This no bake chocolate cake tastes like a flourless chocolate cake, but you don’t need to do any baking. It is easy to make and doesn’t require flour, eggs, or oil. The cake comes out rich and chocolatey.
I am really excited to share this no bake cake. It really does taste a lot like a classic flourless chocolate cake except that it’s not served warm. It’s such an easy dessert and it’s hard to believe that no baking is required.
Ingredients
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Pumpkin Or Banana Puree
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: You can also use bittersweet chocolate chips if you don’t mind that your cake will be less sweet. Most of the sweetness is coming from the chocolate chips, so I prefer to use semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Pumpkin or Banana Puree: This recipe works with both pumpkin puree (a great way to use up some leftover puree) or banana puree (so you can make this cake all year long). If you use pumpkin, the cake will not be quite as sweet. You don’t really taste the pumpkin because the chocolate overpowers the pumpkin flavor. The cake has a bittersweet, rich chocolate flavor. You can use either canned or homemade pumpkin puree.
If you use banana puree, your cake will be sweeter. However, you will also taste the banana flavor. It will taste like banana and chocolate. If you are using banana puree, make sure you actually puree your bananas in a food processor or blender to remove all lumps. Just mashing is not enough.
Cake Texture
This cake has a similar texture to a flourless chocolate cake. Of course it won’t taste exactly the same, but it is close. A flourless chocolate cake is made up mostly of chocolate and is rich and dense. This is like a chilled version of a flourless chocolate cake. If you decorate it with toppings like a chocolate ganache, it will taste even more like a baked dessert.
Cake Toppings
You can leave the cake plain though it will look a bit rustic. I don’t recommend sprinkling with powdered sugar because the powdered sugar gets absorbed by the cake. For this cake, I added a chocolate ganache. The ganache adds an even richer chocolate flavor.
More Easy Cake Recipes
2 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups (365 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups (334 g) pumpkin puree or banana puree
Instructions
- Grease the interior of a 7 inch springform baking pan. Line the bottom and inner sides with parchment paper.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, add chocolate chips. Microwave at 1 minute intervals, stirring in between with a spatula, until chocolate is fully melted and smooth. (I needed 2 minutes total cooking time). Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate on the stove using the double boiler method.
- Stir in the pumpkin puree until fully combined. Use your spatula to scrape chocolate from the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure it is fully incorporated with the pumpkin. You don't want any batter that is just chocolate or just pumpkin.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Use your spatula to smooth the surface. If you have an icing smoother, you can use that on the surface of the cake to make it even more smooth. Bang the bottom of the pan a few times against your counter to level the cake and remove any air bubbles.
- Place into fridge until cake is set. This can take 30-60 minutes. Once cake is set, you can decorate if desired. Slice cake with a sharp knife. Store uneaten cake in the fridge.
Notes
- To make the optional chocolate ganache frosting you will need 2 oz heavy cream and 1/2 cup (91 g) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips. Place chocolate chips in a mixing bowl. Heat heavy cream until it reaches a simmer. Pour the heavy cream over chocolate. Immediately start stirring until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Pour ganache over cake and spread it out across the surface. Place the cake in the fridge until ganache is set. This recipe will give you a thin layer of ganache frosting. If you want a thicker layer, double the recipe. The cake in the photos has a double layer but the cake is so rich that I found a thin single layer was enough.
- If using banana puree, make sure to actually puree it in a food processor or blender. See post for more details about the difference between using pumpkin vs banana.
- This cake is best made in a springform pan as it will be easier to remove. I made mine in a 7 inch pan. You can make it in a smaller pan, your cake will just be thicker. I don't recommend making it in anything bigger than 7 inches because your cake will be quite thin.
- The estimated nutrition is for the cake only, not including frosting.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
This looks brilliant! Is two cups equivalent to one can or more of pumpkin puree?
One 15-oz can has just under two cups of puree, so you need a little extra from a second can. Hope that helps!