My favorite dessert is flourless chocolate cake. It’s one of those desserts that I order every single time it’s on the menu. I’ll scan the list, spy the flourless chocolate cake and immediately stop reading. Done deal!

There is something so decadent and rich about the flourless chocolate cake. The lack of flour seems to give the chocolate all the room to stand out. Since there are so few ingredients, you’ll often find these made with the best chocolate, which only makes it that much better. I always thought that this was a terribly advanced cake to make, and that it was one of those ‘only when you dine out’ sort of desserts. Oh boy, I was so wrong.

This is one of the easiest, fanciest and most delicious desserts I’ve made. Five ingredients. Ten minutes of prep. Twenty minutes of baking. Voila! You’ve got yourself a perfect cake to take to a dinner party, or to sit down with while watching the Bachelor. I just loved it. And you will too.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

4 ounces chocolate chips/pieces (preferably really high quality. I used what I had on hand, which was 65% bittersweet Ghirardelli. I would highly suggest using a dark, bittersweet chocolate)

3/4 cup sugar

1 stick room temperature butter

3 eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Step one, Prepare:

Get all of the ingredients out and measured.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and line a cake pan with parchment paper. You’re going to use a double boiler (small sauce pan, with a small amount of water simmering, with a bowl on the top of it that sits just above the water) to melt the chocolate. Put the saucepan on the heat and start simmering.

Step two, Melt:

Add the 4 ounces of chocolate and the stick of butter to the bowl in the double boiler. Whisk together until fully melted. Take the pan off the heat. Add the sugar, and mix until all melted. Add in the eggs, one at a time, whisking vigorously to make sure the eggs don’t cook and to make sure they are fully incorporated.

Step three, Sift:

Sift the cocoa powder into the chocolate mixture. Mix well. Pour into prepared cake pan

Step four, Bake:

Bake for 20 minutes, or until cake is firm in the middle. Remove from oven, let cool fully.

Step five, Consume!

I enjoyed this cake with some powdered sugar and cocoa powder sprinkled on top, but you can let your imagination run wild: fruit coulis, whipped cream, ice cream, caramel or chocolate ganache and sea salt. The list is endless!

This cake can be kept wrapped in the refrigerator for up to a week. Enjoy!