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Sharing a simple Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake for your mid-week chocolate fix. Don’t let the flourless detail scare you away, this chocolate cake is insanely delicious. Made using dark chocolate and olive oil for richness, sweetened simply with only a touch of sugar, made airy with whipped egg whites, and studded with chocolate chunks. Top with honey whipped ricotta for a sweet creamy balance to the rich, fudgy, molten-like cake. Trust me, this is SO GOOD, and extra chocolatey. Bonus? This cake is even gluten-free!
The true gift of Valentine’s Day? Chocolate…all the chocolate. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love some pretty flowers, jewelry, or a restock of my favorite skincare products. But to me, nothing beats a warm chocolate cake. I mean, right? Baking up something sweet for someone you love is a true way to really show them how much you care.
Enter this cake. It’s great for Valentine’s Day (do you celebrate?), but equally great for any other day you’re craving a little chocolate. This is that go-to, super easy, insanely rich, but not too sweet, chocolate cake. It melts in your mouth and is truly “roll your eyes'” back delicious. And the crazy thing? This cake is completely flourless making it naturally gluten-free.
Promise it’s not too good to be true.
The back story…
This cake took me some time to get right, but the extra effort was worth it. The keys to success? Good chocolate, good extra virgin olive oil, a decent amount of eggs, and apparently no flour.
For the chocolate, I usually use an organic chocolate bar from Whole Foods that’s 85% dark chocolate. If you want a sweeter cake, try using a 70% dark chocolate bar.
As for the olive oil, I love using Brightland olive oil, especially when baking. It adds the perfect, subtle fruit flavor and creates a cake that is extra moist. If that’s not easily available, any extra virgin olive oil will work well. Alternately, you can use melted butter in place of the oil, but we love this cake best when baked with olive oil. Shocking, I know, but it works.
To make this flourless chocolate cake…
You need only a few simple, pantry staple ingredients. High-quality chocolate, extra virgin olive oil, eggs, sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Just seven ingredients.
You’ll want to melt together the chocolate and olive oil. I normally just do this in the microwave, but you can easily melt over low heat on the stove. I like to melt the chocolate and oil together in a large mixing bowl that will fit the remaining ingredients. The fewer dishes the better.
Once melted, simply whisk in the egg yolks, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, a pinch of salt, and the vanilla.
Next, take those eggs whites and whip them until stiff peaks form. This step is key to a lighter cake with a slightly crinkly top. It takes no effort at all and creates a truly luscious flourless cake. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
The real secret of this cake is the final ingredient, a handful of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chunks. Stir these into the cake batter, then bake, and in less then thirty minutes your kitchen will have hints of espresso and rich chocolate in the air.
The smell alone is better than any bakery…but the cake itself? Every bite is truly to die for.
That’s not all…there’s whipped ricotta too.
This cake is rich. It’s not light and fluffy like a layer cake, but much more thick and fudgy instead. To balance the richness out, I knew I needed some kind of creamy topping. You can, of course, simply top with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream, but why not try something a little more special?
Whipped ricotta…with honey and vanilla too. It’s creamy, lightly sweetened, and heavy on the vanilla…and tastes heavenly. The perfect compliment to this fudgy chocolate cake.
This cake can be served slightly warm or at room temperature. If you’d like to prepare the cake a few days ahead of time, it stores really well. Just be sure to keep it covered and in a cool place. There’s also no need to refrigerate this cake. Making it the perfect make-ahead dessert for everything from Valentine’s Day, to Easter, to Mother’s Day, and any other occasion in between.
Like maybe some mid-week Tuesday night baking? Hey, it’s mid-February, we have plenty of snow falling here in Colorado, and that’s the perfect excuse to bake up this delicious cake.
Looking for other Valentine’s Day inspired desserts? Try these sweet lemon rose shortbread cookies. They’re an oldie, but one of my favorite cookies.
If you make this Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Flourless Chocolate Espresso Olive Oil Cake with Honey Whipped Ricotta.
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 522 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 7 ounces dark chocolate (75% - 85% dark)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate chunks
WHIPPED RICOTTA
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch spring-form pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. 2. In a medium bowl, melt the dark chocolate and olive oil in the microwave until melted and smooth. Let cool 5 minutes. Whisk in the 5 egg yolks, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt, and vanilla until combined. 3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold half of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mix until just combined, fold in the remaining egg whites. Gently stir in the chocolate chunks. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading it in an even layer. Bake 25-30 minutes, until the center is no longer jiggly. Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes.4. To make the honey whipped ricotta. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the ricotta, honey, and vanilla. Pulse until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Taste, adding more honey if needed to sweeten. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.5. Serve the cake warm or at room temp, dusted with cocoa powder and dolloped with honey whipped ricotta. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Notes
Whipped Egg Whites: if you prefer, you can skip whipping the eggs all together and just use 5 whole eggs. Your cake will not have a crinkly top, but will still be delicious.
Olive Oil Substitute: you can use an equal amount of melted butter in place of the olive oil.
This was WONDERFUL for Valentine’s Day. I baked this per the recipe instructions. I used 78% Lindt chocolate and a high quality milk chocolate from the candy section–not the baking section–for the chunks. I baked it in my convection oven at 325 degrees. Checked it at 25 minutes and it was done. Next time, I will probably start checking it at 20 minutes as it wasn’t really jiggly at 25 minutes, even with the temp at 325. My oven temp may be slightly off–I haven’t checked it in awhile. The honey ricotta topping was so good. The cake had been cooling for about 1/2 hour by the time we ate it. I think it would have been even better if it had been warmer! Will try timing it a little better next time, but seriously, this is an impressive, perhaps even foolproof dessert. Very easy to put together!
Hey Laura,
Wonderful!!😊 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was delish! xT
Absolutely delicious! Thank you! The ricotta topping was just a great addition too.
Hey Charis,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was a hit! xT
Wow! This cake was delicious! I;m not sure why some people disliked it. It was rich, moist, and fudgy, but also light because of the egg whites. I made it for the Super Bowl and cut it into football shapes and decorated it. They were so cute! Definitely a keeper. Thanks! Abigail
Hey Abigail,
Happy Valentine’s Day! 💌 I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was tasty! xT
Substituir onças por gramas
Do you think a 6” springform would work for a half recipe? I know. It sounds crazy. Why would I want to make a smaller cake??! Well, I’m the only one in my fam who likes rich, dark chocolately desserts. And my renewed commitment to healthy living only allows for small sweets 😀
Hey Lori,
Sure, I bet that would work well for you! Let me know how this recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xT
Looks yummy. Can you suggest a dairy free alternative for the topping?
Hey Karen,
I would try a store bought dairy free whipped cream:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Easy recipe and it turned out great! Everyone loved it. I used 72% dark chocolate. Store was out of chocolate chunks, so I used chocolate chips. It was a good substitute and added some crunch instead of the melting in the middle, but will definitely try with chunks next time. I didn’t do the ricotta, but used the homemade whipped cream recipe from your molten chocolate crackle pie.
Hey Christina,
Happy New Year!!🎆 I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try and sharing your review! xT
Would instant espresso work here instead of espresso powder?
Hi Christina,
Yes, they are the same thing:) Let me know if you give this cake a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xT
Thank you, Just made it! Can’t wait to eat it tomorrow (:
Hi! I am thinking of making this for a NYE party, do you think it would be OK in cupcake form?
Thank you for everything! Biggest fan of you and all your recipes!
Hey Jenna,
Sure, I don’t see why not! Let me know how this recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xT
Hi! can i freeze this? thank you
Hey Heidi,
Sure, I don’t see why not! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
This recipe was so easy to follow and my kitchen smelled amazing while I was baking, I was just wondering what’s the best way to reheat this cake for my dinner party tomorrow!
Hey Hannah,
Happy Thanksgiving!!🦃🍁 I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! You don’t want to reheat cake:) xT
First to Brian, I suggest you leave the kitchen. This is wonderful cake, rich and begging you to over eat. I made it for some guy friends and they along with me were over the moon with delight. From now on everytime I am asked to bring something, this is it…thanks for a delious experience.
Hey Cindy,
Happy Sunday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
Hi Tieghan! Can I use 60 percent dark chocolate instead of 70 percent? My family prefers a sweeter cake. Abigail
Totally, that will be delicious! I hope you love the recipe Abigail! xTieghan
There was no volume to this “cake,” which turned out to be a giant chocolate cookie. The ricotta topping was too savory and a weird addition to an already weird dessert.
I understand the value in “flourless” desserts, but maybe using almond or coconut flour would give this some body and actually make it into a cake?
Hi Brian,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. In the blog I share: “This cake is rich. It’s not light and fluffy like a layer cake, but much more thick and fudgy instead. To balance the richness out, I knew I needed some kind of creamy topping. You can, of course, simply top with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream, but why not try something a little more special? Whipped ricotta…with honey and vanilla too. It’s creamy, lightly sweetened, and heavy on the vanilla…and tastes heavenly. The perfect compliment to this fudgy chocolate cake.”
Flourless cake is not meant to be like a traditional cake, it’s not meant to have a regular cake texture. Again, so sorry it was not enjoyed, but sounds like this just isn’t the style of cake you prefer. Let me know if I can help with anything else! xTieghan
Hi! I have made this cake before and loved it! I am making it this weekend for a friend who can’t eat refined granulated sugar. Do you think a sub of honey or maple syrup would work?
Thank you!!!
Hey Kara,
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! I would try this cake, I use maple syrup instead of sugar:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chocolate-olive-oil-sheet-cake/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Hi! Thank you for replying. I was really hoping to use this recipe because the friend I am cooking for is also dairy and gluten free. I’ll look for something else. Thanks again.
Hello! I want to try this recipe and was wondering if using a fresh espresso would work just as well as powder?
Hi there,
Yes, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan