Passover Flourless Chocolate Cake with Nutella

_{This post has been updated to add new photos and more recipe tips.}

This flourless chocolate cake with Nutella is the perfect Passover dessert. It’s made with Nutella and chocolate for the perfect amount of hazelnut and chocolate flavor. It has a light, smooth, and fluffy chocolatey texture. Great for chocolate lovers and your seder guests. 

Flourless chocolate cakes are delicious anytime of the year, but they are especially perfect for the seder meal of Passover since they don’t contain leavened grains (no wheat flour). 

Some flourless or Passover cake recipes swap all-purpose flour for wheat flour substitutes like almond flour or matzo cake meal, which can be heavy. This cake however is the classic flourless chocolate cake, using no flour alternatives. This gluten free flourless chocolate cake recipe is also great for people with celiac disease who can’t have flour. 

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
• Step by Step Photos
• Top Tips
• Equipment
• Storage and Reheating
• What to serve with flourless chocolate cake
• Other dishes that go with a Passover seder dinner
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Passover Flourless Chocolate Cake with Nutella

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Flourless, so it's perfect for Passover. 
• Has the perfect amount of hazelnut and chocolate flavor. 
• It’s gluten free.
• It's so chocolatey but not heavy, so you'll want to serve it year-round for dinner parties and celebrations.

Dana's note: This is a great cake for a Passover meal, Shabbat, or any dinner party or holiday where you want to wow your guests with chocolate cake. My Italian uncle loves this recipe and requests it for his birthday, Father's Day, and other holidays all year long. His teenaged granddaughter, Emma, is now the designated baker in the family, and this is her signature cake. 

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the recipe card below for a complete ingredient list and measurements.

Jump to Recipe

• Eggs - You will need 6 large eggs, separated into whites and yolks. 
• Semisweet chocolate - I like Baker’s squares, Scharffen Berger semisweet chocolate baking bars, or Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate baking bars for this. For Baker’s chocolate, you will need 3 ½ squares. For Scharffen Berger chocolate you will need 2 scored sections of the chocolate baking bar. The Ghirardelli bars are 4 ounces, so they are the closest in size to the 3-½ ounces needed for this recipe.
• Nutella - Alternatively, you can substitute for any hazelnut spread. Nutella is made with soy lecithin. If that's not something you eat during Passover, you can substitute with another chocolate or chocolate hazelnut spread like Hashahar H'aole Special Cocoa Spread (parve and kosher for Passover). I found it at a local kosher market. Many online kosher markets carry it as well. Another brand that works well in this recipe is Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter.
• Instant espresso powder - This should be available in the coffee section at the grocery store. You can substitute for an equal amount of coffee granules.
• Fine sea salt - For baking I like to use Baleine fine sea salt. Fine salt distributes better throughout a batter than a coarse salt does. The natural salt has a clean taste and is not harsh like table salt can be.
• Butter - I usually buy unsalted butter and then add the amount of salt appropriate for the the recipe. It's easier to control the amount of salt this way.

Step by Step Photos

See the recipe card below for complete directions.

Jump to Recipe

For this recipe you will need 3 mixing bowls

• ONE: Microwaveable bowl for chocolate.
• TWO: Large bowl for egg yolks. 
• THREE: The bowl of a stand mixer for egg whites

STEP ONE: PREP. Separate eggs into whites and yolks. It is easier to separate eggs when cold. Then sit aside, because egg whites gain more volume when beaten at room temperature.

Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper,  or instead grease the pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray and lightly dust with cocoa powder to prevent sticking. 

Place the oven rack on the second level from the bottom and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). If using a convection oven, lower the temperature by about 12 degrees F.

STEP TWO: CHOCOLATE. Place chocolate and butter in the heat proof bowl and heat in the microwave at 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until all the chocolate melts and is smooth. Do not overcook. 

Alternatively, the chocolate mixture can be melted in a double boiler over the stove over low heat, however this will take longer. 

While the chocolate mixture is still warm, stir in the Nutella, espresso powder, vanilla, and salt into the melted chocolate. Mix with a whisk until fully incorporated. The Nutella should completely melt.

STEP THREE: YOLKS. In the yolk bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar together until well combined. Then combine chocolate mixture into the yolk bowl. Whisk until well combined.

STEP FOUR: EGG WHITES. In the egg whites bowl, beat the egg whites in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. The peaks should be between soft and stiff, but not dry.

Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the chocolate and yolk mixture together with a large rubber spatula. Use as few strokes as necessary in order to fully incorporate. If a few stubborn clumps of egg whites remain, then whisk the batter a few quick times to finish the incorporation.

STEP FIVE: BAKE. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake cake for 25-30 minutes. If your springform leaks, place a piece of aluminum foil under the pan in the oven for the first 5 minutes of baking, then remove.

The top of the cake will puff at the end of baking. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Also, when the cake is ready, the cake outer edge starts to pull away from the side of the pan. Jiggle the pan slightly, if the center sways more than the rest of the cake, it is not ready. However the cake should not be completely solid when finished.

As the cake cools, it will crack on the surface and deflate substantially. 

STEP SIX: DECORATE. Once cool, remove the cake from the springform. Dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar for decoration. A simple way to decorate the cake top is to dust with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

If you want to take it up a notch, use a stencil or doily to make a pattern with the powdered sugar. The best way to do it is to hold the stencil/doily down flat against the cake with one hand, and then sprinkle the powdered sugar over the holes with the other hand. If the stencil is too high above the cake, the pattern gets blurry. Sprinkle with a sugar shaker or a small hand-held colander with powdered sugar. Fill the stencil holes with sugar. It works even better with two people- one person holds down the stencil with both hands, and the other person sprinkles the sugar over the stencil.

Once you finish sprinkling the sugar, you need to put your hands on each side of the stencil and then lift straight up so that you don't smear the design. You can practice on a colored plate until you feel ready to do it on the real thing.

Top Tips

• It is easier to separate eggs when cold. 
• Egg whites get better volume when beaten at room temperature.
• If using a convection oven, lower the temperature by about 12 degrees F.

Equipment

• Glass mixing bowl set
• Stand mixer with a whisk attachment, or electric hand mixer with bowl
• 9 inch springform pan
• Parchment paper
• Silicone spatula

Storage and Reheating

How to store: You can keep this cake tightly covered at room temperature for a few days. 

How to freeze: To freeze this cake, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. You can defrost it in the refrigerator overnight before serving. 

What to serve with flourless chocolate cake

You can serve the cake as is, with fresh berries, or a dollop of whipped cream. 

Other dishes that go with a Passover seder dinner

• Apple Harosets
• Brussel Sprouts Salad
• Potato Latke Muffins
• Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Frequently Asked Questions