Mary Berry’s gluten free chocolate cake is a rich, fudgy, flourless sponge made with dark chocolate, ground almonds, eggs and a touch of coffee, baked at 190°C (170°C fan) for about 50 minutes, then covered in a glossy chocolate and butter icing. Ground almonds replace the flour entirely, giving the cake a dense, moist texture that keeps better than an ordinary sponge.
Berry calls this her Divine Chocolate Birthday Cake in the Baking Bible (2010) and says “there is no flour in this recipe; ground almonds give the flavour and texture.” She doesn’t label it gluten-free, but it naturally is. The same base recipe appears in her Sachertorte in Simple Cakes, where she notes that “ground almonds replace the flour, which means this chocolate cake keeps well.”
The technique that makes or breaks this cake is whisking the egg whites separately. Berry separates five of the six eggs, whisks the whites until stiff, then folds them into the chocolate and almond mixture. That folding has to be gentle or you lose all the air, and without flour there’s nothing else to give the cake lift.
Mary Berry Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy10
servings30
minutes50
minutes510
kcal1
hour20
minutesBerry’s Divine Chocolate Birthday Cake from the Baking Bible (2010), a naturally flourless cake using ground almonds instead of flour, with a rich chocolate and butter ganache icing. Dense, fudgy and keeps well.
Ingredients
- For the cake:
6 large eggs, 5 of them separated
215g (7½ oz) caster sugar
265g (9½ oz) plain chocolate (39% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
1 level teaspoon instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon hot water
150g (5 oz) ground almonds
- For the icing:
4 tablespoons apricot jam
225g (8 oz) plain chocolate (39% cocoa solids)
100g (4 oz) unsalted butter
Directions
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas 5 (375°F). Grease a 23cm (9 in) deep round cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.
- Whisk the eggs: Place the egg yolks and whole egg in a large bowl with the sugar and beat together until thick and light in colour.
- Melt the chocolate: Melt the chocolate gently in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Dissolve the coffee granules in the hot water and add to the melted chocolate. Cool slightly, then stir into the egg mixture along with the ground almonds.
- Fold in the whites: In a separate bowl, whisk the 5 egg whites until stiff but not dry. Carefully fold into the egg and chocolate mixture using a large metal spoon.
- Bake: Turn into the prepared tin and gently level the surface. Bake for about 50 minutes or until well risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.
- Ice the cake: Melt the apricot jam over a low heat and brush over the cake. Melt the 225g chocolate gently in a bowl set over a pan of hot water, add the butter and stir until the icing has the consistency of thick pouring cream. Pour over the cake, smoothing it over the top and sides with a palette knife. Allow to set.
FAQs
Why does Berry use coffee in a chocolate cake?
Berry adds just 1 teaspoon of instant coffee dissolved in hot water. It’s not enough to taste as coffee, but it deepens the chocolate flavour. Her Sachertorte in Simple Cakes uses the identical base recipe without the coffee, and the difference is noticeable. The version with coffee tastes more intensely chocolatey even though the chocolate quantity is the same.
If you need to avoid caffeine, leave it out. The cake still works perfectly, as Berry proves with her Sachertorte. She doesn’t mention the difference between the two, but I’ve baked both side by side and the coffee version wins.
What other flourless chocolate cakes does Berry have?
Berry has four across her books. This Divine Chocolate Birthday Cake from the Baking Bible (2010) is the richest and fudgiest, using ground almonds and chocolate. Her Sachertorte in Simple Cakes uses the same base with an apricot jam and chocolate cream ganache icing instead.
Her Chocolate and Orange Mousse Cake in Cooks Up a Feast (2019) takes a completely different approach, using just cocoa powder and no ground almonds, which makes it “as light as a feather.” The Chocolate and Strawberry Dessert Cake in Simple Comforts (2020) is lighter still, using only cocoa powder and eggs with cream and fresh strawberries. Two fudgy, two light, all naturally gluten-free.
Is this cake safe for coeliacs?
The cake itself contains no wheat flour, but Berry uses plain chocolate at 39% cocoa solids and doesn’t specify a gluten-free brand. Some chocolate bars are processed in factories that handle wheat. If you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease, check that the chocolate, cocoa powder and baking powder (if any) are all certified gluten-free. The ground almonds and eggs are naturally safe.
Berry also warns to use the correct cocoa solids. She specifies 39% for this recipe, which is a milk-range chocolate. Higher cocoa solids would change the sweetness and texture of the finished cake.
How do I stop the cake sinking in the middle?
Berry says to expect some sinking. In Simple Comforts (2020), her Chocolate and Strawberry Dessert Cake headnote warns to “expect it to dip a little when it comes out of the oven.” Without flour, there’s no gluten structure holding the cake up once the steam escapes.
Folding the egg whites gently is the best defence. If you stir roughly or knock the air out, the cake rises less and sinks more. Berry says to whisk “until stiff but not dry” because over-whisked whites are brittle and break when folded. I fold in three stages: a spoonful first to loosen the mixture, then half, then the rest.
How long does this cake keep?
Better than most sponges. Berry says in Simple Cakes that ground almonds replacing the flour “means this chocolate cake keeps well.” The natural oils in the almonds keep the crumb moist for 3-4 days in an airtight tin at room temperature.
The ganache icing acts as a seal too, locking moisture into the sponge. Without the icing, the surface dries out faster. I ice it on the day of baking and it stays fudgy through to day three without any trouble.
