This dense, luscious flourless chocolate and vanilla marble cake has a texture a little like fudge and a little like cheesecake. A small slice goes a long way. To slice this moist marble cake neatly, use a hot knife (run it under hot running water and dry it), and wipe the blade clean between slices.–Editors of Fine Cooking

What is the point of flourless cake?

Okay. Not to sound like we’re begrudging cake-that-isn’t-really-cake, but this is definitely not your run of the mill chocolate cake. It’s more like a fudgy, cheesecakey, dense dessert of chocolate and vanilla. But the whole point is that without flour, this cake is accessible to even more people. Obviously, it’s gluten-free but it’s also a lovely Passover dessert.

A whole flourless chocolate vanilla marble cake on a plate with a knife resting on a blue napkin beside it.

Flourless Chocolate and Vanilla Marble Cake

4.80 / 5 votes
A flourless chocolate and vanilla marble cake that will serve your gluten-free and Passover needs perfectly as well as your dense, fudgy, cheesecake-y cravings.
David Leite
CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
Servings16 servings
Calories287 kcal
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients 

For the vanilla batter

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the chocolate batter

  • 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 10 tablespoons (5 oz) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, plus more for the pan
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum or espresso
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch table salt
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly butter a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment.
  • In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and continue beating until well blended and no lumps remain. Add the egg and vanilla and beat just until blended. 
  • In a medium bowl, melt the chocolate and butter in a large metal bowl over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave. Whisk until smooth and set aside to cool slightly. 
  • Using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs, sugar, rum or espresso, vanilla, and salt on medium-high until the mixture is pale and thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. With the mixer on low, gradually pour in the chocolate mixture and continue beating until well blended.
  • To combine and bake the marble cake, spread about half of the chocolate batter in the bottom of the pan. Alternately add large scoopfuls of each of the remaining batters to the cake pan. Using a knife or the tip of a rubber spatula, gently swirl the 2 batters together so they’re mixed but not completely blended. Rap the pan against the countertop several times to settle the batters.
  • Bake the marble cake until a pick inserted about 2 inches from the edge comes out gooey but not liquid, 40 to 42 minutes; don’t over-bake. The top will be puffed and slightly cracked, especially around the edges. It will sink down as it cools. 
  • Let the cake cool on a rack until just slightly warm, about 1 1/2 hours. Loosen it from the pan by holding the pan almost perpendicular to the counter; tap the pan on the counter while rotating it clockwise. Invert the cake onto a large flat plate or board, then remove the pan and carefully peel off the parchment.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: To make the cake ahead of time, you can wrap the cooled and unmolded cake in plastic and refrigerate until firm and well chilled. Then slide the cake off the plate and wrap it again in plastic. Freeze for up to a month. To serve, unwrap the cake and set it on a flat plate that’s been sprinkled with a little more cocoa powder. Cover with plastic wrap and thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for an hour or two.

  • Sift some cocoa powder over the cake (this will make it easier to remove the slices when serving). Invert the cake again onto a similar plate so that the top side is up and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight, or freeze. 

Adapted From

Absolutely Chocolate: Irresistible Excuses to Indulge

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 portionCalories: 287 kcalCarbohydrates: 23 gProtein: 4 gFat: 20 gSaturated Fat: 12 gMonounsaturated Fat: 6 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 83 mgSodium: 66 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 20 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2009 Fine Cooking. Photo © 2009 Anna Williams. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

This flourless chocolate-vanilla marble cake is a wonderful dessert. It’s sublimely rich and chocolate-y, smooth and creamy, dense and slightly fudge-y, yet despite this, it had us all going back for seconds. The cream cheese is the perfect foil to all this chocolate and lightens up the dense brownie-like texture.

I used espresso and a splash of Kahlua to bring out the coffee flavour a bit more, and it really enhanced the depth of chocolate nicely. It tasted even better the next day, so next time I would make this again the night before, rather than the morning of, to serve it at it’s best. No chocolate lover will be disappointed with this dessert.

Easy enough to make. Actually, my teen made it all by herself, and the end result is exactly as promised: it “has a texture a little like fudge and a little like cheesecake.” This will be a repeat, and the fact that one can freeze it is also very convenient.

It’s just as easy to make two (as she did) and you can keep it in the freezer for last minute guests that show up. What I also loved about it is that even though it was very rich, it was not overly sweet. A slice DOES go a long way, but if you have a sweet tooth, it is easy to go for the second slice.

Once again, I need to thank my son for the discovery of another marvelous Leite’s recipe. While I was planning our Thanksgiving menu, he announced he refused to eat our traditional pecan pie for dessert. So the night before Thanksgiving, I whipped this up especially for him. We followed the recipe precisely, and the result was an incredibly dense, rich, delicious, fudgy cake. In fact, it was so amazing no one, I repeat no one, ate the pecan pie on Thanksgiving!




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appรฉtit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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11 Comments

    1. Hi MaryLou, it should be fine in a springform pan. I would follow the instructions in the recipe for preparing the pan. Please let us know how it turns out.

    1. Hi Pat, our testers loved the texture of the final product. Any reason why you would want to use a water bath? We didn’t test it this way so I’m not sure how this might affect the cake.