Chocolate cake is one of those life luxuries that need no introduction. And if you know me well, you know I am a fan of baking with almond flour. I had originally shared this Maple-Sweetened Almond Flour Chocolate Cake recipe back in 2017, and it has been a reader favorite ever since.
Since then, I have also created other almond flour cakes like Almond Flour Carrot Cake, Strawberry Almond Flour Cake, Almond Flour Apple Cake, Lemon Almond Cake, and Almond Flour Brownies. I based all of these recipes on this cake made with almond flour with minor ingredient changes.

With this update, I am answering all the questions I have received over the years and even showing you how to turn this healthy flourless cake into a birthday cake. If you need a dark, decadent and elegant cake recipe, you are in for a treat, even if you are new to making a cake with almond flour.
Why You Should Make This Recipe
If you ever needed an excuse to make this chocolate almond cake recipe, then this one’s for you!
I love it because it’s:
- Mixed in just one bowl with a whisk in under 10 minutes using only 7 simple ingredients. No other equipment is needed.
- Can be served in several ways: Serve it by itself, spread it with frosting or whipped cream, or make two batches and make a layered cake.
- Perfect for parents who are looking for a chocolate cake recipe made without processed sugars for their children. My recipe here is mildly sweetened with less than a cup of maple syrup.
- Flourless, low carb, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, paleo-friendly.
- Super forgiving and can be made with a number of substitution swaps – keep reading to learn more!
Ingredient Notes:
The ingredient list is short and sweet, with only 7 pantry staples. Gather together coconut oil, almond flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, kosher salt, large eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. It is best if they are all at room temperature.

Below are a few helpful notes, including a few substitutions:
- Almond Flour: Almond flour and almond meal can be used interchangeably in this recipe. You can also make your own almond flour
- Make it with honey: Use ½ cup of any light-colored honey instead of maple syrup
- Make it with agave nectar: If you want to substitute maple syrup with agave, be sure to use an equal amount of it
- Cocoa Powder: This recipe uses Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, and it will not taste good if you use its Dutch Processed version.
How to Make
This low carb chocolate cake recipe comes together in minutes in one large bowl. Simply;

- Preheat the oven to 325 F degrees. Line an 8-inch* springform pan with parchment paper and grease it generously with melted coconut oil using a pastry brush. Set aside.

- To make the cake batter: Mix the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla extract into the almond flour mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined. You can whisk wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls, but I have found success in mixing them in the same bowl, so I no longer bother dirtying two bowls.

- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick or a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let it cool on the kitchen counter for 10 minutes. Gently run a knife over the edges and transfer the cake onto a cake plate. Let it cool to room temperature.

How to Serve / Topping Ideas:
My favorite thing about this almond flour chocolate cake recipe is that it is so versatile. Here are a few ways to serve it:
- Serve it by itself: This is one of those incredible chocolate cakes that can stand on its own with a cup of coffee, tea, or even a glass of almond milk. You can lightly dust it with powdered sugar (if you must) or top it off with ice cream as well.

- Spread it with Whipped Cream: Make a batch of my Maple Whipped Cream and spread a generous amount on top. Garnish it with fresh berries or any other seasonal fruit.

- Frost it with Chocolate Frosting: If you’d rather have a dairy-free alternative as a spread, use my Healthy Chocolate Frosting recipe made with almond butter, cocoa powder, and maple syrup.
How to Turn it Into a Paleo Birthday Cake?
If you want to take it a bit further, you can turn it into a celebratory layer cake. How to do this was one of the most asked questions I received, especially from young moms (with children with strict dietary restrictions) looking for a low sugar and low carb birthday cake recipe.

To make a layered chocolate birthday cake (or a cake that would work for any celebration), simply:
- Make two batches of the same cake (aka double the recipe)
- Place them on a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.
- Place the first layer of cake in the middle of a large plate (or a cake platter), spread half of the chocolate frosting evenly over the top. Place the second layer on top. Spread the rest of the chocolate frosting and garnish with strawberries (or any seasonal fruit would also work)
Because I like that deep chocolate flavor, I used chocolate frosting, but you can use whipped cream to layer as well.
How to Store & Freeze
- Storage Instructions: The cake can be stored, unfrosted, and without the fruit in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezing Instructions: To freeze, I recommend first slicing the cake into eight pieces. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Transfer the now frozen cake slices to an airtight container or large plastic freezer storage bag with small squares of parchment between each piece. Seal tight, label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thawing Instructions: To thaw, leave it out on the kitchen counter for about 15 minutes for the cake to loosen up, then enjoy!
If you make the layered version, I recommend keeping it in an airtight container in the fridge. It should keep fresh up to 2 days.
Tips for Success:
- Cocoa Powder: Use natural cocoa powder rather than Dutch-processed cocoa. The baking soda needs the acidity in the cocoa to react and add lift while baking. Dutch-processed cocoa would result in a flat cake.
- Cake Pan: Both an 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan will work. The baking time remains relatively the same, but I would start checking the 30-minute mark for the best results.
- Coconut Flour? Do not replace almond flour with coconut flour. Coconut flour is super absorbent and bakes up entirely different. Stick to blanched almond flour or almond meal.
- Use different fruit depending on the season: I am a big fan of berries but come the holiday season, I use pomegranate seeds. I also love decorating it with fresh mint. If you love the combination of chocolate and mint, it works wonderfully in this almond chocolate cake recipe.
- Love dark chocolate? If you want a cake with a deeper chocolate flavor (more of an Almond Flour Dark Chocolate cake), melt a teaspoon of espresso powder in two teaspoons of water and add that in the batter.
- Want to turn this into cupcakes instead? No problem, try my Almond Flour Chocolate Cupcakes recipe instead (Hint: It’s the same recipe!)
Equipment Used:
More Chocolate Recipes:
I have heard so many of my readers refer to this as the best chocolate cake recipe that they have ever made. I hope you get to try for yourself and feel the same way. And if you cannot get enough of chocolate, here are a few more reader favorites that you might also like:
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Best Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Healthy Chocolate Smoothie
- Nut Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Can’t get enough? Check out all my favorite Easy Chocolate Desserts
Want more recipes made with almond flour?
Here are a few of my favorites:
- How To Make Almond Flour At Home – Cheaper!
- Foolproof Almond Flour Recipes For Beginners
- Almond Flour Pancakes
- Quick Almond Flour Bread
- Easy Banana Nut Muffins with Almond Flour
- Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes
- Almond Flour Gingerbread Cookies
If you try this Chocolate Almond Flour Cake recipe or any other one of my Almond Flour Cake recipes on Foolproof Living, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.
Almond Flour Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For The Cake:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil to grease the pan
- 1 ¼ cups almond flour or almond meal (5.25 oz. or 148 gr.)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (1.5 oz. or 43 gr.)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup (approximately 230 ml)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
As Topping (optional)
- 1 cup maple whipped cream or healthy chocolate frosting
- 1 cup fresh berries and other seasonal fruits
- 3-4 leaves of fresh mint thinly sliced (julienned)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 325 F degrees. Line an 8-inch* spring form pan with parchment paper and grease it generously* with coconut oil. Set aside.
- To make the batter: Mix together the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add in the maple syrup and vanilla extract and whisk until fully combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the batter into the greased pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let it cool on the kitchen counter for 10 minutes. Gently run a knife over the edges and transfer the cake onto a cake plate. Let it cool to room temperature.
- When ready to serve, spread the maple whipped cream or chocolate frosting over the top and decorate it with fruit and mint. Slice and serve.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to grease the pan well. Otherwise it might not come off easily.
- This recipe makes one 8-inch cake. You can serve it as it is or spread it with maple whipped cream or healthy chocolate frosting.
- To Make it a Layered Cake: If you want to turn it into a layered cake make two batches of this cake. Let them fully cool to room temperature. If you want to follow my footsteps (like I did in the photos), use my healthy chocolate frosting recipe in between the layers and on top. Garnish it with fresh strawberries or any other seasonal fruit.
- Cake Pan: If you do not have an 8-inch spring form pan, a 9-inch pan would work as well.
- Honey instead of Maple Syrup: If you want to use honey instead of maple syrup, simply use 1/2 cup light flavored honey and follow the rest of the recipe as it is.
- Storage Instructions: The one layer cake can be stored, unfrosted, and without the fruit in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezing Instructions: To freeze, I recommend first slicing the (one layer) cake into eight pieces. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Transfer the now frozen cake slices to an airtight container or large plastic freezer storage bag with small squares of parchment between each piece. Seal tight, label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thawing Instructions: To thaw, leave it out on the kitchen counter for about 15 minutes for the cake to loosen up, then enjoy!
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in August 2017. It has been updated with new photos and helpful information in May 2021 based on comments and questions I received throughout the years.
Chrissann
This cake is insanely moist and so delicious that you’ll never guess it’s gluten free. I have a couple of GF friends and I used to cringe when I’d have to bake GF stuff (I never feel like it’s as good), but this is recipe is something I make now even when someone isn’t GF. It has so much flavor and comes together perfectly every time. I double the recipe to make it as 6” layer cakes.
Aysegul Sanford
Almond flour and chocolate combo is match made in heaven. So happy to hear that you like it as much as we do. Thanks for coming by Chrissann.
kim
This looks delicious! I can only have stevia at the moment as a sweetener – do you think this would work okay instead of maple syrup?
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Kim,
I think stevia would work but I would adjust the amount according to your taste buds. Additionally, since you are not using maple syrup (liquid) I would use some almond milk to compensate for the liquid in the recipe. Sadly, I wouldn’t know the exact amounts without testing the recipe but I believe it would work.
Hope this helps.
Carley L
Hi Aysegul, I normally never leave comments but I had to leave a comment on this recipe. My aunt has struggled with gluten and refined sugar allergies for years. I made this cake for her for Mother’s Day and she said it was the first time she’s had chocolate cake in 37 YEARS.
I am still stunned by how beautifully this cake turned out. The taste and texture, to me, were identical to any other chocolate cake — better, even.
It seems like such a small thing, but that chocolate cake meant so much to my aunt. Thank you for your recipe. We will be making it for years to come!
Recipe notes for others — I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9×13 glass dish. With 10-15 minutes of extra baking time, it turned out perfectly. I also used half extra dark cocoa, half regular.
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Carley,
Your sweet words made my day. I am thrilled to hear that your aunt enjoyed it. I can’t imagine not being able to eat a chocolate cake for 37 years! WOW!
Thanks so much for coming by and taking the time to leave a review.
Cheers!
marie
Hello, with any of your recipes can I use mock fruit sweetener instead of maple syrup, I would love to make your flourless chocolate cake. I have made your almond chocolate chip cookies and they were excellent.
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Marie,
Yes, you can. Though the amount will depend on the kind (liquid or powder) you are using. It is hard to give you an exact amount without actually trying it, but since most monk fruit sweetener is sweeter than maple syrup I would try it with a lesser amount and adjust it accordingly.
Hope this helps.
Carol
Really excited about this recipe – but it is taking a lot longer to bake…looking at the recipe more closely – I see that I followed the mL measure for the maple syrup and looking back your ‘cup’ measure doesn’t match. On my liquid measure cup, one cup is 250 mL so 280 mL is more than a cup but your recipe says 280 mL is 3/4 cup + 2 T… do you measure cups or mL?
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Carol, You are right. The ml information was a typo. My bad. I made the correction.
A bit of back history… When I initially published this almond flour chocolate cake recipe, I made it with 1/2 cup of maple syrup, but then a lot of readers said that they didn’t think it was sweet enough. Then after talking to a few of them and testing it several more times, we agreed that 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons is a good amount. I must have mistyped the ml information when I made the edits.
I am sorry for the inconvenience.
If you have any other questions, please let me know. I am here and available to help.
Thanks!
Joanne
I love your almond cake recipe and have made the orange zest one many times. I tried this chocolate version yesterday and I noticed it did not call for oil. I added 1/4 cup avocado oil and it was so delicious. Everyone loved it! Not sure if it was omitted on purpose or an oversight but thought I would inquire.
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Joanne,
It is not an oversight. Due to the high-fat content of almond flour and the flavor profile coming from the cacao powder, I think the chocolate cake doesn’t need additional oil. However, I am happy to hear that adding some worked for you. I love the idea of adding orange zest to its plain version. I will be sure to try it next time.
Thanks for sharing your experience and coming back to leave a review.
Cheers!
Megan
I’ve been a sweet tooth for as long as I can remember! And now that I’m in my 30s I’ve become very conscious about my sugar intake. I just made these today and I’m speechless my the texture the moisture and it’s all refined sugar free! I used organic coconut sugar (120 gms instead of maple syrup as 1/2the recipe and made one 6 inch layer) and it was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten! thank you soooo much! Your recipes are really amazing and so good for health!
Aysegul Sanford
WOW! This review puts a huge smile only face. So happy you liked it. Thanks for sharing your experience and taking the time to leave a review.