Flourless chocolate cake, also known as chocolate torte, is a rich and decadent cake made without flour. Despite being flourless, this cake still contains carbohydrates from other ingredients like chocolate and sugar. However, it tends to be lower in carbs than traditional chocolate cake recipes that use flour.
What are the ingredients in flourless chocolate cake?
The main ingredients in flourless chocolate cake are:
- Chocolate – Usually a combination of dark chocolate and cocoa powder. Chocolate adds rich chocolate flavor and is the main source of carbs.
- Eggs – Eggs provide structure, moisture, and richness. Eggs contain minimal carbs.
- Butter – Butter adds moisture and flavor. It contains a small amount of carbs.
- Sugar – Sugar helps sweeten the cake. Granulated white sugar or powdered sugar can be used.
- Flavorings – Vanilla, coffee, liqueurs, etc are sometimes added for extra flavor.
As you can see, the core ingredients in flourless chocolate cake are chocolate, eggs, butter, and sugar. There is no flour used.
Does the lack of flour mean it’s low carb?
Despite having no flour, flourless chocolate cake isn’t necessarily a true low carb or keto-friendly dessert. It still contains a fair amount of carbs, mainly from the chocolate. Here’s a breakdown of the carb content in a typical serving of flourless chocolate cake:
| Ingredient | Grams of Carbs |
|---|---|
| 2 oz dark chocolate (60% cacao) | 21 g |
| 2 Tbsp cocoa powder | 12 g |
| 2 Tbsp granulated sugar | 16 g |
| 1 Tbsp butter | 0 g |
| 1 egg | 0 g |
| Total Carbs Per Serving | 49 g |
As you can see from the breakdown, a 2-3 ounce serving of flourless chocolate cake provides around 49 grams of net carbs. This is considered a high-carb dessert.
How does it compare to regular chocolate cake?
For comparison, here is the carb count for a slice of regular chocolate cake made with all-purpose flour:
| Ingredient | Grams of Carbs |
|---|---|
| 1.5 oz all-purpose flour | 23 g |
| 1 oz granulated sugar | 8 g |
| 0.5 oz cocoa powder | 6 g |
| 0.5 oz butter | 0 g |
| 1 egg | 0 g |
| Total Carbs Per Serving | 37 g |
The regular chocolate cake comes in at 37 grams of net carbs per serving, compared to 49 grams in the flourless version. So flourless chocolate cake actually has slightly more carbs per serving than regular flour-based chocolate cake.
How can you reduce the carbs in flourless chocolate cake?
Here are some tips for lowering the carb count in flourless chocolate cake recipes:
- Use a chocolate with a higher cacao percentage. The darker the chocolate, the lower the sugar and carbs.
- Replace sugar with lower-carb sweeteners like erythritol or stevia.
- Use almond flour or coconut flour instead of cocoa powder.
- Add more egg yolks which provide richness and moisture.
- Serve smaller portions.
Even with these adjustments, flourless chocolate cake will still be high in carbs compared to true low carb desserts. But you can definitely reduce the carb impact by tweaking the recipe.
Should you have flourless chocolate cake on a low carb/keto diet?
Flourless chocolate cake isn’t the best option for low carb or ketogenic diets given the high carb content. There are several better options to satisfy a chocolate craving on keto:
- Chocolate mousse – Made with heavy cream, egg yolks, and dark chocolate. Much lower in carbs than flourless cake.
- Chocolate avocado mousse – Made by blending avocado, cocoa powder, and sweetener for a creamy low carb dessert.
- Chocolate chia pudding – Made with chia seeds, nut milk, cocoa powder, and sweetener. Provides fiber and omega-3s.
- Dark chocolate – Eat a square or two of 90% or higher dark chocolate.
These options provide rich chocolate flavor with a fraction of the carbs compared to flourless chocolate cake. If you really want cake, consider making or buying a keto-friendly chocolate cake made with almond and coconut flour.
The bottom line
While flourless chocolate cake doesn’t contain flour, it’s still relatively high in carbohydrates. Each serving provides around 49 grams of net carbs, mainly from the chocolate. It’s slightly higher in carbs than regular chocolate cake per serving. If restricting carbs, there are better chocolate options for keto and low carb diets, like chocolate mousse, avocado mousse, chia pudding, and high percentage dark chocolate.