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, maple syrup, 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
I am feeling broke, so did not want to use honey or maple syrup. I know you can substitute agave but my prior research indicates that while agave as used by natives was healthful, the agave we can buy in the market is little better than corn syrup. So I put in 1 cup of brown sugar instead of the cup of maple syrup, with only the 2T of maple syrup. To balance liquids, I added an extra egg and 1/2 cup of 2% milk. I also reduced the vanilla to 1 tsp, on the theory that maple has more flavor than sugar, so more vanilla had been added to compensate. I cut the baking soda to 1/3 tsp because maple syrup is more acidic than sugar. But hey, I left the salt, cocoa, and almond flour alone! I cooked it 30 minutes in a 9×12 glass dish. Very moist and delish! I will definitely make it again.
I made this recipe for my hisband’s bday in March 2018 but I used coconut sugar instead. It wasn’t as sweet but I liked it! Today I am making it with maple syrup to celebrate passover.THANK YOU! <3
Made this cake today for a celebration. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make. It was the first time I’ve used a springform pan. Thirty-five minutes was enough time me in my oven. The taste is very balanced and the whip cream topping adds a smoothness to the mouthfeel. We used strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries for the top. Forgot to add the mint! But will tomorrow on any leftover slices. It was so nice to eat cake without triggering a sugar buzz afterward. Thanks for another great recipe.
YAY! This makes me so happy to hear Monica. I just baked one for us for Easter and I couldn’t help but eat a slice. 🙂
Thanks for letting me know. Cheers!
Can I use honey instead of maple syrup.Karin
Hi Karin,
To be quite honest, I do not know the answer. Honey and maple syrup can usually be used interchangeably, but it is hard for me to guarantee that it will work 100% without trying.
Since I was asked the same question by 2 people on the same day, I plan on giving it a try this week. I will be sure to update the post as soon as I have an answer.
Please check back in a week or so. Thanks.
Hi Karin,
I tested the recipe a few times with honey and updated the recipe with the instructions to make this cake with honey.
I hope it helps.
Cheers!
Hi, I was wondering if I could substitute the maple syrup with raw honey. If so, is there a different measurement I should use?
Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try this recipe. Looks and sounds delish!
Hi Rebecca,
To be quite honest, I do not know the answer. Honey and maple syrup can usually be used interchangeably, but it is hard for me to guarantee that it will work 100% without trying.
However, I was asked the same question by 2 people on the same day so I plan on giving it a try this week. I will be sure to update the post as soon as I have an answer.
Thanks.
Hi Rebecca,
I tested the recipe using regular honey a few times and updated the recipe with instructions. I know you asked about raw honey, but I only had access to regular honey. I assume you can use raw honey as well, but one thing I recommend is to use a light flavored honey as the honey is much more recognizable compared to the version with maple syrup.
I hope this helps.
Hi,
I tried the recipe with Kirkland organic raw honey. I used btwn 1/2 and 3/4 cups. It came out fantastic! Thanks for the updated info!
Yay! This makes me so happy. Funny because we just finished the few slices we had left from my testing. So happy it worked out for you as well. Cheers!
Loved. Loved. Loved this recipe. Followed it exactly & it came out just a tad dry. Any recommendations on how to make it a little more moist? ?
Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe.
Hello there,
So glad you liked it.
In terms of being dry, I would bake it a few minutes less next time. Because this recipe should really be a very moist recipe.
I hope this helps.
This is a fabulous cake and I highly recommend it! After being diagnosed with cancer and told to stay away from sugar and flour to name a few, I made several attempts to create a chocolate cake I could eat. All were a disaster. One was uneatable. This cake was a delicious surprise that ALL of my family liked, even the picky, suspicious eaters. Thank you for creating a moist and yummy cake that has returned birthday celebrations back to normal for me.
I am so glad to hear that you and your family liked this recipe Leonor. Wishing you a speedy recovery.Thanks SO much for letting me know. Cheers!
Tried baking this cake and it turned out absolutely amazing!!! Love the recipe …. thank you so much for sharing
It is wonderful to hear that you loved it. It is a favorite around here too. Thanks for letting me know.
I never write comments, but this cake is amazing! It’s a chocolate addict’s dream. I altered the recipe some because I don’t like maple syrup, but I like agave. I also only had extra large eggs. So this is what I did: 1.5 cups almond flour, 1/2+1/8tsp backing soda, 1/2 cups golden light agave; the rest as per recipe. I baked it in 9″ pan 40 min. It is perfect! It is a stable cake, it can be stacked and iced with anything. Ganache comes to mind. But this time it is agave whipped cream and berries. U rock!
Ohhh Nelly.. This is music to my ears. I can’t agree more: This is a solid recipe. One that I make often as well.
I love that you shared your alterations. I am sure others will benefit from it.
Thanks for letting me know. This made my day.
Cheers!
How do I appropriately substitute the maple syrup for monk fruit granular?
Hi Lee,
I am so sorry but I am not familiar with monk fruit granular. Is that similar to sugar?
i used agave as well..addicted
Oh great. Good to know. Thanks Sean.
The cake look delicious and simple enough. Have you made any of your almond flour cakes with with flax seed eggs instead? I have been cutting back on eggs, I usually only use them in baking on occasion now. The photography is great too, so fresh and clean.
Hey Jeff..
Thanks so much for your kind words about the photos. I really appreciate it.
Though I have not tried this recipe with flax seeds, I would assume that the results might not be ideal as this recipe has already very few ingredients and eggs are a big part of the recipe. They provide the structure, leavening and richness part of the recipe, which in my opinion makes it the way it is without using butter. Does that make sense?
Still, it is hard for me to say yay or nay without actually trying it. Kindly let me know how it turns out if you do.
Thanks again.
Please correct the amount of maple syrup. It could be 3/4c+2tbs or 270ml but not both. I bet you meant 270gram.
P. S. I really appreciate to see gram amounts in your recipe. Thanks!
I just Googled it and it said that
3/4 cup liquid is 177 ml and 2 tablespoons is 29.57 ml. So it should be 207 ml.
Shouldn’t I share it in milliliters since maple syrup is liquid?
I love this recipe! It is so easy and amazingly chocolatey. Imo, it’s way too sweet as written. I only use 1/4 cup of maple syrup, a 9″ pan (cause that’s what I’ve got) and I reduce the baking time to 25 minutes. I also like slicing it into two layers and frosting it with a no added sugar very dark chocolate ganache buttercream hybrid recipe.
It is cake perfection. I have had many friends swear off flour and sugar cakes after tasting this one.
Hi Agata,
Thanks for sharing your experience. I am so happy to hear that you liked it.
I understand how you feel about the amount of sugar. It sounds like you are a fan of dark chocolate so I can totally see why you prefer less sugar.
I, too, avoid adding more sugar in the whipped cream. Instead, I use seasonal fruit on top to sweeten it.
Thanks for coming by and leaving a review. I appreciate it.
Cheers!