4 Ingredient Chocolate Cake (No Wheat Flour, Dairy, Butter or Oil)
This chocolate cake is soft and moist. It only needs 4 ingredients and doesn’t require any wheat flour, dairy, butter or oil. The cake is easy to prepare. The cake has a texture like classic chocolate cake even though it is made without any wheat flour or butter.
I love that this chocolate cake has a soft, bouncy, light texture just like regular chocolate cake. You can’t tell that it is made without wheat flour or butter.
Ingredients
- Almond flour
- Cocoa powder
- Sugar
- Eggs
Almond flour: Make sure to use superfine almond flour. This is key. Regular almond flour or fine almond flour is not fine enough and will result in coarse crumbs.
Cocoa powder: I recommend using Dutch process cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder is more acidic and bitter. Dutch process cocoa powder is richer and not as bitter.
Sugar: This cake is made with regular granulated white sugar. The sugar sweetens the cake and helps to create the light bouncy crumb. I did test this with some unrefined sugars but the texture was not the same. If you need an unrefined sugar substitute, you can use coconut sugar. The cake won’t have the same bounce and lightness, but it does still produce a cake-like crumb.
Eggs: Eggs are used to create the structure for the cake.
How to Make Chocolate Cake
- The eggs and sugar are first beaten together on high speed in a stand mixer for 10 minutes until you have a very light and fluffy mixture.
- Add the almond flour and cocoa powder to a large mixing bowl and whisk until evenly combined.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture in three batches, doing your best not to deflate the eggs too much.
- Transfer the mixture to your prepared cake pan. Bake the cake for about 40-50 minutes. Allow the cake to cool fully before removing and serving.
- You can also decorate the cake with chocolate frosting before serving.
Texture
This cake has a very light, delicate, crispy crust layer on top, like a meringue. The rest of the cake is light, soft and bouncy, just like regular chocolate cake. The cake does sink in slightly in the center and is more puffy around the edges, giving it a very rustic appearance. You can decorate with powdered sugar and fresh fruit for a simple decoration. You can also level the surface of the cake and cover it in a ganache frosting.
Expert Tips
- The cake works best with regular granulated white sugar, which gives the cake a much lighter crumb. Try to use a regular granulated white sugar and not a finer granulated white sugar which can also affect the texture. I have made it successfully with coconut sugar, but the crumb is heavier and doesn’t have a bounce to it.
- Make sure your cake pan is 7 inches wide and 3 inches tall. If your cake pan is not 3 inches tall, you will need to use an 8 inch wide baking pan, otherwise your cake batter will overflow. If using an 8 inch pan, your cooking time will likely be less.
More Chocolate Cake Recipes
- 2 Ingredient Chocolate Cake
- 4 Ingredient Healthier Chocolate Cake
- 2 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Cake
4 Ingredient Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (193g) granulated white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (130g) superfine almond flour
- 6 tbsp (30g) Dutch process cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 7-inch wide round springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Make sure your cake pan is at least 3 inches tall, otherwise the batter will overflow. If you don't have a 7 inch x 3 inch pan, then you will need to use an 8-inch wide round springform pan. Line the bottom with a parchment round. You don’t need to line the sides but make sure they are well greased so the cake doesn’t stick to it.
- Add the eggs and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on highest speed for about 10 minutes or until mixture becomes very thick and turns a very pale yellow, and more than triples in volume. When the eggs are ready, the mixture should be thick enough that it seems like soft peaks are going to form (when the beater pushes through, it leaves indents/lines that don't disappear right away). However, once you stop beating, the mixture will immediately deflate. This is normal.
- Add almond flour and cocoa powder to a large mixing bowl and whisk to evenly combine.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in 1/3 of the almond flour mixture. Repeat with another 1/3 of the flour and then the final 1/3. Try your best not to deflate the egg mixture too much. Your batter will not be uniform in color but this is normal. You just want to fold until there are no dry spots of almond flour or cocoa.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the cake is set. (If using an 8 inch pan, your baking time may be less). The cake will be slightly higher around the edges than in the middle, but the middle should not be sunken in. If it is sunken in the center then it likely needs more baking time. The surface of the cake should also develop a thin, delicate meringue-like crust.
- Let the cake cool for about 1 hour before releasing it from the cake pan and placing onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Do not release the cake before it is cooled because this can cause it to fall apart. The cake is a bit sticky around the sides, so be sure to gently release the cake from the pan so none of the cake gets stuck on the side.
- The cake does have a rustic appearance because it is higher around the edges and because of its crust. You can do a simple decoration of powdered sugar and fruit to help cover the unevenness. You can also level the surface of the cake and cover with ganache frosting. See notes for the ganache frosting used.
- Use a large sharp knife to slice the cake. Store any uneaten cake in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for longer.
Notes
- Sugar note: This recipe works best with regular granulated white sugar. Other types of sugars will change the texture of the cake. Also avoid using fine (like Imperial brand) or superfine granulated white sugar which can result in too much sugar being used in the recipe and can also alter the texture of the cake. I used C&H granulated white sugar.
- Cocoa powder: This recipe works best with Dutch process cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder is more bitter.
- Almond flour note: It's important to use superfine almond flour. Fine almond flour or regular almond flour is not fine enough and will result in coarse crumbs. If you use superfine almond flour, the cake will be very light and won't taste like it is made with almond flour.
- Optional ganache frosting:
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) canned coconut milk or heavy cream (if you don't need the cake to be dairy-free)
- Add chocolate chips to a medium bowl and set aside. Heat coconut milk or heavy cream in a small pot or pan over medium low heat. Heat until simmering. Pour hot coconut milk/heavy cream over chocolate chips. Let sit for 60 seconds then gently mix until chocolate is completely melted.
- Frost over the surface of the cake. Please note you do not need to use all the frosting.
- Estimated nutrition does not include optional frosting.
Perfect 4 Pesach/ Passover, thanku!
We’re so glad you enjoy this cake!
This absolutely delicious. I will try this.
Thank you! Let us know how you like it!
Lovely recipe but The amount of cocoa is not clear. 6 tablespoons is 45g, not 30g. 30g is 4 tablespoons. Please could you clarify.
Best wishes
June
Hi June! The cocoa we used is 30g for 6 tablespoons. Most cocoa powders measure 5 or 6 grams per tablespoon. If you are getting a higher number than that, it may be the way you are measuring. Make sure you don’t dip the measuring cup into the bag. You should spoon it in to the measuring cup and level off the top.
Do you have to use almond flour?
Sorry, we don’t have a substitute for the almond flour in this recipe!
Going to give it a try . I have Celiac disease. So any sweet treats which are home made . Is alot better than supermarket over priced Rubbish
We hope you enjoy this cake!
I like this recipe for its nutrition
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe!
How to make chocolate cake
Hello! Once you click the link to the recipe post, all of the ingredients and amounts will be listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card. You can also click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top and it will take you right there.
Amazing, tasty and healthy
We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Wait, what?
Promoted as being healthy and yet has a cup of sugar in it?
We didn’t claim this was a healthy cake recipe just that it has a similar texture to a classic chocolate cake without wheat flour, dairy, butter or oil. If you need an unrefined sugar substitute, you can use coconut sugar.
Looks nice,but what if your on a budget?
E.g. using almond flour ,Dutch cocoa powder that’s a little expensive ?
We totally understand! We don’t have a substitute for the almond flour in this recipe and you can use natural cocoa powder but it is more acidic and bitter. We do have a ton of other chocolate cake recipes with different ingredients as well.
Hi Jennifer:
Both Almonds, Almond Flour, and Spinach are *definite* No-No’s for those of use who are prone to kidney stones. Can you please provide substitutes for these items in your recipes?
Thanks!
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie! We don’t have a substitute for the almond flour in this recipe but we do have other chocolate cake recipes that might work better for you!
Question. Could tapioca flour be used?.
Sorry, we haven’t tested this recipe with tapioca flour!
Hi, sounds like a very interesting recipe I would love to make- could I use a loaf pan? I have both 8×4 and 9×5. Would that work with a parchment sling?
Sorry, we haven’t tested this recipe in a loaf pan! You can try to use a loaf pan, but since this cake was developed for a round ~7-inch pan (about 3? tall) and the batter fills it to just the right height, a 9×5 loaf pan will make a thinner cake and may bake faster, while an 8×4 loaf pan will give you something closer in height to the original. You could try it with a parchment sling to lift the cake out easily — just watch the baking time and test with a toothpick for doneness.