The best chocolate cake ever…
I know you’ve heard that before. In fact, you heard it right here!
Yet many of you wanted a cake that was not just grain-free, but also dairy-free, nut-free and refined-sugar free, too.
You asked, and I answered!
This cake is all that, and still tastes like the best chocolate cake ever. It continues to get rave reviews from my husband and every other person I share it with.
It has only 6 ingredients and can be whipped up in about 10 minutes.
I hope you love it as much as we do!
Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Cake
Many of you wanted a cake that was not just grain-free, but also dairy-free, nut-free and refined-sugar free, too. You asked, and I answered! This cake is all that, and still tastes like the best chocolate cake ever. It has only 6 ingredients and can be whipped up in about 10 minutes.
12 to 16 servings.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1/2 cup grass-fed butter or coconut oil
- 3 organic or pastured eggs large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup raw honey
Instructions
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In a bowl over simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate together.
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Whisk eggs in large bowl, and then add vanilla extract and cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.
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When the chocolate and butter are melted, stir in the honey.
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Add melted chocolate mixture to egg mixture while whisking constantly. Continue to whisk until well combined and smooth.
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Pour into parchment-lined 8-inch cake pan.
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Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is set.
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Cool for 10 minutes in the pan.
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Lift out of the pan and cool on wire rack.
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Serve at room temperature or chilled.
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Store leftovers in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
- This is a very rich cake and a small sliver is very satisfying!
This recipe was featured in 30 Real Food Romantic Dinners & Desserts For Date Night (Best Valentine’s Day Food).
What is your favorite way to enjoy a slice of chocolate cake?
...without giving up the foods you love or spending all day in the kitchen!
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I have read on other health posts that it is not healthy to eat heated honey? I would love to try this recipe but I am not sure if eating heated honey would cause problems with my health. Is there a way to really find out?
Hi April, I am not sure about issues with heating honey, but If you want to leave it out, the recipe works just as well with maple syrup.
How do you know when “the top is set”? Like when you jiggle a baking cheesecake?
Where the recipe says: “Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture.”
You have two bowls going, both with “chocolate”, I assume this is saying to pour the melted and now “hot” chocolate, honey and fat mixture into the cold egg mixture that contains the cocoa powder and other ingredients?
Thanks! Can’t wait to make it for my wife. 🙂
Hi Tony, Yes and yes! Sometimes the top might start to crack a bit, then you definitely know it is done. It will also lose its shine and look firmer. I will change the directions to read “add melted chocolate mixture to egg mixture” as I think that might clear it up. Enjoy the cake!
Looks delicious! I’m wondering, have you tried this recipe as cupcakes/muffins?
I have not tried it as cupcakes. If you do give it a try, let us know how they turn out!
How are eggs in an allergy friendly dessert?
Hi Michelle, I am sorry that I couldn’t make it egg-free too. It’s grain-free, nut-free, and dairy-free, but the eggs are needed to give the cake structure. If you are looking for egg-free desserts, one of our writers just posted a round-up of 57 different recipes: https://traditionalcookingschool.com/2016/02/08/57-scrumptious-egg-free-desserts/
I made this today and served it with whipped cream barely sweetened with maple syrup and frozen strawberries that were thawed. SO GOOD!!! Everyone loved it and was amazing or good it was. I don’t think I could have eaten it without the toppings because of how dense and intense the chocolate was. Excellent recipe and so simple to make. Thank you!
I am so glad that you loved it! Strawberries and whipped cream sound like a delicious addition. Thanks for sharing your success!
I am SO excited to make this for my family for Valentine’s Day! Thank you for sharing. And thank you for coming up with a grain-free nut-free chocolate cake-my dream 🙂
I don’t mind splurging on chocolate for Valentine’s Day, but can you please clear up for me, is chocolate best to avoid on a regular basis due to high phytates? I am seeing lots of chocolate recipes and traditional cooking websites, and wonder if my avoiding it has been really necessary. This woman loves chocolate!
Thank you
Hi Renee, I asked some of our resident experts, and unfortunately chocolate is high in phytates, especially in its raw form. Roasted is better (which it would be in this case as both the unsweetened chocolate and the cocoa powder are made from roasted beans). But we know there are lots of health benefits to eating chocolate too. I think you are right – it’s wonderful to enjoy as a treat. I hope your family enjoyed the cake! 🙂
Thank you for looking into that for me-it’s nice to have an answer
Common egg replacements are yogourt, (if you can handle dairy, or can use a coconut yogourt,) soft tofu or 1 T. ground flax seed mixed with 3 T. cold water. I don’t know if any of these should be included in an allergy free recipe either, but thought it might give some readers a starting point to experiment with. Also, 1 T. chia seeds mixed with 3 T. water and allowed to gel before adding to the recipe might work.
I plan to try it with the “flax egg” method. Worst thing that can happen? Chocolate pudding?
Let us know how it goes! I would imagine that you will end up with something closer to a pudding – this cake is totally dependent on the nature of eggs to cook and set, which I don’t think will happen with Flax Seed – but it would be amazing if it worked!
Hi Connie,
These are all wonderful egg replacers! Unfortunately, when a recipe is completely egg-based as this one is, it doesn’t always respond well to egg replacers. The general rule of thumb is if there are more than 3 eggs, you will need to alter the recipe beyond just replacing the eggs. In this recipe the eggs are responsible for the leavening, binding, and form of the cake. Eggless versions of this cake incorporating tofu tend to have a lot more ingredients (I have seen chickpeas used along with the tofu, as well as a variety of gluten-free starches and/or flours) to provide the structure the eggs generally provide. Using yogurt or tofu might turn it into a nice chocolate pudding though! Or maybe even something close to a cheesecake consistency? Which would also taste really good. 🙂 Perhaps I need to revisit this cake once more and come up with an egg-free version. Thanks for sharing your suggestions! They are all good choices for most egg-free baking.
On an egg-free note, I wonder if “gelatin eggs” would hold up better and replace the eggs better than other options… I might just give it a try.
I’ve been working on an egg-free version but haven’t tried gelatin eggs. Please let us know if it works!
Can you tell me how to adapt this Best Ever Chocolate Cake for the Instant Pot? I made the AIP version and it was amazing, more like a cheesecake than a cake. I want to try this recipe but in my instant pot. Any suggestions?
Hi Ruby, I haven’t tried this version in my instant pot, but this is the same recipe (only substituting pumpkin puree for eggs) https://traditionalcookingschool.com/2017/01/23/allergy-friendly-chocolate-cake-instant-pot/ so I would imagine it would be about the same. A little research shows that similar, egg and chocolate based cakes have cooking times of 30 – 35 minutes and use quick-release. So perhaps start with 30 minutes and add more time if necessary? if you try it, please let us know how it worked out for you!
I’d love to try this, however, honey and maple syrup are off limits to me! Looking at the alchemy involved I’m looking for some viscosity/binding as well as sweetness, right? Do you think coconut oil and stevia liquid would do the trick?
Many thanks 🙂
Hi, Wendy,
It would most certainly be worth the try! Stevia is VERY sweet so you will have to adjust your recipe to your liking. Wardee has some great information on using Stevia here: https://traditionalcookingschool.com/q-a/how-to-sweeten-desserts-using-only-stevia-aw106/
If you do please share how it turns out. 🙂
~Peggy, TCS Customer Success Team