Flourless Chocolate Cake with Ganache

Decadent and rich. Add flakey salt and caramel sauce to take it over the top

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel

An easy, decadent, and delicious dessert that feels like it came from a fancy restaurant. I love it as is with ganache and a little Maldon salt—or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Sometimes, for parties, I go all out: warm caramel drizzle (store-bought works!), a sprinkle of Maldon salt, a few raspberries, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and suddenly, it's pure chocolate bliss.

Using really good chocolate and butter makes a big difference. Here are my top recommendations:

Best Chocolate:

Look for bittersweet or dark chocolate between 60-75% cacao for a deep, rich flavor. Some of my favs are:

• Guittard Bittersweet Chocolate (64-70% Cacao)

• Valrhona Guanaja (70% Cacao)

• Callebaut Dark Chocolate (70% Cacao)

• Ghirardelli Bittersweet (60% Cacao) or 72% Dark - a solid, easy-to-find grocery store option.

• Lindt Excellence Bar (70% Cacao) – another soled easy to find option

(Tip: Chocolate chips can contain stabilizers that can affect the texture. Use a chopped chocolate bar or chocolate discs for the best melt and consistency.)

Best Butter:

Use high-quality, European-style butter with 82%+ butterfat for a richer, creamier cake.

1. Kerrygold Unsalted Butter

2. Plugrá European-Style Butter

3. Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter

4. President Butter (French)

5. Straus Family Creamery Unsalted Butter

6. Land O’Lakes or

7. Challenge Unsalted are solid choices for regular grocery store butter —it just won’t have quite the same depth as European butter.

Best Cocoa Powder for Flourless Chocolate Cake

Since cocoa powder plays a big role in the depth of flavor, you want a high-quality, Dutch-processed cocoa powder for the smoothest, richest taste. Dutch-processed cocoa is treated with an alkaline solution, giving it a darker color, mellow acidity, and deep, chocolatey flavor—perfect for a flourless chocolate cake.

Top Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powders:

1. Valrhona Cocoa Powder – Deep, rich, almost fudge-like

2. Guittard Cocoa Rouge – Intense, slightly red-hued, and incredibly smooth

3. Droste Cocoa Powder – A classic, velvety Dutch cocoa with a balanced, deep cocoa flavor.

4. Callebaut Cocoa Powder – Beautifully fine-textured with a deep, European-style richness.

5. Ghirardelli 100% Cocoa Dutch-Processed – Readily available and reliably good.

Can I Use Regular Cocoa Powder?

Technically, yes—but natural cocoa (like Hershey’s regular cocoa) has a higher acidity and sharper taste, which can result in a slightly more bitter cake. If you only have natural cocoa on hand, I'd recommend Hershey’s Special Dark or Pernigotti Cocoa, which are Dutch-processed blends that work well in recipes like this.

❤️ Like it? If you hit the at the top or bottom of this email, you will MAKE MY DAY + make it easier for other people to find this publication ❤️