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Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake with Kahlua Whipped Cream

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Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake is pure indulgence on a plate. And Kahlua whipped cream will send this dessert right over the top!

Plus it’s naturally gluten-free and can be made dairy-free, alcohol-free, keto or Paleo as well.

This post was updated on December 19, 2023.

A slice of flourless dairy free chocolate cake topped with whipped cream on a white plate.

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Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t like flourless chocolate cake.

And in this version, two kinds of chocolate plus espresso powder make a deeply rich cake that’s great warm, room temperature or cold so it gets extra fudgy.

The cake itself is naturally gluten-free, grain-free and refined sugar-free but no one will care. Everyone loves flourless chocolate cake anyway, no matter what’s in it (or not in it).

And to make it extra special, we’re infusing a fluffy cloud of whipped cream with Kahlua, that boozy elixir of coffee and rum.

It’s easy to make this a flourless dairy-free chocolate cake, a Paleo flourless chocolate cake, or a flourless keto chocolate cake as well.

See instructions below for how to make these changes.

Everyone wins!

What you need

Ingredients for the cake:

Ingredients for the Kahlua whipped cream:

  • 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
  • 1/4 cup Kahlua

Equipment:

Fudgy chocolate cake covered in a cocoa powder on a white cake stand.

How to make a Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake

Step 1

Heat the oven to 350°.

Grease the sides and bottom of a 9″ springform pan with butter.

Step 2

First, melt chocolate chips and butter together. You do this in a microwave or on the stove.

For the stove method, fill a saucepan with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Place a heat-proof bowl (like glass or stainless steel) on top, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Add the chocolate and butter and stir occasionally until it melts.

To melt butter and chocolate in the microwave, add both to a microwave-safe bowl and cook for 60-90 seconds or until mostly melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Once almost melted, stir the mixture until totally smooth.

Either way you make it, let it cool while you proceed with the recipe.

Step 3

Sift together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl: almond flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt.

Step 4

With a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip the eggs and coconut sugar until it triples in size and becomes thick and mousse-y, about 5 minutes.

Step 5

Then gently fold in the dry ingredients and then the chocolate butter mixture.

As for how to fold ingredients for a cake batter. Hold the bowl with one hand and a silicone/rubber spatula with the other. Gently scrape the spatula down the side of the bowl all the way to the bottom, lift it out the opposite side and fold the mixture back on top of itself.

Continue to do this, constantly rotating the bowl to make sure everything is evenly incorporated. This ensures you don’t deflate all the air you just whipped into the eggs (it will deflate somewhat, but shouldn’t lose all its air). Stop when the batter is evenly blended.

This video shows you how to do it.

Step 6

Then you simply pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and bake for 40 minutes (45 if you want it less fudgy).

You want the top of the cake to be dry but it should still wobble a bit when you gently shake the pan.

Step 7

Let it cool on a rack so the cake sets, at least 20 minutes.

Then you can eat it warm, let it cool completely to room temperature (about 30-45 minutes), or store it in the fridge which will make it extra fudgy.

To make the Kahlua whipped cream, simply whisk the Kahlua and heavy cream together until soft peaks form.

If you need a primer on whipping cream, check out these 7 ways to whip cream to find which one is best for you.

A fork holding up a bite of flourless espresso chocolate cake over the cake and a slice of the cake.

 FAQ

Can I make the Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake ahead of time?

Once the cake is completely cool, you can cover the springform pan with aluminum foil and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Can I freeze Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake?

Yep. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap (not so tightly that it smooshes the cake, but tight enough to lock out air). Place in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then leave out at room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.

Can I make this a flourless dairy-free chocolate cake?

Simply replace the chocolate chips with dairy-free chocolate chips. I use Enjoy Life! Dark Morsels for this cake and they work great.

The butter can be replaced with coconut oil. I don’t find there to be any coconut flavor when I use coconut oil, but if you’re really sensitive to the taste of coconut, use a refined coconut oil.

Honestly, the cake is so good by itself that you don’t need any whipped cream. You can just sift cocoa powder over the top and serve it as is.

You can also serve the cake with whipped coconut cream (instructions included in the recipe). And yes, you can still add Kahlua to the whipped coconut cream if you’d like.

Can I make this cake totally refined sugar-free?

Replace the Kahlua with an equal amount of honey, plus 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, in the whipped cream/whipped coconut cream.

Can I make this flourless chocolate cake Paleo?

Use grass-fed butter or coconut oil for the butter.

Use Enjoy Life! chocolate chips (not fully Paleo but dairy-free with a small amount of cane sugar) or Hu chocolate chips.

Swap in an equal amount of honey for the Kahlua and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Use whipped coconut cream for the whipped cream (instructions included in the recipe).
 

Can I make this a flourless keto chocolate cake?

Replace the coconut sugar/honey with a keto-approved sweetener such as this one.
Replace the chocolate chips with keto chocolate chips, such as by Luv or Lily’s.
You can use the regular whipped cream or the whipped coconut cream. Either way, leave out the Kahlua and add the same amount of the keto sweetener plus 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Can I make this cake alcohol-free?

Yes. Just omit the Kahlua and add two tablespoons sugar, honey or maple syrup and one teaspoon vanilla extract to the heavy cream before whipping it.

Other recipes you might like:

  1. Espresso Martini Pudding
  2. 7 Ways to Whip Cream
  3. Hot Chocolate Skillet Cake
  4. Dairy-Free Chocolate Creme Brulee
  5. Chocolate Ricotta Pudding
Gluten-free chocolate cake with whipped cream on top, on a white plate.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Kahlua Whipped Cream

Don Baiocchi
A rich, fudgy dessert that is pure chocolate decadence. Don't forget the Kahlua whipped cream to really take it over the top. This naturally gluten-free recipe can also be dairy-free, Paleo and keto-friendly.
5 from 12 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Cooling time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8 slices
Calories 451 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the cake:

  • ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. (6 oz.) chocolate chips, semi-sweet or bittersweet
  • 10 tablespoons (4.6 oz) butter, plus more for the pan
  • 1 cup blanched superfine almond flour
  • 4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder plus more for dusting the cake, if desired
  • 4 teaspoons espresso powder
  • ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 6 eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup coconut sugar or honey

For the Kahlua whipped cream

  • 2 cups heavy cream chilled
  • ¼ cup Kahlua

Instructions
 

For the cake:

  • Heat the oven to 350°. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9" springform pan with butter.
  • Melt the chocolate chips and butter together. Add them both to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 60-90 seconds, until melted. Let cool. (Doesn't have to be totally cool.) Alternately, you can heat 1 inch of water in a small saucepan over medium heat, until simmering. Add the chocolate and butter to a heat-proof bowl and place on the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl isn't touching the water. Stir occasionally until melted. Remove from heat and let cool. (Doesn't have to be totally cool.)
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt.
  • Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the eggs and coconut sugar or honey until thick and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes.
  • Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture: use a spatula to scrape down the side of the bowl, lift the batter up the opposite side of the bowl and then fold it over on top of over itself, rotating the bowl as you go.
  • Gently fold the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the batter as above. Stop as soon as everything is blended so as to not deflate the eggs (the eggs might deflate a little bit, which is fine, but they shouldn't lose all their air).
  • Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and bake for 40 minutes, until the top is dry but there's still a bit of wobble underneath. (Aim for 45 minutes if you don't want it quite so fudgy in the middle). Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before dusting with cocoa powder, if using. Serve warm, room temperature or cold.

For the Kahlua whipped cream:

  • Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, a hand mixer or a whisk, whisk the cream and Kahlua together until soft peaks form. (Time varies depending on method. Factor 3-5 minutes for either machine or 5-10 minutes for whisking by hand.)

Notes

Nutrition note: The nutrition info does not include the Kahlua whipped cream as you will not need all of it when serving the cake.
To make Kahlua whipped coconut cream: Chill 1-2 cans of full-fat coconut milk overnight. Turn upside down, open and pour out the coconut water (save for another use). Scoop out the coconut cream and whisk (with a stand mixer or hand mixer or by hand) with 2-4 tbsp. Kahlua, depending on how much cream you get.
To make this cake totally dairy-free: use coconut oil instead of butter, dairy-free chocolate chips (like Enjoy Life!) for the chocolate chips, and coconut cream for the heavy cream (see above).
To make this cake Paleo: use grass-fed butter or coconut oil for the butter; use dairy-free chocolate chips (like Enjoy Life! or Hu) instead of chocolate chips; do not use powdered sugar for dusting; use coconut cream for the heavy cream; omit the Kahlua and use the same amount of honey instead, plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. (see above for whipped coconut cream method).
To make this cake keto: use keto-approved chocolate chips; use keto-approved sweetener for the coconut sugar/honey; do not use powdered sugar for dusting; omit the Kahlua and use the same amount of keto-approved sweetener for the whipped cream or whipped coconut cream, plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
To make this cake alcohol-free: Omit the Kahlua and add two tablespoons sugar, honey or maple syrup and one teaspoon vanilla extract to the heavy cream before whipping it.
To make the cake ahead of time: It can be made up to 3 days in advance. Once it has cooled to room temperature (30-45 minutes), wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge.
To freeze the cake: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then room temperature for at least 1-2 hours before serving.
Leftovers can be chilled for up to 3 days.
To freeze leftovers: wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then room temperature for at least 1-2 hours before serving.
This recipe is adapted from the Flourless Chocolate Lime Cake in “Nigella Kitchen” by Nigella Lawson.

Nutrition

Calories: 451kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 9gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 164mgSodium: 353mgPotassium: 288mgFiber: 3gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 651IUCalcium: 71mgIron: 2mg
Keyword cake, chocolate, coconut cream, dairy free, gluten free, grain free, keto, paleo, paleo dessert, refined sugar free, whipped cream
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Comments

  1. Annie Cooper says

    I don’t drink coffee but loooove chocolate. Do I just replace the espresso powder with cocoa or would that be too much cocoa? If it is ever possible to have too much cocoa!!
    Thanks Annie

    Reply

  3. Princess says

    Thank you for all the options and step by steps, I’m not much of a baker. This cake looks too good for me not to try and its grain-free. Can this cake be baked in a regular pan instead of a springform pan?.

    Reply

    • Paleo Gluten Free Guy says

      I haven’t tried it in a regular pan. It would bake fine but you’d probably have to cut it right in the pan. I don’t think it would hold together if you tried to get the whole thing out. But you’d still have a delicious cake! Let me know if you try it and how it goes.

      Reply
5 from 12 votes

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