Fallen Chocolate Cake
This decadent cloud of chocolate cake may be one of the best chocolate desserts I’ve ever had! Everyone, please meet fallen chocolate cake.
No plans. I had no plans to post this decadent, amazing fallen chocolate cake this week. My brother, Nate, is kind of responsible for the whole thing; he has raved about this cake to me for ages but I’ve put it off until now.
When deciding what recipe to make for my Bake with Mel IGTV series this week (details how to watch below), I thought “hey, let’s go with that fallen chocolate cake Nate keeps bugging me about.” It’s totally gourmet. It seems intimidating (spoiler alert: it’s actually not at all). It has a ton of hype surrounding it. It seemed like the right time to figure out if it would live up to its reputation.
Even while shooting the video, I was pretty sure I’d post the video without posting the actual recipe. Until I actually tasted this chocolate cloud of wonder. It is easily one of the best chocolate desserts I’ve ever made or eaten. And it’s way, way simpler than it looks.
You can see all the ins and outs of making this amazing flourless chocolate cake on the video (you’ll also see me shouting at my naughty kids and hiding in my pantry to actually get a bite of the cake that turns out I didn’t want to share).
Two ways to watch the video: 1) you can head over to Instagram and watch on IGTV or 2) I’ve also started posting these quick and totally real-life videos here on the blog for those of you who don’t have Instagram accounts.
But if you’re here just for the recipe, it’s all yours. And if you haven’t quite decided on The Recipe to make for Valentine’s Day (yes, making it for just yourself is totally acceptable), you are really in luck.
Not only is this fallen chocolate cake totally stunning in the looks department, it is really, really easy to make. Don’t let the recipe intimidate you. You melt some chocolate and butter, whisk in some egg yolks and sugar, whip a few egg whites and then fold those in to the batter. I promise. It’s easy.
I’ve made and tested and eaten more flourless chocolate cakes than should be socially acceptable, and this one is heads and tails above the competition. In flavor, in texture, in everything.
Thanks to the special separated treatment of the eggs in this fallen chocolate cake, the texture of the baked cake is soft and ethereally light while still having a substantial oomph of dense chocolate decadence. And the crust. Oh dear, that crust. It’s papery thin all over the top and sides with a delicious crackle that is the best kind of surprise for such an over-the-top rich chocolate cake.
A little sweetened whipped cream offsets the richness of the cake…and fresh berries really should be mandatory. However, my brother Nate, connoisseur of the fallen chocolate cake, says it’s out of this world amazing with a dollop of whipped cream and followed up with some serious drizzling action of caramel and chocolate.
This cake doesn’t have to be made in advance (I have a sneaking suspicion eaten warm it would resemble a ridiculously yummy albeit slightly firmer molten lava cake), but it can be made 1-2 days ahead of time which is awesome if you want a smashing dessert without any fuss the day-of.
Totally next-level, it’s right up there with this double chocolate mousse torte in terms of a total showstopper of a dessert that kills it in the taste department, too.
One Year Ago: Amazing Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken and Potato Curry
Two Years Ago: The Best Vanilla Buttercream Frosting {For Cookies + Cakes}
Three Years Ago: Perfect Chocolate Fondue
Four Years Ago: Classic Strawberry Shortcake {With a Decadent Chocolate Version}
Five Years Ago: No-Bake Berry Yogurt Cheesecakes
Fallen Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the pan:
- 1 tablespoon salted butter, softened
- 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar
For the cake batter:
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
- 2 tablespoon vegetable, canola, avocado or grapeseed oil
- 1 ⅔ cups (283 g) semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (see note)
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided (you’ll use 1/4 cup in the batter, 1/2 cup in the egg whites and 2 tbsp on top of the batter)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
Toppings:
- Sweetened whipped cream
- Fresh berries
- Hot fudge sauce or chocolate ganache drizzle, see note
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Dust with 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar and shake to lightly coat the bottom and sides; tap out any extra sugar.
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter, oil, and chocolate. Microwave for 1-2 minute intervals at 50% power until the mixture is melted and smooth (don’t overheat!). This can also be done in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Separate 4 of the eggs, placing whites and yolks in separate medium size bowls. Make sure not to get any bits of yolk or shells into the egg whites or they won’t whip to stiff peaks.
- To the egg yolks, add the remaining 2 whole eggs, cocoa powder, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until the mixture is well-combined. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the bowl with the melted chocolate/butter mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until foamy, about 30 seconds. With the mixer running, gradually add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and continue mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form (the peaks should hold their shape as the mixer is lifted out of the egg whites).
- Add half of the egg whites to the chocolate batter and fold gently with a rubber spatula until partly combined (a few streaks is fine; don’t whisk or mix too vigorously or the egg whites will deflate). Add the remaining egg whites and fold gently until just incorporated and no white streaks remain.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the top with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (optional).
- Bake the cake until the top is puffed and starting to crack and the cake is pulling away from edge of pan just slightly, 25-30 minutes. Don’t overbake! Let the cake cool completely in the pan. The middle of the cake will fall as it cools. Serve warm, at room temp or chilled. The cake can be made 1-2 days ahead of time and refrigerated.
- Top with sweetened whipped cream, fresh berries and hot fudge sauce or chocolate ganache (see note).
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Bon Appetit (inspired by Richard Sax)
189 Comments on “Fallen Chocolate Cake”
Really good for a regular cake and just incredible for a gluten-free dessert. The middle was super fudge-y, which a few of the other reviews prepared me for. The middle seeming to be almost underdone made me a touch nervous, but the flavor and texture were so good.
AMAZING!!! Just made this for a gluten free dessert (fed the missionaries tonight) and i was amazed at how delicious this was- even said, “WOW!” out loud with my first bite, and every bite thereafter. Everyone LOVED this cake. And super easy to make!!!
Hey Mel
I made this cake about a month ago and it was probably the best cake I’ve ever made. I’m going to make it again and I was wondering if I could double the recipe and split the batter into two pans.
Yes, you can definitely do that!
This really game out so so good! I used just plain old Walmart brand chocolate chips and honestly tasted amazing! Such a good recipe. Homemade whipped cream on top is the best!
I made this yesterday. Wasn’t at all difficult.
1 question – is it supposed to have an almost pudding consistency in the middle?
It’s really good! Just the thing for us women who need chocolate in our stressful lives! I even gave some to my 2 neighbor ladies. 1 has 5 kids, so she needs to de-stress with some chocolate!
Yes, it has a very soft texture in the center.
Made this for Christmas desert. I am not a great baker and this was super easy to make and turned out incredible. Everyone raved! Rich chocolate flavor and almost a mousse like texture. This will be my go to if I ever need to bring a cake somewhere.
Absolutely delicious! Have made several times and it comes out perfect every time.
Made this for Father’s Day – It was a hit! Intensely chocolate, but not too heavy. All the fathers present were pleased (as well as the rest of the family)! Thanks for bringing it back to my attention! I will now go try another recipe that the world forgot.
I love that you include prep times – I use them all the time! Usually they are right on, but this one says 2 hours and 25 min, but it only took me about 35 minutes. I’m wondering if I missed a step or if it’s supposed to chill before cooking? Thanks!
It’s a little confusing, sorry! The two hours in the prep time includes the chilling time.
Wonderful recipe. I made it for company. In Canada, I used one 228 g package of semisweet Baker’s chocolate, which is pretty standard in stores, and this seemed to be the right amount. Also a 9.5″ springform pan. Whippes cream and raspberries
I have made this for multiple gluten-free friends and they have LOVED IT. SUCH a classy and simple recipe to have in the back pocket. Love you Mel!!
Mel, you totally outdid yourself with this one! It is perfection! I’ve made it several times for my family now and we love it! Plus, it’s so pretty!!
So good! We made this for my husband’s birthday last week, my son requested it for his birthday next week and I’m wondering if it would be terrible to have it for my birthday two weeks after that. 🙂 We topped it with fresh Bing cherries, and the cherry and chocolate combination was absolutely superb. Yum!
My whole family loved this! We used bing cherries on the top instead of strawberries, as that’s what we had in the house. They definitely complimented the rich chocolate flavor. My oldest son liked it so much that he requested I make it again for his birthday, so we’ll be making a second one only a few days after finishing the first. 🙂
This has been my go to cake for a year! It has saved my sanity during 2020. Mine never sets up as much as yours, which I am not complaining about. The gooey center with the strawberries and cream, it’s the perfect dessert for any occasion.
Have you tried this in 4 inch spring form pans? I’m making a birthday cake for my sister, but she won’t want leftovers and only 3 people live at her house. Suggestions if I try?
I haven’t tried that but it should work just fine! I’d check the cakes after about 20 minutes of baking and just keep a close eye on them.
Mel, my little girl and I just made this for our early Valentines treat (my oldest daughter will be away at camp on Valentine’s Day so we are celebrating early before she goes. It’s cooling now! All I’ve tasted is the batter so far, but it is SO delicious, and I’m sad I have to wait til tomorrow to try it for real! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
I was wondering if this classifies as gluten-free as there is no flour?
As long as the other ingredients (like chocolate chips) are gluten-free, it should work!
If you love chocolate, then you MUST make this! It is perfectly decadent and just as described. So happy I decided to make this for a holiday party; it was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone!
I only have a 10 in springform pan. How can I tweak the recipe to fit that size? I just don’t want the cake to be too thin. Is there a way?
You could figure out the calculations to increase everything by 1/5th or so, or you could just try to make it in a 10-inch pan and see how it works.
I used a 10 inch springform pan and left the recipe as is. It turned out perfect and not at all too thin
This cake is divine. It is amazing made with Trader Joe’s chocolate chips! I used melted raspberry jam and fresh raspberries and shaved chocolate for decor. I loved it and would make it again in a heartbeat. It is gorgeous!
I thought this would be pretty involved and complicated, but it wasn’t at all! It is very rich, so I think the berries help cut some of that richness, but oh my gosh, this was incredibly delicious. Yum, yum, yum. I would definitely make this again!
Thank you so much for the recipe. I made it so many times. Everyone that had it rave about it. I believe you should always use the best chocolate for this recipe. Delicious!
I made this yesterday for my fam. While it looked amazing and tasted delicious, it was not set in the middle even though I baked it for 30 minutes. The center is kinda like thick pudding. Any idea what I did wrong? I’m wondering if I didn’t whip the egg whites long enough. They were glossy and formed peaks when I lifted the beaters but the tips of the peaks bent down. What do you think?
Hey Melissa – it might just be a slight difference in my exact oven temperature compared to yours and it might be that it needed a few more minutes in the oven (I think the egg whites sound like they were whipped great!)
Thanks Mel! The unset part was still delicious,
but I’ll have to try it again to get it right.
My daughter wants to make this cake but we don’t have the special pan- can it be out into anything else?
Hey, I made this beautiful cake over the weekend, and I’m curious, do you have a secret for removing this or cheesecakes, etc. from the springform pan bottom for a prettier presentation?
Unfortunately I didn’t get to taste the cake b/c I dropped it in the parking lot on the way to work… 🙁
Oh no! I’m so sorry! Sometimes I use a really large, flat metal spatula to slide the cake or cheesecake off the bottom of the springform pan onto a platter but mostly I serve it right from the springform pan.
I have put parchment on the bottom of the spring pan before securing it. It’s worked great!
This was absolutely delicious! It was as easy as you said it would be! The best part is that it looked exactly like your picture! Thanks for making me feel like a wonderful baker!!!
Ok making this tomorrow for a family get together. Any idea on about how many people this would serve?
Probably 8-12.
Does it matter if the butter in the cake batter is salted or unsalted?
I use salted butter
Yum!! Seriously SO good! My 4 kids and I ate almost the whole cake in one sitting ah!! So shouldn’t have but we couldn’t stop! My husband choked down a couple bites and said it was too rich, he really is broken. Funny/annoying story though, the cake was cooled but still in the pan when I left my oldest son in charge while I ran to get a younger sibling real quick. When we got back home it was to a panicked looking son who said “Mom I’m so sorry!” He had eaten the entire raised edge of the cake in the short time I was gone, ugh. Luckily the cake was just for FHE so it didn’t need to look pretty but it was no longer a fallen cake, just flat, yet still amazingly delicious!!
This cake is really good! But the middle came out raw. We baked it for another 40 minutes and then it came out perfect!!
WOW! A great Passover cake! Perfect, Mel!!! Thanks. Very timely. Very much appreciated.
We absolutely loved this at my house. Even those who don’t care for chocolate as much as some of us do. It was perfect, light and airy and full of chocolate flavor. Definitely making this again.
Absolute perfection! Thank you for another winner of a recipe!
Made it. Loved it. So easy!!
Absolutely delicious. We ate it with raspberries and whipped cream and it was divine. And not hard to make, thanks to wonderful instructions and the video. I just love your site!
Thank you, Allison!
This was insane. My 8YO saw me looking at the recipe and wanted to make it for Valentines. It is super-rich and super-sweet, but really, really yummy. The whipped cream and strawberries really help to cut the sweetness of the cake. So good, will definitely be making again….but maybe not until next Valentine’s day, so my willpower can recover.
It tastes great but holy cow it is sweet! We had raspberries on top and it absolutely needed it to counterbalance the sweetness.
Mel, this cake was super delicious! Easy to make.
Shared with friends , and they all enjoyed it!!!
I also made your 5 minute Hot Fudge Sauce. Oh my, totally over the top!!! I can just eat it with a spoon!
Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe with all of us. I am a first time commenter, but have made several of your recipes and they were all so good.
I want to try your Double Chocolate Mousse Torte next.
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment, Sally! I sure appreciate it, and I’m happy that you’ve loved the recipes you’ve tried!
Baked this for 27 minutes and it was completely raw in the center—pure cake batter. But it looked so good that we scooped out the center and ate the rest. Amazing flavor! Just needed another 5 mins (at least).
I had the same problem. Completely raw. What did I do wrong Mel? Any suggestions?
I don’t think you did anything wrong – I think it really depends on each individual oven. My oven may bake a bit hotter than yours so my cake will need less time.
I had the same problem. My oven measures 350 with an oven thermometer. It was pulling away from the edges,m after 30 minutes, looked like it was setting up in the middle, but when I tried to cut it, it just oozed chocolate batter. I’ll try again sometime. Batter tasted good.
I have made this cake four times since Valentines Day . We might be obsessed.
Haha. That makes me happy! 🙂
Made this on Valentines Day! We loved it!!
So good! It came together so quickly and easily. I baked it after lunch and it was ready by 6:00 for an evening get-together. I’m sure it would be amazing with berries, but I had none so I topped it with freshly whipped cream and drizzled it with hot fudge and caramel sauces. Next time I’m out of berries I think I may use some freezer jam instead. The chocolate-berry combo can’t be beat!
I made this last night for the first time. Has anyone baked it for 30 minutes and had it come out done? Mine was not. I wasn’t sure if the tooth pick method applied and I didn’t use one. But it was NOT done. Super liquid in the middle. Probably needed another 15 minutes or so.
This is incredibly delicious!! It was also a lot easier than I thought. It made my gluten free niece so happy on her birthday. I will make it again soon!!
I have been dying to make this since you posted it to Instagram! I love flourless chocolate cake and it is my best friend’s favorite dessert of all time. So being the good friend that I am I made it today and took some to her house to share. I was carrying it across her kitchen when I accidentally opened up the latch to my springform pan. I watched as the fallen chocolate cake fell to the floor and landed face down. We laughed and we were totally sad! Luckily she snagged a few bites before it died a very sad death. It’s name has taken on a new meaning now. Lol! This was seriously so good! I’ll be making it again and hopefully next time I won’t take it’s name literally.
Haha…oh my gosh, Ashley! This is the funniest…and worst story! I’m so sad about your cake!! I’m glad she got a few bites…but darn it!
I really liked this even though, in my attempt to not over bake it, I under baked it. Next time I’ll give it a little longer. Thankfully hot melty chocolate still tastes delish so no one complained! Also, serving with ice cream or fresh whipped cream is a must.
This cake needs a 10-star option. We’ve made it twice in the last couple of weeks. It is so delicious, while still being light and not too rich. We’ve made it with strawberries both times and want to try it with raspberries. Although the steps may look daunting, it’s a pretty simple cake with fantastic results. The 5-minute chocolate sauce was perfect with this. It’s going to be an often requested dessert here!
So happy this has quickly become a favorite!
“Fallen Chocolate Cake” sounds a lot less intimidating than “Chocolate Souffle”, but Holy remarkable resemblance Batman!, your recipe for this cake is strikingly similar to my recipe for Silky Chocolate Souffles. There are, of course some variations between the two lists of ingredients but the method is the same. Ya’ll are smarty-pants gourmet French chefs without even knowing it!
And, yes I did try your recipe. It was AMAZING, just like all the desserts you post on here! I read in the comments that someone served it with whipped cream and cherry pie filling. OH MY. I’m having visions of the best black forest cake of all time! Like, I might go to the store right now and buy some cherries…
So far this week we have made the fallen cake, which was delicious and last night we made the swig cookies. They were so good!