Servings: 12 Prep: 15 mins Cook: 45 mins Total: 2 hrs
I personally lost about 150 lbs by following a low-carb diet. My initial losses came from a borderline vegan and raw diet, which did work, but … it was frankly unsustainable. There was simply no way I could maintain that diet as a lifestyle. Needing to lose over 100 lbs., I needed something that would work, but also be enjoyable and sustainable for life. I looked and looked and read and read. It was finally an old yellowed copy of Atkins’ New Diet Revolution that resonated and changed everything for me. Reading that book, at a time I was open to the ideas, is easily one of the top turning points in my life. Years later, Atkins continues to form the basis for most of my decisions for myself, as well as my entire website.
So, when they reached out to me to post a recipe of theirs on my site … I did back flips. I LOVE Atkins! Not only did I approve, I encouraged it!
So … without further adieu … here’s a lovely little flourless chocolate cake from the talented chefs over at Atkins!
Thank you, Atkins! Don’t be a stranger!
Chocolate cake — it’s often looked at as the downfall of dieters everywhere, but it really doesn’t need to be this way. “Chocolate cake has flour and sugar,” you say? “How can this fit in with my low carb diet?” you add. You can use a sugar substitute, of course, though this fact is most likely not very surprising to you. The more surprising part of this recipe is that chocolate cake really does not need flour to be delicious! Flourless chocolate cake is a fantastic dessert, and it doesn’t require even one tablespoon of flour to be delightful. That’s right; you won’t even need to find a flour substitute. This recipe that I have here for you today is the ultimate in chocolate decadence (that’s why decadent is even in the name!), because it has both baking chocolate and cocoa powder. If you’re a chocolate lover, then this is for you.
A piece of this Decadent Chocolate Cake will fit in perfectly with your chosen weight loss program, like the Atkins diet. You won’t even need to feel guilty about this dessert. In fact, you shouldn’t feel guilty about it at all! Enjoy!
Decadent Chocolate Cake
Print RateIngredients
- 4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp water
- 3/4 cup cup-for-cup sugar substitute divided
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs room temperature
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F. Grease an 8-inch spring form pan and line the bottom with parchment paper; grease paper and set aside.
- Melt chocolate, butter and water in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, stirring to combine. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl; cool to room temperature. Add ¼ cup of the sugar substitute, the cocoa powder and vanilla extract to chocolate mixture, stirring until combined.
- In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high, beat eggs until mixture forms thick ribbons when beater is lifted, about 6 minutes. Reduce speed to medium; gradually add remaining ½ cup sugar substitute and beat until combined, 1 minute. Stir one-third of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture to lighten. In two additions, fold in remaining egg mixture until well combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing top. Bake until evenly risen and almost set, 40-45 minutes (it will look like a brownie). Cool completely on a wire rack. To serve, run a knife around edge of pan and remove rim. Cut into 12 pieces and serve with whipped cream (optional).
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* Learn More: More about this recipe and nutrition …
How much cocoa powder? I don’t see it in the list of ingredients…
Laura is right, the cocoa is left out of the recipe ingredient list.
how much cocoa powder ? ps love your site
Hi Everyone! I’m so sorry about this omission and delay. I’ve been under the weather. In any event, the recipe has been repaired. As the wonderful Eric has pointed out … yes, it’s 2 tbsp. Again, I’m sorry about this snafu! :/
I wonder if this could work with stevia only?! That’s the only sweetener that I’m not allergic to for some reason. I love your site btw, my husband is from VeraCruz, so the low carb with mexican flavor goes over great in my house. When I saw this recipe…my first thought was chocoflan….I swear I’m going to perfect that low carb version one of these days!
Hi Hollie, I’m not sure, but have a sneaking suspicion that this one needs the bulk of a cup-for-cup sweetener. Pure Reb-A is too strong and doesn’t quite have the bulk necessary to hold up something like this, without much of a structure of its own. That said, I’m relatively sure that the recipe originated with Splenda in mind, which is a blend of sucralose, dextrose and maltodextrin. If you used a stevia blend made with dextrose and maltodextrin, it’s likely to work. I believe Stevia in the Raw uses this configuration. Finally, with all the sweeteners out there, have you really tried every one? Any idea what the source of your allergy is? I might be able to help steer you towards a different sweetener, or one you can balance with stevia … just a thought. Nice idea on the chocoflan. Consider it "noted"! 🙂
This looks fantastic. I’m am definitely making this today.
Please report back with your report, Shareen! Thanks! 🙂
Hi there … Egg mixture is happily beating away so I’m taking two minutes to let you know that there’s a discrepancy between the butter measure and weight. The measure should be 1 cup of butter (227g) or 1/2 lb., which is what your nutritional info is based on.
Hi unknown … yes and no … the original measurement was correct. The gram weight and nutrition was not. I just adjusted it. It is now correct. I’m very sorry for the issue, but… good catch and thank you for letting me know. For whatever reason, this recipe has been riddled with issues. I’m going to go hide my head in the sand, now … :-/
Sorry, I missed the 1 cup butter instead of 1/2 cup. I liked the overall texture but thought it needed more oil or butter. I thought the taste was a bit too bitter (and I LOVE dark chocolate,) but my husband liked it. Next time I will add a bit more sweetener; I used straight Stevia this time.
Thank you for posting recipes I can try with my diabetic husband, greatly appreciated.
Well, DJ Foodie, the cake was very good with the wrong gram weight and high calories 🙂 Thanks for adjusting it, I’ll try it next time with 1/2 the butter and decide which version I prefer
Hi Grey Mom, stevia translates to me to be very bitter. Plus, typically a cup-for-cup sweetener is considered a liquifier … meaning it melts when it’s baked, which results in more moisture. By using pure stevia, you’re eliminating some of the perceived moisture and adding a bitter quality. I think the difference is big enough to adjust the final taste. Try it with cup-for-cup sweetener in the future … I think it’ll be a bit better! 🙂
I fixed this tonight for my husband’s birthday and it was delicious! Thanks for giving us an easy, low carb dessert option that’s not full of hard to find flours and sweeteners.
Sure thing, Lisa! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Would love love to try this recipe. I only use stevia as a sugar substitute, I’m not a baker and need help for a Cup for Cup sugar substitute. I don’t want to use Splenda/sucralose and would rather use something more natural like a stevia. Any suggestions?
Rosanna, things are never quite as simple as they should be. Many, if not most, of all stevia products are highly refined products that isolate the steviol glycosides and then package them up as concentrated powders, or they blend them with dextrose and or maltodextrin to bulk them out, resulting in a cup-for-cup blend, which is essentially bulked out with glucose (instant blood sugar). My stance is that there?s no difference from a refined natural perspective between glycosides like stevioside and rebaudioside A, and a non-GMA sugar alcohol erythritol or a sweet tasting fiber like oligosaccharides from chicory root. This is why I almost always recommend Swerve sweetener, which is a refined all natural product, with a glycemic index of zero. In my opinion it tastes MUCH better than any stevia product I?ve ever had and it also measures like sugar. I highly recommend reading <a href=?https://www.djfoodie.com/Blog/2014/03/03/The-Sweet-Spot–Everything-I-know-about-Sweeteners?>my blog series about sweeteners</a> to learn more. There are 7 posts and I believe they are important ? borderline mandatory reading for a successful low-carber. Just click ?Newer? at the base of each post to continue. I hope this helps! 🙂
Question – I’ve always wondered, do you think a cake like this would work when subbing in egg whites instead (not whipped or anything), or do you think the yolks contribute too much to the structure of the cake?
—Reply posted by Gypsy on 1/9/2015
Why would you want to leave out the yolks?! That’s the best part of the egg and the healthiest with the most nutrients in it
Going to try and make it this weekend!
Hi Sara, typically the white helps the structure and the yolk adds fat and moisture. This ?should? work without the yolks, but you may want to add about 2 extra tablespoons of white, for each yolk you omit (for a total of about 3/4 cup of extra egg whites). It may not hurt to dribble a bit more butter in there, just to make sure it?s not too dry. I hope this helps!
How was it, Nancybbeth?! Did you save me a slice? 😉
I am just starting to use your site and I am very pleased by the why you put things so easy to understand and I can tell right away that you have been there done that.your story and my appearance and life style are similar. Just found the chocolate cake with no flour. I was using almond flour but the doctor say no more nuts potassium to high so I am looking for other ways to eating with out almond flour or any other grains
Hi Paul. Thanks for the kind words! You can use sunflower seed flour in place of almond flour in all recipes. That’s a very viable alternative. Not easy to find, but it can be found online without issue. Be warned that it turns green when heated, but … it’s completely harmless. It just looks funny. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
—Reply posted by DJ on 1/11/2015
Hi Linda, no. Paul was asking, in another comment, a general question about almond meal and alternatives. It wasn’t related to this recipe. Sorry for the confusion!
—Reply posted by Linda on 1/11/2015
This comment confuses me–is there supposed to be almond flour in the chocolate cake?
How would you change this recipe to make it a pumpkin cake? I was thinking of trying this for Thanksgiving as a lower carb option. Thanks
How would you change this recipe to make it a pumpkin cake? I was thinking of trying this for Thanksgiving as a lower carb option. Thanks
Kit, if I were you, I’d just search online for a "Low Carb Pumpkin Cake". Trying to make this into a pumpkin cake is just asking for trouble. I don’t think it would really work in quite the same way. Better to find a recipe designed specifically for pumpkin. Sorry I can’t be more helpful! :/
Hi DJ – I have everything for this recipe, including Swerve which I bought from Amazon, but I don’t have any parchment paper. Is that absolutely necessary to use when making this delicious looking cake?
Have just made this for a weekend treat and it is absolutely gorgeous so rich and filling- you have done it again DJFoodie love your recipes thank you 🙂
Hi LS and Emma ? I?m so sorry for the delay! I?ve been moving ? making responding to comments slow. Sorry about that! In any event ? LS, no the parchment isn?t necessary. It?ll ?help?, but it?s not necessary. I might recommend something like foil, though ? Nothing will work, as well, but a nice layer will help and you can just peel it off, later. <br /><br />
Emma, I can?t take the credit on this one. It?s an Atkin?s recipe that they lent to me. I thought it was a fun and tasty recipe, so I snatched it up! That said, it sounds like I?ve got a few other winners in there that you?ve stumbled upon. YAY! Thanks for the kind words! 🙂
Really nice. Thank you. It melts in your mouth. Really good with a cup of milk. Thank you.
Awesome. Glad to hear it, Anna D!
Will try as soon as I purchase an 8 in spring form pan. Great write up, btw!!
—Reply posted by DJ on 1/9/2015
Thanks! Let us know how it turns out! 🙂
You can not do a Net Carb count on a recipe unless the recipe has 5 grams of fiber or more. Still this is a good recipe and I am going to PIN it and healthier than any other dessert I have seen.
—Reply posted by DJ on 1/22/2015
Thanks for checking in, Evan. That’s the first I’d heard of that rule. Interesting that it was ever floated at all. It just doesn’t sound right to me, but … confess to still being a bit curious as to its origin. Any idea? Thanks for the kind words, by the way!
—Reply posted by Evan on 1/22/2015
Susan, that is an old(and debunked) diabetes management myth. Fibre doesn’t attain magical properties once it hits 5g, nor does it suffer from a lack of magical properties under 5g. Also, the entire recipe contains over 20g of fibre. You can see that laid out above– DJ Foodie has an excellent method of transparency which allows you to see the macronutrient breakdown for the entire recipe, not just an arbitrary serving size.
—Reply posted by DJ on 1/10/2015
Susan, that’s the first I’ve heard of that rule. Are you saying that fiber causes blood sugar surges, unless there is at least 5 grams of fiber, at which point … it miraculously stops impacting blood sugar? Maybe I misunderstood your comment … Can you please clarify? This is the first I’ve heard of this and you’ve piqued my curiosity. Please elaborate. Thanks! 🙂
I’m a bit late on this one, but it looks amazing and I hope to try it for my father’s birthday dinner. My springform pan is 9″ so I am just wondering how thick your cake slices are? Hard to tell from the picture. Do you think the batter is enough for a bigger pan, and I’ll just come out with flatter pieces? Or should I try to increase all the ingredients? Thanks!
—Reply posted by DJ on 1/13/2015
Believe it or not, Joanna, that one inch actually makes a pretty big difference. That said, I think you could probably stand a thinner cake and simply drop the temperature by about 25 degrees and I think you’ll be JUUUST fine. I hope this helps! 🙂
Question, how would a sugar free substitute have so many carbs? What are you using? I just think it’s extremely high. Looks delicious though.
—Reply posted by DJ on 2/26/2015
Yep, Christina about has it! Look at the far right column. That column has the sugar alcohols subtracted out. I personally almost always use an erythritol based sweetener (usually “Swerve Sweetener”), which has no impact on blood sugar. As a result … those carbs don’t count. I hope this helps! 🙂
—Reply posted by Christina on 2/26/2015
I believe the recipe is using a sweetener such as erythritol or xylitol, which have carbs in the form of sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols don’t get counted in the net carb count.
Ok can you help me a little? I have been on low carb for awhile and thought something sweet for my niece and I would be good. How though does unsweetened chocolate have that much fiber 20 grams. Just checking so I understand. Thanks ans as always great recipes.
—Reply posted by DJ on 2/26/2015
Hiya Deb! I use information from the USDA database. If they present it, I use it. They consider unsweetened baking chocolate to be 5 grams of fiber, per ounce. That means … for every 28 grams of chocolate, 5 of them are fiber. I hope that helps! 😀
Chocolate Data: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/5390/2
This cake is awesome! It’s easy to make, holds together well, and has a nice texture. Thanks for the recipe – it’s a keeper!
—Reply posted by DJ on 5/20/2015
Whoo hoo! Sure thing, Julie! 🙂
—Reply posted by DJ on 5/20/2015
Whoo hoo! Sure thing, Julie! 🙂
How is it possible to add water to the butter and chocolate mixture to temper it? I’ve baked a long time and always keep water separate from chocolate so it doesn’t seize up… Let me know!
—Reply posted by DJ on 6/20/2015
Basically, chocolate is an emulsion, so … miniscule drops of liquid suspended within the fat. A certain ratio needs to be maintained, or else it will break. If you take chocolate and add water, it will break, but in this case, we’re adding BUTTER and water, which is within the acceptable ratio. If you think about it, heavy cream is little more than emulsified butter, mixed with water. All you’re really doing is building on the emulsion. If you were to double the amount of water, it would tip the ratio and break. Does this make sense?
Made it.it was good.. but it got moldy.. as I am the only one eating. Anyway to stop it from spoiling.. or can you make 1 serving
—Reply posted by DJ on 7/1/2015
Hi Cheryl, you can always freeze it. It won’t be AS amazing as it is when its fresh, but if you let it gently defrost in the fridge and then let it warm up on the counter a bit before eating … it’ll still be wonderful! Regarding making one serving … typically, when I view a baked recipe, I feel I can break it down based on the number of eggs. In this case, it’s 12 servings, but only 6 eggs. So, I would divide each ingredient by 6 and make a 2 serving portion … pouring each portion into the muffin cup of a muffin pan. The end result will be two very small flourless chocolate muffins. Make sense? I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi there – I hope you’re still checking the comments for this recipe as I plan to make it in a few days. My question is this – does this have a true cake like texture is or it heavier like a pie? I’m asking because if it’s a bit heavier/denser I am thinking to maybe add a crust to dress it up a bit. I have a great coconut crust recipe I’d like to try and thought it may work well with this recipe if the texture of the cake is right. Here it is if anyone is interested – it would still work for other recipes even if not for this one. Also I’m wondering – if I DID use this crust with this recipe would I cook the crust first and then add the batter and cook again or just add the batter to the uncooked crust and cook it all together? Thanks!
Crust
Ingredients:
7 oz unsweetened shredded coconut
2 eggs
5 TBSP. butter or coconut oil
2 TBSP. Stevia (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven at 375
Lightly spray a 9 inch spring form pan.
In a food processor add all ingredient and process scraping sides down occasionally until coconut mixture comes together.
Press mixture into the bottom of the spring form pan and slightly up the sides.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until crust is firm and golden brown.
Allow crust to cool slightly before adding filling.
—Reply posted by DJ on 11/23/2015
Happy to help! I once had a brief chat with the CEO of Swerve and she told me that it doesn’t change the volume. I pressed and she stood firm. I personally only purchase their confectioners and just use that, rather than granulated and have NEVER had a problem. I would put it in a spice or coffee grinder to grind it up and you should be fine! Maybe cut back by about 10% to help minimize the potential for grit, too. The grit happens when there is too much. Eliminating just little bit can make a big difference. I hope this helps 🙂
—Reply posted by Jo on 11/23/2015
Thank you for replying so quickly! I’d like to make this for Thanksgiving, so maybe I’ll forget about the crust cause I don’t want to mess it up. FYI I do use Swerve for most recipes, but I find that it doesn’t always dissolve completely. Have you had this problem? I read that it would dissolve better if it was run thru a food processor and made finer, but I’m worried that would change the volume.
—Reply posted by DJ on 11/22/2015
Hi Jo. All flourless chocolate cakes are pretty dense. So … of the two choices given, I’d say … More like pie. I notice your pie crust recipe uses stevia. I might suggest avoiding stevia and splenda with this recipe, as both of these tend to really bring out the bitter qualities in the chocolate. I would go with an erythritol based sweetener like Swerve. Truvia would also likely work. Regarding the crust … that’s a tough call. I worry a little bit that the rim will overbake, but if you’re careful I think you’ll be ok. I might suggest par baking the crust, just enough for the eggs to seal and then pour in the batter and keep baking. Without that, I fear they’ll mix and become “one”. I’m not positive that this will work, but .. it’s worth the experiment. Good luck! 🙂
Hi. Can you tell me the best way to store this cake? Is room temperature OK or should I put it in the fridge?
—Reply posted by DJ on 11/29/2015
Hi Wendy, I would put it in the fridge. That will always help pretty much anything last longer …
<p>Hi. No idea whether I’ll get a response as this is ages after your last comment, but no harm trying.</p><p>This cake looks delicious, but any idea how to adjust the sweetener quantity if I substitute Truvia in there? And if that does not work, can i use Splenda? Thanks</p>
Trivia will work fine. It is far better than Splenda, Splenda is oh, so, 1980’s!!!
Splenda contains 25 grams of carbs per cup. So, by using Truvia you will not be adding any sugar or carbs to this Torte. Splenda has added sugar to it that is why it is full of carbs.
Trivia will not add any carbs at all.
Use the trivia as 1:1 ratio. When you add it to the batter as directed…. Stir well, be patient, trivia is granulated like cane sugar, but the “cubes” are larger…they will take a little time to dissolve.
Enjoy this Torte. It is Truly delicious!
Gladys,
Toronto, Canada
😷😷😷😷😷
It says 2 Tablespoons of cocoa on the Atkins website, which would add 2g net carbs to the whole recipe, or .25g per serving based on 8 servings.
I mixed the eggs at medium-high for 6 minutes, then 10 minutes and they never thickened to make a ribbon. Although they did become light and fluffy, never got beyond a liquid format. Any suggestions?
Light and fluffy should be ok.
Perhaps you are not sure what the ribbon stage looks like. Check with a you tube demo.
Did you finish all the steps and bake this torte?
How did you get light and fluffy AND liquid at the same time?
Did you beat the whole eggs on medium high for several minutes.
Perhaps the beaters or the bowl was not sparkling clean?
What did you do with the eggs? Cook and scramble them?
Just wondering.
Try again.
This recipe is truly fool proof!
Gladys,
Toronto, Canada
😷😷😷😷😷
Please post this again! So that it reappears in 2021!
The Atkins web site now features a chocolate cake with almond flour!
And this recipe has virtually disappeared from the internet. I have lost many wonderful recipes that have gone to the ways side. Now, I take the time to write them down and keep them in a binder.
I am glad I found this recipe once more!
It is spectacular.
Thanks,
Gladys,
Toronto, Canada
😷😷😷😷😷