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This silky smooth Flourless Chocolate Torte is rich and chocolatey with a little nuttiness from hazelnuts and just a hint of brightness from lemon zest! A luscious ganache on top makes it truly decadent.
A decadent flourless chocolate cake flavored with melted chocolate, hazelnuts, and lemon zest topped with a Frangelico ganache. . Since this recipe uses an Italian technique called separated egg foam, this chocolate cake is both light and moist. It’s everything I love about the chocolatey richness of my brown butter brownies, without any gluten!
This cake is also known as torta caprese. It’s traditionally made with almond flour, but I love the swap for hazelnuts here. The hazelnuts stand up to the chocolate and give it an entirely new dimension! It’s a duality I also love in my favorite Nutella cookies, Nutella truffles, and naturally my Nutella banana bread.
Why this is the best gluten-free hazelnut chocolate cake recipe:
- Separated egg foams for a delicate texture. Italians love this style of torta, where you independently beat the yolks and the whites. It gives this cake a light and airy texture from just the leavening power of eggs alone!
- Hazelnut & chocolate heaven. Hazelnut flour deepens the decadent chocolate flavor while keeping this cake 100% gluten free!
- Developed for a Manhattan Italian restaurant. I originally created this recipe as the Executive Pastry Chef for one of Chef Marc Forgione’s spots. Now you get all the benefits of the pro recipe from the comfort of your kitchen!
Professional Tips
- Zest your lemon directly into the sugar. Massaging the zest in the sugar helps the sugar to absorb the citrus oils. This will enhance the hint of lemon in the torte.
- Sacrifice a small amount of egg whites. When you make it to the step of folding your whipped egg whites into a thick batter, put just a small amount of whites first. This is called ‘sacrificing’ and helps to maintain the stability of the overall mixture.
- Whisk your ganache from the center out. Emulsifying your ganache by whisking it from the center out will keep a glossy texture while allowing the heated cream to melt the chocolate smoothly and gradually. If you want all the nerdy details, I made a whole post with my professional chocolate ganache recipe!
Ingredients
- Butter: I use unsalted butter for baking, because you want to control the amount of salt you are adding. The fat and dairy in butter will round out the flavor and create a smoothness in your torte.
- Dark Chocolate: The kind of chocolate I like to use for this cake and its accompanying chocolate ganache glaze is a chocolate that has at least 54% cocoa solids but up to 65% to balance the sweetness. Chopping bar chocolate is a better bet than chocolate chips because the bar will melt and incorporate better. As you know from my Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge Recipe, I’m a sucker for a smooth fudge-like consistency!
- Kosher Salt
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg whites: The egg is integral to thickening the torte. Whisking it first with the sugar protects it from the heat.
- Egg yolks: Egg yolks are thickeners like the whole eggs, but they add more fat without the added moisture from the whites. Too many yolks will make it taste “eggy”.
- Cocoa Powder: I use Dutch processed cocoa powder, which means it has been treated with an alkaline solution. It has a rich, deep flavor and a darker color.
- Lemon zest
- Hazelnut flour: I use untoasted hazelnut flour for this recipe because it will toast as it bakes. I buy pre-ground hazelnut flour but you could also grind your own toasted or untoasted hazelnuts.
- Vanilla extract
- Light Corn Syrup: The corn syrup is here to stabilize the ganache. You can substitute the light corn syrup with glucose, or omit it completely.
- Heavy Cream: I would suggest using a full-fat (40%) heavy cream in your ganache because it doesn’t break as easily as lighter whipping creams.
- Frangelico: You can omit the Frangelico or substitute it for an alcohol that you enjoy. Amaretto, whiskey or chambord would be nice.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Almond Flour: Substitute almond flour for a more traditional torta caprese. Almonds have a more mild flavor than the hazelnuts in this cake.
- Jam: Use fresh berries to make a mixed berry jam or easy strawberry jam. Before you add your ganache, spread a thin layer of jam on top of your cooled cake. You’ll want to be sure your jam is set, and also your ganache is slightly cooled (but not so cool it isn’t able to be drizzled) before you layer it on top!
- Espresso powder: This is the secret ingredient in my Glazed Chocolate Donuts. Just a ¼ teaspoon of espresso powder would go a long way to adding a small boost to the chocolate flavor.
How to Make Flourless Chocolate Torte
Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!
Make the cake:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 10” round cake pan with parchment paper, spray with nonstick cooking spray, and coat with cornstarch. Tap out excess cornstarch.
You can use any pan between an 8-inch and a 10-inch. It will just change the thickness and baking time slightly. In the photos I used an 8 inch pan!
Step 2: Zest the lemon into approximately half the sugar.
Step 3: Melt chocolate, butter, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl placed over a simmering pot of water and stir occasionally until melted. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Cool slightly.
This method of melting chocolate over a simmering pot of water is called using a “bain-marie”. It is an important technique to keep your chocolate from clumping, burning or scorching.
Step 4: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Remove from the mixer and set aside.
Be careful not to over-whip your egg whites or your cake may sink after baking. Over whipped egg whites are also more difficult to incorporate into the batter.
Step 5: In a stand mixer, whip the yolks and lemon-infused sugar until considerably lightened. You’ll want them to triple in volume! With the mixer running, add in the chocolate mixture in a steady stream and beat until combined. Add the remaining sugar, hazelnut flour, and extract, and beat until incorporated.
Step 6: Fold in the egg whites and distribute evenly into the prepared pan.
Gently fold your egg whites so as to not diminish their volume too much. Turning your bowl counterclockwise as you fold will also help you incorporate faster without losing volume. You’ll know you can stop folding when no white streaks remain.
Step 7: Bake at 325°F for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Step 8: Cool in the pan before unmolding. Unmold by running a small offset spatula around the sides of the pan and then turning it over on a cutting board or wire rack. Remove the parchment from the bottom and then place on the desired plate or cake stand.
I like to refrigerate it before unmolding, just for extra insurance. Once totally cool, I hit the whole thing really hard and it will fall out!
Make the ganache and assemble:
If you decide not to make the ganache, you can finish your cake with a simple dusting of confectioner’s sugar, fresh raspberries, or a mound of vanilla bean ice-cream.
Step 9: Combine chocolate, corn syrup and salt in a heatproof bowl.
Step 10: In a saucepan, heat cream to a gentle boil and pour over chocolate. Allow to sit for 2 minutes before whisking to emulsify into a glossy ganache. Whisk in Frangelico.
Step 11: Pour the ganache on the center of the cake, spread with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, and refrigerate to set.
Make your decorations extra vibrant with some fresh edible flowers.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
Once the ganache is set, cut the cake using a knife dipped in hot water then wiped clean with a towel for clean slices!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store baked cake well-wrapped in plastic wrap or an air-tight container. This cake will keep 3 days at room temperature, a week in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer. Thaw uncovered in the fridge.
Tortes are denser and richer than standard cakes, and can often have ground nuts in the batter itself. This torte is simply layered with a ganache, but their layers can get very elaborate. Most tortes are flourless cakes, but not all flourless cakes are tortes!
You can prepare and bake the cake up to one week in advance. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months! Though delightful served at any temperature, I recommend bringing the cake to room temperature before serving. That goes double if you stored it in the freezer!
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Flourless Chocolate Torte
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 ounces dark chocolate
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 3 egg yolks
- ¾ cup sugar divided
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 ¼ cups hazelnut flour
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 egg whites
For the Ganache:
- 3 ¾ ounces dark chocolate
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup cream
- ⅓ ounce Frangelico You can use Bourbon or vanilla extract to taste instead.
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 10” round cake pan with parchment paper, spray with nonstick cooking spray, and coat with cornstarch. Tap out excess cornstarch.
- Zest the lemon into approximately half the sugar.
- Melt chocolate, butter, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl placed over a simmering pot of water and stir occasionally until melted. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Cool slightly.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Remove from the mixer and set aside.
- In a stand mixer, whip the yolks and lemon-infused sugar until considerably lightened. You’ll want them to triple in volume! With the mixer running, add in the chocolate mixture in a steady stream and beat until combined. Add the remaining sugar, hazelnut flour, and extract, and beat until incorporated.
- Fold in the egg whites and distribute evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake at 325°F for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan before unmolding. Unmold by running a small offset spatula around the sides of the pan and then turning it over on a cutting board or wire rack. Remove the parchment from the bottom and then place on the desired plate or cake stand.
Make the ganache and assemble:
- Combine chocolate, corn syrup and salt in a heatproof bowl.
- In a saucepan, heat cream to a gentle boil and pour over chocolate. Allow to sit for 2 minutes before whisking to emulsify into a glossy ganache. Whisk in Frangelico.
- Pour the ganache on the center of the cake, spread with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, and refrigerate to set.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed cake recipes!
So sorry! It goes in before the eggs whites. I’ll update now. Thank you for bringing it to my attention
This look so beautiful and tasty. I like it. Thank for sharing this recipe.
Thank you, Deeksha! I appreciate that!
Haha! I’ve never thought about it until now, but you’re totally right about the separated eggs and Italian desserts. The same holds true for Italian meringues as well…sorta. I’m glad you’re on board with the hazelnut train. Hazelnuts are always left by the wayside, but they have so much flavor! And the Frangelico addition? Perfection.