Flourless, butter free and naturally fruity sweetened… this is what this incredibly tasty and extra moist chocolate cake is all about.
I got invited to try this amazing recipe by a friend of mine a week ago on a train trip to Göteborg (West coast of Sweden). For me who strongly believes that true baking has to be done with so-called “true” ingredients like butter, sugar and flour, I would never have given this cake a chance.
More than that: I would never have guessed that it was flourless (it still seems almost impossible according to its perfect texture) and naturally gluten free. Entirely sweetened by fruits – with dates actually – you would not think there is no refined sugar in the recipe. The cake is perfectly sweetened and does not taste fruits at all. Then coconut oil is used instead of butter – a much healthier alternative and guaranteed with no cholesterol!
But I am telling you, what surprises me the most in this chocolate cake is its amazing extra moist texture that makes you think that there is no way it is a healthy recipe! It took me a while to understand it could be so moist without any flour!
For fun, I did the test separately with several of my friends this weekend and asked them to guess which ingredients this cake was made of. Each single time, they answered flour in the first place, then sugar and butter. I think it says a lot about this non-looking-but-still-very-healthy chocolate cake!
To finish with, you will be amazed by the simplicity of the recipe. With only 6 main ingredients + baking soda, all you have to do is basically to mix everything in a food processor and then pour the batter into a form. Easy, right?
Whether you care about healthy food a lot (and try to avoid refined sugar or butter as much as possible) or not, I really encourage you to taste this recipe at least once. A serving size is indeed the perfect healthy snack to enjoy in the afternoon and will satisfy your chocolate cravings!
And for other healthy recipes with chocolate, you can also try one of these :
- 5 ingredients snickers bliss balls
- Healthy Double Chocolate Avocado Cookies (sugar and dairy free + a vegan version)
- Healthy Oat-Peanut Butter Cups (Vegan)
- Healthy Vegan Chocolate Chip Blondies (refined sugar free)
- Easy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (vegan, gluten free, no added sugar)
- Sugar-Free Almond Butter Banana Muffins
Lastly, if you make this healthy extra moist chocolate cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
Healthy Extra Moist Chocolate Cake
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Healthy
Description
Flourless, butter free and naturally fruity sweetened… this is what this incredibly tasty and extra moist chocolate cake is all about.
Ingredients
- 7.5 oz (200g) unsweetened baking chocolate or at 70% cocoa
- 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 cup (200g) pitted dates, or about 10 dates
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (60ml) coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a food processor, pulse chocolate, cocoa powder and baking soda until texture of coarse sand.
- Pulse pitted dates, then eggs, coconut oil and vanilla.
- Transfer the batter into a 8×8 inch (20 x 20 cm) baking dish.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8 servings
- Calories: 166 kcal
- Sugar: 3.7g
- Sodium: 103mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 10.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9.3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 17.1g
- Fiber: 4.7g
- Protein: 6.5g
- Cholesterol: 61mg
Keywords: healthy chocolate cake
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Il est si noir ! Et donc si intense… que j’en salive devant mon écran 🙂
Vous avez dû vous régalez ~
Ouiiii on s’est régalés, super moelleux, super chocolaté, naturellement sucré… j’adore ! Et je l’ai même fait deux fois de suite, héhé ! 🙂
Can I freeze it. I need it for a party
Hi Christine. To be honest, I haven’t tried myself but regarding the ingredients in this cake I believe it should be fine to freeze it in advance. Please let me know your feedback if you do so. Thanks!
I froze it, since I had to make it in advance, and it turned out delicious!
I have frozen it and eaten from baked. Absolutely delicious! I missed out the dates because my son isn’t allowed that type of sugar. This recipe is amazing!
Thank you.
★★★★★
So happy you liked it. Thanks for your feedback, Jeanette!
Bonjour,
Je suis française, je voudrais testez votre recette. Pouvez-vous me confirmez la traduction de “1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ tsp baking soda” ? Merci d’avance
Bonjour Anne-Cécile, et bienvenue sur mon blog! 🙂 Pour info, mon blog existe aussi en version francaise, il vous suffit de cliquer sur le bouton “Francais” tout en haut de la page. Pour cette recette, il faut bien 1 cuil. à soupe de cacao en poudre non sucré et 1/2 cuil. à café de bicarbonate de soude. Retrouvez toute la recette en francais ici : http://www.delscookingtwist.com/fr/2016/03/16/healthy-flourless-chocolate-cake/ Très bonne journée à vous, régalez-vous bien!
merci !
Il est plus que tentant ce beau gâteau et moi qui adore les dattes, j’en ai plein à la maison en ce moment ! Encore une délicieuse idée qui va rapidement arriver dans ma cuisine 🙂
Grosses bises
Gabrielle
Ravie qu’il te plaise, Gabrielle! J’ai été complètement séduite par ce gâteau pour ma part, que je trouve à la fois super gourmand tout en étant beaucoup plus sain que la recette traditionnelle. Et en plus il est super facile et rapide à réaliser. Tu m’en diras des nouvelles 🙂
OMG. I cannot believe how moist and chocolaty these look and no butter. Amazing.
Thank you, Peter! 🙂
Wow, this looks amazing! I can’t believe that it’s flourless and has no added sugar! Plus, it looks easy to make. I love using dates as a natural sweetener in my recipes- I’m going to have to try this one 🙂
Il a l’air tellement bon, et en plus que des aliments sains je vais le tester ce weekend !!
Merci 🙂
★★★★★
Ravie quíl te plaise. Un gâteau extrêmement gourmand comme je les aime et pourtant très sain. Tu vas adorer!
Je suis vraiment très heureuse qu’il te plaise. Le carrot cake, c’est un dessert incontournable en cette saison!
Bonjour
Est ce que les dates sont obligatoires ?
Pas très fan de ça….
Pour ma part, je ne les remplacerais pas car elles jouent un rôle dans la texture incroyable de ce gâteau, et n’apportent qu’un goût de sucré au gâteau (et non pas le goût du fruit en lui même)… mais la cuisine étant un lieu d’expérimentation, tu peux parfaitement essayer d’utiliser du sirop d’agave 🙂 Dans ce cas, n’hésite pas à me faire part de ton feedback, cela m’intéresse !
Just made this. It’s amazing!!! I love baking and I’am always on the lookout for healthy recipes. This is one of the best one I have tried. Will go on my ‘to keep’ list. Thank you so much.
Can I sub the eggs for flax eggs..?
Hi Annie! Yes, actually you can 🙂
Je viens de decouvrir Votre blog, cette recette est un Vrai delice. Je n’ai Mis qu’une cuil a soupe d’huile de coco. J’essaierai Le Choco 100% noir VS 70% la prochaine fois et mettrai quelques dates supplementaire.
Merci pour cette bonne recette!
Ravie que la recette te plaise autant qu’à moi! Avec du chocolat 70%, ca marche très bien aussi 🙂
bonjour,
étant fan de fondant au chocolat mais vegan, par quoi pourrais remplacer les 3 oeufs ?
je vous remercie par avance de votre réponse
Bonjour Corinne! Vous pouvez essayer de remplacer les oeufs par 1 1/2 banane écrasée, ou bien alors remplacer les oeufs par des graines de lin, à raison de 3 cuil. à soupe de graines de lin (préalablement mixées dans un blender) et mélangées dans autant d’eau. N’hésitez pas à me tenir informée du résultat obtenu! 🙂
I have made this according to the recipe. I used unsweetened cooking chocolate and regular dates. It has a great dark chocolate flavour. I am wanting to serve it as a birthday cake and not everyone may enjoy the dark chocolate flavour so will try sweetening it with either maple syrup or coconut palm sugar. It will change to consistentency so wondering which you might suggest.
Hi Gwen! I think you could try with 70% dark chocolate instead of the unsweetened one, I tried this version and it worked just fine as well. Otherwise, I would rather go for the maple syrup instead of the coconut palm sugar, I think the consistency will be better in the end (still moist). For the quantity, since I haven’t tried myself yet, I would suggest tasting after each addition to check the sweetness – personally I would try with 1 or max 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Feel free to let me know which option you choose in the end and how it turns out. And happy birthday to the happy cake recipient!
Delphine
Thanks for the prompt reply. I made it again using the unsweetened baking chocolate as I still have some to use up. I added 1/4 cup maple syrup. It is somewhat sweeter than I like so will reduce that to 2 TBSP as you suggested. I also simmered my dates with a small amount of water for 1/2 hour to bring out their sweetness. I also eliminated the 1 TBSP of cocoa as the dark chocolate was enough. The result is a flavourful moist cake that rose and cooked beautufully. My granddaughters will eat with gusto as we celebrate my birthday. This will be a cake recipe that I will continue to use. Thanks for sharing it,
★★★★★
Bonsoir!
Merci pour la partage de cette recette elle a l’air délicieuse, j’ai hâte de la tester. J’ai juste un petit souci, je n’ai pas de robot mixeur, pensez vous qu’il est possible de faire fondre le chocolat dans une casserole ou au bain marie? Merci d’avance! Bonne soirée à tous
Bonjour Mathilde! Dans cette recette le chocolat n’est pas fondu mais à la place mixer très très finement au robot mixeur. Le faire fondre changerait la texture du gâteau. Voici donc quelques suggestions possibles : 1/ mixer le chocolat en plusieurs fois dans un tout petit robot mixeur à herbes (que l’on parfois avec le mixeur à pied pour les soupes) 2/ le râper le plus finement possible avec une râpe à fromage pour en faire de petits copeaux 3/ Éventuellement essayer avec du cacao en poudre 100% cacao (non sucré), mais je ne recommande pas trop cette dernière suggestion qui changera un peu la texture du gâteau. J’espère que mes conseils vous aideront un peu, vous verrez le gâteau est délicieux! 🙂
Are you talking dried date? I really would like to try this.
★★
Hi Marsha! Medjool dates would work best in this recipe, but if you use dried dates, make them soak for at least 2 hours before using them. Hope you will like the recipe, it’s super easy and the take is delicious while still healthy 🙂
J’ai suivi à la lettre cette recette, je suis accro au chocolat et franchement c’est le MEILLEUR gâteau au chocolat healthy que j’ai pu tester.
Un grand merci pour cette super recette !
★★★★★
Vous m’en voyez absolument ravie, merci pour votre retour ! Je suis complètement conquise par ce gâteau moi aussi, une recette que je refais très souvent 🙂
Hello,
Très bon .. mais tout le dessus était brulé .. A enfourner tout en bas du four et à température inférieure la prochaine fois donc,… merci ..
Bonjour Patricia! Contente que la recette vous ait plu! En effet d’un four à l’autre la cuisson peut varier légèrement, c’est pour ca qu’il est toujours bon de surveiller la cuisson de près.
This looks great! But, as with many healthy recipes these days, it calls for coconut oil. I am allergic to coconut. Can you suggest any substitutes for coconut oil that I could use in this and other recipe so that call for it?
★★★★
Hi Genette! Sure, you can try to replace coconut oil with another vegetable oil (canola oil, sunflower… maybe even avocado oil). If you try one of them, let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Thanks so much! I tried it with almost 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce and topped it of with a little olive oil. I wanted to see how subbing the applesauce would work, and it came out wonderful! Thanks for a great recipe!
Oh thank you so much for your feedback, Genette! I love when readers add their own twist and it seems you did an amazing job here. I rally need to try your version 🙂
Bonjour j’ai réalisé cette recette aujourd’hui essayant de trouver des alternatives au sucre ..
Le gâteau est très bon mais il n’a pas levé comme le votre.
Il fait à peine 1cm de haut..pourtant j’ai suivi à la lettre les ingredient.
Pour la prochaine fois que me conseillez vous de faire ? Merci
Bonjour Jessica. Normalement la réaction chimique qui permet au gâteau de lever se fait grâce au bicarbonate de soude. Une explication raisonnable peut être que le bicarbonate était périmé ou proche de l’être, ce qui peut annuler l’effet chimique qu’il provoque, ou bien tout simmplement avez-vous peut être utilisé un moule un peu grand ? Ce sont je pense les deux seules explications possibles ici, le sucre ne changerait rien. J’espère en tous les cas que le gâteau était bon 🙂
Wow, these look amazing! Has anyone tried pulsing the dates in a high-power blender? I don’t currently own a food processor.
Hi Lori! I would in this case recommend you use only fresh dates and let them soak a couple of hours in lukewarm water before using them to make sure they are very soft. Let me know how it turned out, I’d be happy to hear your feedback 🙂
Super delicious cake, tastes just like a brownie, dark and rich…but it killed my food processor! Literally my brand new Kitchenaid processor just quit trying to dice up the chocolate and dates. I suggest melting the chocolate, then adding it to the processor after fulling emulsifying the dates and eggs. Amazing cake in the end, though!
★★★★
Wow, it shouldn’t kill your food processor! Did you cut the chocolate into small pieces before? Also, I recommend to use fresh dates or if you use dry ones to soak them in water overnight before using them. It will make the food processor job much easier. Hope you managed to change it in the end, as again it should not happen. Happy that you liked the cake, and thanks for your sharing suggestion to melt the chocolate. Have a good day!
Hey there, this recipe look awesome. One question though, since I don’t have access to fresh dates I’m going to be using dried dates. But 10 dried dates aren’t neari 1 and 1/4 cup, or 200 grams. They are more like 50 grams. Should I still only use 10 dates or should I use more?
Thanks!
Hi! I think 10-12 dry dates should do the trick if you use 70% chocolate, maybe a few more if you use unsweetened chocolate (I would say up to 15-16 dates). Just remember to soak them a few hours (ideally overnight) before using them. Hope it helped a bit! 🙂
Do you know the calories per brownie?
Oh, that’s indeed an interesting question. I will do the maths and come back to you soon!
Any update?
Hello,
Any update on this?
Hi Ashley! I just analyzed the nutrition facts for the chocolate cake. You can find all the details below the recipe. Hope it helps. Have a great week!
Thank you so much!
Hello, I did the math with My Fitness Pall and got a result of more than 300 calories per part. The cake is still soooo good, but I’m afraid it is a bit richer than suggested.
Interesting… I got a totally different result! But I believe calories shouldn’t be our main focus when it comes to healthy/balanced diet, whereas the choice of ingredients should be: no dairy, no refined sugar, no flour… this cake has it all already!
Hi all! Just want to corroborate : I did the math and also got about 356 calories per serving, so the calorie count is actually double what it says 🙁
I agree with you Delphine that calories shouldn’t be our main focus, but one brownie is as many calories as a meal!
Gâteau testé et adjugé! C’est fou ce qu’il peut sentir bon en plus de ça 🙂
Je découvre votre blog et je le trouve très bien détaillé. Bonne continuation!
I LOVE this recipe. I make it every week and the guests I host also LOVE it! They can never guess the ingredients correctly.
Question: What did you dust the cake with in the picture?
★★★★★
Ah! I’m so happy to hear you love the cake, Yosefa 🙂 I know it always makes the best impression with the dust on top, here I simply dusted some unsweetened cacao powder. Try it next time!
Not sure if you have tried this or not…could you freeze these to make them into a layer for an ice-cream cake?
Hi Heidi! This is a good question indeed, but I think it is worth a try! Let me know how it turns out for you.
Hi,
Planning to make this cake tonight. I will be using a glass baking dish. Do I need to oil it before baking?
Thanks !
Hi Jody! Yes, it’s better to oil the dish a little before, with about one teaspoon of coconut oil. Hope you’ll enjoy the cake! 🙂
Thanks! I wanted to do a trial run of this cake for my daughters 1st birthday next week. I just made it and added a thin layer of vanilla icing. Perfection! Thanks for sharing!
Hi! This looks lovely. If I wanted to leave out the chocolate to have a moist date cake is that possible? Or would I need to add some sweetener to make up for it.
Many thanks!
Hello! This is a good idea but a totally different recipe and I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t advice you on this one. Let me know if you find something interesting and try it, I’m always curious! 🙂
Hello Delphine. I was wondering if you think this cake would hold well being layered? My mom is on a new diet plan for her health and is so sad that she won’t be able to make our traditional Mint Chocolate Christmas Tree Cake. So I’ve set out to surprise her with a healthy version she can have.
So layers… yes, no, maybe? What are your thoughts?
Thanks for taking the time to answer every comment.
Hi Amanda! I think the best is to make 2 cakes with the mint in the middle. I wouldn’t risk to slice the cake, it would not be easy to spread the filling I’m afraid. Let me know how it turns out. It looks like a fantastic idea!
I tried these today and they are so awful. They are so bitter and dry. I did everything the recipie said. You definatly made these look moister than they are for the picture because these things could soak up a pool and still not be moist.
★
Hello! I’m really sorry you feel that way. This recipe has been tried again and again by many readers and it should not be dry at all. And I never cheat on the photos ; if the recipe don’t taste good or if the texture is not as great as I expect I simply don’t post it on the blog. I’m pretty confident with this one. It can be bitter if you use unsweetened chocolate and are used to it. In this case, I recommend dark chocolate with 70% cocoa instead. Regarding the dry texture you experienced, it might come from the oven temperature or for how long you baked it. Each oven is different so it’s always better to check by inserting a clean toothpick into the cake a few minutes before the baking time ends, it might be already cooked through.
Hi Delphine, I made this recipe today and it turned out absolutely gorgeous! I made little changes, but respected the recipe in its integrity. I used dried dates, so there were a lot of dates in 1 cup and a half. I reduced the chocolate, as I only has two bars of chocolate 85%, but added a full teaspoon of Dutch cocoa, and added half a teaspoon of creme of tartar. I was concerned the dates wouldn’t break, but I persisted and got a small pebble texture, rather than a coarse sand texture. I mixed the eggs sooner, to help with the process. The big change is that I used a small bread loaf pan, as I didn’t get a lot of dough. And it turned out perfect! It needed almost 45′ to cook, but I got about 12-14 thin slices that are more than I expected.
Next time ( yes, I will make it again!) I will prepare enough for two loaves, and will susbstitute half the dates for coconut flour or almond meal to reduce sweetness ( I am trying to eat less sugar, including sucrose).
Thank you for sharing!
Josefine
★★★★
Wow, what a pleasure to read you, Josephine. I absolutely love baking experiments as I strongly believe recipes are made to evolve and I’m very curious about the change you brought to the recipe to make it your own. I will definitely give it a try myself. I like that you used a bread loaf pan too, great idea! Thanks again for sharing all this with us, I really appreciate. Have a beautiful day! 🙂
How big is this cake?
Good question indeed! Not really big. I usually bake it in an 8″square (about 20 cm) baking pan. This way you can get a thick enough cake. Happy baking!
These are lovely and so easy to make. Hard to believe there’s no sugar! Def be making them again. Maybe try with some pecans or walnuts
★★★★★
Thank you Elinor, I’m glad you liked it! Oh, with pecans inside sounds lovely too. Love the idea!
Bonjour
J’ai essayé ce gâteaux et j’ai été bleufe par sa texture sans farine sans beurre un vrais délice et surtout très sain merci beaucoup et bonne continuation
Merci beaucoup pour ce retour! En effet c’est une recette vraiment bleuffante tant niveau texture que goût. Je ne m’en lasse pas 🙂
Ça a l’air succulent !
Je voudrais essayer cette recette, mais je n’ai pas d’huile de coco. Par quoi est-il possible de la remplacer ?
Merci d’avance de vos conseils
★★★★★
Merci beaucoup Danièle, je suis ravie que cette recette vous plaise ! Vous pouvez parfaitement remplacer l’huile de coco par une autre huile végétale de votre choix, cela n’affectera pas la texture. En espérant vous avoir aidé ! Bien à vous.
Merci.
Mais si je mets de l’huile d’olive, est-ce que le goût de l’huile d’olive risque d’être trop prononcé ?
J’ai testé ce gâteau ce week-end : un délice ! Hyper simple à faire, et bluffant au goût. Et moi qui n’aime pas les dates, je ne les ai pas du tout senti à la dégustation. Merci beaucoup pour cette recette !
★★★★★
Très heureuse d’apprendre cela. Merci beaucoup pour ton retour, Maya!
This turned out so delicious! I think I accidentally put in an extra TB of cocoa (talking on the phone), but it still isn’t too chocolaty. On me KEEP list, definitely.
I’m really happy to hear that, Tanee! And I’m with you when it comes to the additional tablespoon of cocoa. A little extra yum doesn’t hurt 🙂
Can this be made vegan by substituting with flax seed?
Absolutely! Let me know how it turns out but it should be just fine.
Hi! Your recipe sounds and looks amazing!
I have some leftover canned coconut milk in the fridge and would like to replace the eggs with it. Do you think it might work? I have tried replacing eggs with mashed banana before and it has worked just fine in baking, but in this particular cake, I would like it to be all chocolate and no banana taste if possible…
Hi Ana! I think I wouldn’t risk replacing the egg with coconut milk in this recipe. Instead, I suggest apple sauce or a flaxseed egg. FYI, 1 flaxseed egg = mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds and 3 tablespoons of water, then let sit for 5 minutes before using. Here you would need to triple the quantities to replace 3 eggs in total. I hope my answer helps!
I’ve made this twice recently, using 70% chocolate and its just delicious. The second time the dates didnt blend quite as well so I might soak them in a small amount of water the next time. But I am thrilled to have come across this recipe. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Oh, thank you for your feedback! Making it with 70% cocoa is my favorite version too. And yes, it’s a good idea to soak the dates when they are a little bit too dry. Thanks again for stopping by!
Hi Delphine, I’ve since made this using prunes instead of dates and it turns out beautifully. Just another option to bring down the carb and calorie content.
Oh thank you for sharing this with us, I truly appreciate! 🙂
bonjour,
essayée ce week end, cette recette est à tomber ! merci beaucoup
car il y a longtemps que je cherchais ce genre de dessert à la fois “léger” et fort en chocolat
Très heureuse d’apprendre que ce gâteau vous plaise. C’est une recette en effet simplissime et bluffante tant niveau goût que texture 🙂
Testé à l’instant et je dois avouer que ce gâteau est très simple à réaliser et délicieux !
Merci pour cette super recette et pour ce blog qui foisonne de recettes alléchantes !
Prochaine étape : le “kladdkaka” au chocolat…
★★★★★
Oh, merci beaucoup Nicolas pour ton retour. Très heureuse que cette recette te plaise. C’est en effet tout simple à réaliser et assez bluffant niveau texture. Et dans un tout autre registre, le kladdkaka est à tomber… bien faire attention à la cuisson en fonction du four utilisé pour être sûr qu’il ne soit pas trop cuit et bien coulant à l’intérieur. Bien à toi depuis Chicago! Del.
Bonjour par quoi je peux remplacer les dates? merci
★★★★★
I just made this and it is fantastic! I used 100% baking cocoa and dried date pieces (all I could find at this particular market) and it is perfectly sweet and full of dark chocolate flavor. Next time I plan to make it with Medjool dates. I still can’t believe this cake has no flour, no butter, and such a little amount of sugar. This means I get to eat as much as I want:)
Thank you so much for this lovely recipe. It will be archived and made frequently.
★★★★★
Oh, thank you Wendy for your nice words. I really love this recipe too, texture and taste are incredible and we would never think it’s actually healthier than a classic recipe. It’s the beauty about it!
Bonjour. Quel gâteau appétissant *_*
Je n’ai pas de dates… Est-il possible de faire sans ou bien jouent-elles un rôle capital dans la réussite du gâteau ?
Merci 🙂
Elles jouent un rôle important tant niveau goût que texture, et je conseille pas d’essayer de s’en passer pour cette recette.. J’aurais bien quelques idées mais n’aya pas testé moi même je ne m’aventurerais pas. En espérant avoir répondu à ta question autant que possible. Del.
Je te remercie pour ta réponse rapide 🙂
Je vais essayer d’en trouver alors.
Bonjour
Testé ce midi avec mon mari en suivant exactement la recette : une tuerie!
C’est même dangereux car on n’arrive plus à s’arrêter:)
La consistance est exceptionnelle, on a le goût du chocolat et de la noix de coco mais celui des dattes disparaît complétement. Va certainement devenir une référence à la maison.
Encore merci pour ces super recettes.
★★★★★
Ah oui je vois exactement de quoi vous parlez Pascale. Ce gâteau est très gourmand en effet 🙂 Merci pour votre retour, j’apprécie beaucoup.
Mon mixer ne me permet pas de hacher le chocolat. Est-il possible de le faire fondre au bain-marie ?
Bonjour Danièle. Malheureusement non, car ici la méthode utilisée donne aussi la texture au gâteau. Essayez peut être de couper le chocolat en petits morceaux et ensuite de le mixer si possible. Sinon vous pouvez aussi le râper, mais cela risque de prendre un peu de temps. J’espère que vous parviendrez à trouver une solution qui vous convient car ce gâteau est un pur délice!
Super recette ! Je l’ai faite hier avec une tablette de chocolat standard, je n’ai pas regretté car je pense qu’avec un chocolat sans sucre ça aurait été trop fort pour nous. J’ai du faire fondre le chocolat au bain marie parce que mon mixeur n’était pas assez puissant (c’est dur d’être étudiant haha). J’ai ajouté à mis cuisson une couche de pâte à cookie vegan et saine faite maison et franchement c’était top. La prochaine fois je ferais sans cookie et avec des morceaux de fruits pour couper le chocolat (morceaux de poires, etc.). Merci beaucoup pour la recette je la referai sans souci !
★★★★★
Delicious, moist and light. I do not like over rich chocolate cakes, but this one is superb and the fact that it is butter, sugar and flour free is an added bonus, ideal for any gluten intolerant friends or those on a diet. But in my house it is just popular because it tastes so good! (PS I do not have a food processor so I just blended all my ingredients in my nutribullet!)
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Jane, I’m really happy you liked it! This chocolate cake is my go-to recipe whenever I crave for a little chocolate but still want to eat healthy-ish 🙂
HOLY CRAP THESE ARE AMAZING! i didn’t have high hopes for healthyish brownies but these are yummier than 2-bite brownies. so moist. Thanks!
So happy to hear that. Thank you!! 🙂
Bonjour, j’ai envie de réaliser votre recette mais je voudrais savoir avec quoi vous avez saupoudré le gâteau? cacao en poudre, canelle?
Merci!
Bonjour Sonia ! Très bonne idée que de vouloir tester ce gâteau, il est bluffant ! Ici j’ai saupoudré de cacao en poudre en effet 🙂
Je vous remercie. Entretemps, j’ai déjà fait la recette et j’ai saupoudré avec de la canelle. On a aimé
Merci
Très heureuse d’apprendre cela, merci Sonia!!
Chocolate has sugar in it.
Is there something I can replace it with?
You can use 100% unsweetened chocolate, that would work perfectly fine! I usually prefer to use 70% cocoa as I do not mind sugar too much, but the unsweetened one works in this recipe thanks to the dates that naturally sweeten the batter.
Thanks for the recipe! I made for a charity bake sale and it went well! Dates are amazing and the cacao adds that intense chocolate flavour 🙂
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Hi Delphine – I would love to try this recipe this weekend. Quick question, can the cake be baked a day in advance?
Will the cake still be moist ?
Thanks.
Hi Moleena! This is actually a good question. Mine usually disappear the same day within an hour or so, so I couldn’t really tell. I would say that it is best the first day, though. Have a great weekend! Del
I will tell you first that I had so much trouble mixing this. My dates were pitted and fairly fresh, but too sticky, they kept forming a massive ball. Maybe I should have soaked them anyway, even if they were not dried?
The chocolate was a little bit of a pain to mix, but only because I tried to use a bullet mixer (I was afraid for my old food processor) and the pieces went flying. I ended up finishing in the food processor, and it turned out like coarse sand, as it should be.
While processing the dates, it helps to take the lid off occasionally and use a fork to separate and move the dates around a bit. I also cut mine into smaller pieces before processing them.
Besides these two set backs (and the general mess as I stuffed my tiny processor full of batter, but that was my fault), the rest of the mixing and baking went smoothly!
After 20 minutes, I pulled the cake out of the oven and checked the center with a knife. It was done! I was able to cut it while it was fresh and hot, and it had a nice solid substance to it. It didn’t fall apart like many cakes do.
The cake had a lovely, moist texture just like you would get from making a Betty Crocker cake out of a box.
And let me tell you something else, it tasted phenomenal! It was the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted in my life. It was well worth all my pains.
Next time, I will try using my blender instead! If you have any tips in regards to my experience, please let me know!
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Hi,
Can I switch the dates to honey. As I’m not anywhere I can get either fresh or dates. Also can I melt my chocolate and mix into the batter. I’ve got loads of 70% dark chocolate but I don’t want to use my blender as I use it for something else.
Thks
Hi Judie. I am not sure about the changes you are asking; it would be a totally different recipe in terms of results. For the honey it might work but you will loose the chewiness brought by the dates (My advice is to use dates and let them soak in hot water to make sure they are soft enough). As for the chocolate, it’s is better to grate it than melt it for this recipe. I hope this helps!
Bonjour,
La texture est assez granuleuse alors ? de jolies photos, une foule d’ idées, merci je me suis abonnée.
J’ ai déjà utilisé l’ huile de coco, mais elle rancit vite.
Merci et bel été. ♫
★★★
Bonjour! Normalement non la texture n’est pas très granuleuse, donc cela signifie qu’il faudrait alors en effet faire tremper les dattes au préalable voir en retirer la peau ensuite pour être sûr de ne conserver que le moelleux. En espérant vous aider un peu, je vous souhaite également un très bel été!
Can this cake be made the night before? And if so, would you refrigerate or leave at room temperature?
Thanks!
Hi Dana! Yes, you can totally make this cake a day ahead and keep it at room temperature, covered.
Bonjour, wouhaaou déjà merci beaucoup pour cette recette qui met l’eau à la bouche, hummmmm! Auriez vous une idée du nombre global de calories dans ce gâteau afin que je puisse avoir une idée de ce que cela fait pour 100gr? Je fais un régime strict et cherche des recettes pour mes collations. Merci beaucoup 🙂
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Hi Delphine. What is the chocolate powder you put on top of the cake in your pics? Thanks!
Hi Sophia! I use the Droste unsweetened cocoa powder. I hope it helps! 🙂
This chocolate cake is amazing! Made it last night for a meeting and it was a huge hit with everyone. So moist and pleasantly sweet. Thank you from Kuching, Malaysia ❤️
Oh thank you so much for your feedback, and happy to hear everyone liked it! 🙂
Hi again! I noticed someone asking about freezing the cake. I tried keeping a small slice in the freezer for about a week, took it out, let it thaw for a minute, cut it and it was still so good. It stayed moist and yummy. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this with us, Yu! Highly appreciated!
Hi I’d love to make this, but can’t put the dates in! I’m guessing it would completely change the texture without them, so is there something else I could replace it with instead that would make it completely sugar free? Or would it be okay without them? It needs to be diabetic friendly 🙂
Hi! I like the idea to make this cake diabetic friendly. Because the dates bring both the sweetness and the chewy texture to the cake, I wouldn’t skip them completely in this recipe. However you can try to use less dates and maybe compensate with a little bit of unsweetened apple sauce. I hope it helps a little bit. Del
Hi, i tried the recipe. And it is lovely! Even without the sugar it’s still considerable perfect and sweet. Thanks for posting the recipe!!
Bonjour,
Etant intolérante au lactose, je vais essayer cette recette ! On est d’accord qu’il faut des dattes séchées ?
Merci
Oui en effet Amandine, il s’agit bien de dattes séchées.
L’une comme l’autre fonctionnera dans cette recette.
Hi,
I am looking for healthier snack alternatives for my son so I would like to try this. I got some date extract /syrup so I would like to use this instead of fresh dates but can you tell me how I would adjust the liquids in the recipe and how much syrup I would need to use please?
Can I use avocado in place of oil for this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Kathy! I haven’t tried it myself so I wouldn’t recommend it. It will probably change the texture of the cake. But if you are up for experimenting, feel free to give it a try and let me know how it turned out. Recipes are always meant to improve with time!
This cake is delicious! After reading the reviews, I had to give it a try. It’s way better than I imagined it would be. I bought the medjool dates, they are a bit expensive, but it’s worth it. They are plump, soft, and sweet. The pits were in them, but were very easy to remove. I used bittersweet chocolate, the bars were on the thin side, so they were easy to break up. I did it one bar at a time, 4 oz, then 3.5oz, because my processor is small. Put that in a bowl and set it aside. The dates I broke up too before adding to the processor, they stick together and form a ball, I used a fork to break them up a few times. Once the eggs are added, it then looks like cake batter. Great recipe, will definitely make this again, and again.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Linda. I’m glad you loved the recipe too! And I’m with you, the medjool dates are just so ridiculously delicious, and in this cake too 🙂
Is the nutrition info per serving or the whole cake?
★★★★★
Hi Cherry! The nutrition is per serving here. But then it is just an indication as it depends how you slice your cake anyway 😉
Hello, I made it last night and it became so heavenly. Because I used a smaller tin, the height of the cake was more than in the video. I baked longer than suggested as it was still wobbling in the middle at 25 minutes and I used foil to cover the surface to prevent burning while baking. It came out very rich and moist, everybody tried it liked it. Thank you, I will do it again! Noriko
I’m so happy to hearing that! And yes, using a smaller tin is the key to have the cake light and fluffy. Well done!
Hi, love the recipe! It’s hard for me to find dates where I live, do you think I can sub them for bananas?
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Je l’ai adoré !! Merci beaucoup pour cette recette healthy mais très gourmande 😀
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What a fantastic recipe! My umpteenth making is currently in the oven, with the addition of chopped pecans (approx half a 150g bag, maybe 2/3, but who’s counting where pecans are concerned!)
Now, if you fancy throwing caution (and any diet) to the wind try a flavoured chocolate – mint crisp is
simply mmmmm. Even filled/fruit cream chocolate bars, just pop them in the fridge for a while first, it makes it easier to chop up before popping in the processor. My sister discovered her favourite sinful version by accident, having only a couple of bars of Baileys Irish Cream chocolate to hand at Christmas when she had a hankering to make this cake – not exactly healthy but so scrummy! Thank you for this wonderful recipe, everyone who’s tried it loves it.
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Hi! I am looking at making this for my son’s second b’day – Making two tiers and making a filling for the middle and top… Do you have any suggestions on how to make a healthy buttercream like filling with a flavor that will complement the rest of the cake? Perhaps with avocadoes or other healthy options…
Thank you!
Idoia
these flourless, butterless, no added sugar chocolate cakes are DELICIOUS!
Hi Delphine,
My dear partner surprised me with this delicious cake for my birthday. He served it with raspberries and whipped cream and cups of piping hot tea! It was truly, utterly gorgeous. Rich, moist and not too sweet nor ‘datey’. You have created a perfect cake recipe for those who enjoy grain free, dark chocolate treats. Thank you so much! I am thinking of using the recipe to make a muesli bar for a work snack….including nuts, seeds, cacao nibs and maybe some more almond/coconut flour and psyllium to dry it out for the purpose.
Thank you for your efforts and your kind generosity:)
Joy
NZ
Hi Joy, and thank you so much for your enthusiastic feedback. I’m so glad that you liked the recipe and it seems that your partner also made it extra special! Well done! Del.
Wow…this chocolate cake is soooooo yummy 🙂 easy to make rich, moist and super chocolatey. It will be a regular bake in our house from now on! Can you recommend any other cake recipes that dont contain sugar,butter or dairy?
Cheers
Linz
★★★★★
So happy you liked it Linz! Yes, I have a bunch of other naturally sweetened recipes to try here: https://www.delscookingtwist.com/sugar-free-and-naturally-sweetened-desserts/ Hope you’ll find some you love 🙂
Thanks del 🙂 x
It was delicious, I made it for one of my colleague’s birthday. It was one of the best healthy cake I had ever eaten. To complete, I added an avocado ganache that I found on one of the websites and it was very good.
I wish I could attache some pictures here
Thank you, I am planning to make this cake for more occasions now 🙂
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Thanks, Stela! So happy you found your way with this decadent chocolate-avocado ganache on top!
Delicious! Re. the nutrition information (ex. 166 calories): is the per serving, or for the whole cake?
Okay, so I made this a few days ago and I loved it! I thought it was quite intensely dark, so I will try it with maybe 6 oz of chocolate next time and see what happens. I served it with a date-sweetened chocolate frosting from The Minimalist Baker, and I think the pairing was perfect together. Today was the real taste test as I served it to my nephews for dessert, and they both loved it! I was honestly kind of surprised by how much they loved it, because they are usually firmly in camp milk chocolate! My younger nephew (age 5) solemnly said, and I quote, “This is the best thing I ever ate in my ENTIRE life!” I did not tell them there was anything different about this than regular brownies (I called them brownies to justify the smaller serving size, I cut it into 16 pieces, which were perfect for me!), so they didn’t have any reason to turn their noses up to it. For the record, I used butter in place of coconut oil, as I do not care for coconut with chocolate. I also used 6.75 oz of unsweetened chocolate instead of 7.5). Oh, and always add at least a little bit of salt to your desserts!
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Oh this was so much fun to read, thank you so much for leaving such a detailed review! I’m super happy you liked my healthy extra moist chocolate cake and even more when I hear about your nephews’ reaction (nothing makes me happier than kids approving my recipes – kids are often the best judge!). Oh, and I loved that you called them brownies and topped with a chocolate frosting! Thanks again 🙂 Del
Hi Del,
I was looking for recipes with dates as a substitute for sugar and Google threw up your recipe. I must tell you that I was very skeptical to try it since it did not have any kind of flour and neither did it have butter or any milk. Nevertheless, I went ahead and I was surprised at the result. My husband loves chocolate cakes and can be pretty picky about them and so I did not tell him about the ingredients. He ate one piece and then ended up eating half of it at one time 🙂 When I told him about the ingredients he was surprised and refused to believe. Thanks for the lovely recipe.
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Hi! I don’t eat dates (allergy). How do you think can I put fresh mango insted? (in peaces or puree)
Hi Nataly! This chocolate cake recipe uses dates as main ingredients, so if you can’t eat them I would try to go for another recipe. Have you tried my vegan fudgy brownies for instance? https://www.delscookingtwist.com/best-ever-vegan-fudge-brownies/ I hope this helps! Del
Hi! I want to make this recipe right away for a special event tonight but I don’t have the right sized pan. Could you please let me know if a 24X24cm pan would require the recipe to be doubled? Also, since I currently don’t have double the ingredients, should I just use a bread loaf pan (24X13cm) instead? Do you know how much longer I should bake it if I use the bread loaf pan?
Hi! So sorry for the delay, I hope it doesn’t come too late for your event tonight. To keep it quick and simple, you can use a 24×13 cm loaf pan to make this recipe, this is probably the best alternative. A 24×24 might be a little too big and your cake will end up very thin. I hope this helps! Del
Would give it 10 stars if I could! I won a small bake-off in our local area with this recipe. Everyone was so impressed with the depth of those chocolate notes as well as with the fact that it’s eggless, flourless and…even sugarless! What’s not to like about this recipe. It is now my go-to brownies.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Samantha! I’m so happy you liked this recipe to the point of giving a 10 star-rating! 🙂 It’s one of my personal favorite recipe from the blog too. Thanks again! Del
I accidentally used only 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and I still thought they were delicious. Very chocolately. My mother loved them, too, but not my husband. He’s not a fan of substitute baking. I will definitely make again!
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I’m so happy you liked them, Susan! Just a little trick for your husband: don’t tell him it’s a “healthy” chocolate cake next time, I’m pretty sure he won’t notice! 😉 Del
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe!
I have made this cake twice now using dried dates and not soaking them. Is this wrong?
I can’t beleive this is healthy.
Jemima
Hi Jemima! I’m glad you like this recipe. If the texture is fine with dried dates without soaking them, it means they are of good quality and there is nothing to worry about 🙂 I know, I can’t believe it’s healthy either!! Del
hi Delphine,
I was wondering of the cocoa powder is mandatory.
I am planning to make this recipe for my papas b-day.
Hi Ekam! You could skip the cocoa powder but in my opinion it helps to develop the chocolate aromas in the recipe. So it’s up to you but it shouldn’t impact the texture too much. Happy Birthday to your dad! 🙂 Del