is water bath necessary for flourless chocolate cake?

Yes, in order to ensure that the cakes bakes evenly pour boiling water around the pan. Wrap the springform pan in 2 layers of foil to make sure there are no leaks.

How long will flourless chocolate cake keep?

Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Does flourless cake taste different?

Cake is typically moist and spongy. Flourless chocolate cake is usually very moist and almost fudge-like with a very intense chocolate flavor.

Tips for Decorating a Flourless Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake is a blank slate when it comes to decorating it. You can make your flourless chocolate cake as simple or snazzy as you’d like — no matter how you top it, it’ll taste good! I like to keep things easy and simply dust the top of my cake with cocoa powder. You could also toast some slivered almonds and sprinkle those along the edge of the cake, or top it with fresh berries (raspberries taste particularly good with this sweet cake). Freshly whipped cream wouldn’t go amiss either! 

Flourless Chocolate Cake slices on black plates

How to Store Flourless Chocolate Cake

You’ll want to keep this chocolate cake in a sealed container in the fridge. It’ll keep for a few days, but I don’t expect it to last that long! I’ve never tried freezing this cake before, but I think wrapping individual cake slices in plastic wrap and storing them in the freezer would work. You’d want to put the frozen slices in the fridge a day or two before you plan on eating it, though. (If you do try freezing this cake, please let me know how it turns out!). 

Flourless Chocolate Cake slice on a black plate

More Healthy Chocolate Recipes: 

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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A close up of a piece of chocolate cake on a plate, with Flour

Skinny Flourless Chocolate Cake


  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Description

This skinny flourless chocolate cake will satisfy your deep dark chocolate cravings with only 217 calories per serving. And it’s gluten-free!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup pitted prunes, about 14
  • 1 cup boiling water, plus more for water bath
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped and melted (see *tip)

Instructions

  1. Place prunes in a large heat-proof measuring cup or small bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water over them and allow to soften and cool, about 30 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, arrange oven rack into the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9-inch spring-form pan with cooking spray. Wrap spring-form pan in a double layer of foil to prevent leaks. Set in a large roasting pan.
  3. Whisk cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
  4. Puree prunes and their soaking liquid in a blender until smooth. Add eggs, sugar and vanilla and puree until smooth. Drizzle chocolate through feed tube while motor is running and puree until fully combined. Beat in vanilla and the pureed prunes until smooth on medium-low speed.
  5. Pour prune puree mixture into the cocoa mixture and mix with a silicone spatula until completely combined.
  6. Spread batter in the prepared pan. Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan, around the spring-form pan to create a hot water bath. Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and bake until puffed, starting to crack slightly and jiggles as a whole when the pan is tilted, 38 to 42 minutes. It will not seem firm like a cake with flour but will firm-up as it cools.
  7. Remove from water bath and carefully remove foil from sides. Cool on a wire rack until room temperature. Chill in refrigerator until cold and firm, about 2 hours. Remove pan sides and slice to serve.

Notes

To melt chocolate:

Place chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between rounds, until the chocolate is about half melted. Remove from the microwave and continue stirring until completely melted.

How to store:

Keep this chocolate cake in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/8 cake
  • Calories: 217
  • Sugar: 26 g
  • Sodium: 190 mg
  • Fat: 8g
  • Saturated Fat: 4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 40 g
  • Fiber: 6 g
  • Protein: 6 g

Keywords: Healthy Flourless Chocolate Cake, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Low Calorie Flourless Chocolate Cake, Skinny Chocolate Cake