Mexican Chocolate Cake with Berries (gluten free, or not)

My Mexican Chocolate Cake with Berries is so easy to make, so intensely chocolatey, and so velvety smooth…this (almost) flourless cake is decadent but light at the same time.  How that’s possible I don’t know, but it’s true.  The subtle hint of Mexican spices like cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and a pinch of cayenne, makes it magical.

The best desserts are the ones that hit the sweet spot between simple and delicious.

Easy is a word I throw around a lot, I know, but this Mexican chocolate cake truly is. You need only a bowl and a whisk, and it comes together in a flash.  

No matter how delicious something might be, if it’s too laborious and involved to make, I just don’t bother.  I figure most of you must be like that too.

This is a version of my Belgian Chocolate Cake which is one of the earliest cakes in my personal recipe repertoire.  I made it for this blog in my early days, then revisited it and updated a few years later.  The recipe has never changed in all those years, it’s perfect.  You can even make it as cupcakes, if you like.  

I always like to punctuate my summers with a few chocolate desserts, doesn’t everybody?  

But it can’t be a heavy chocolate dessert, it has to have a lightness to it.  This cake delivers.  It doesn’t have the overwhelming solidity that most flourless chocolate cakes have.  Top it with juicy berries and a little hand shaken mason jar whipped cream and you will not be sorry. 

When you slice into it the crisp shell crackles and buckles, revealing a dark moist better-than-brownie-like interior.  

Just gaze into that dark chocolate interior…that’s what delicious looks like.  

How to serve this Mexican Chocolate Cake ~

• Berries are so good right now I couldn’t resist.  I like to slice the strawberries and intersperse a few edible flowers.  I don’t do this until shortly before serving so the berries and flowers are fresh.  Any berry would work on this cake.
• The cake doesn’t need any garnish at all, and sometimes I’ll just sprinkle it with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream.  Try spicing the whipped cream with a little cinnamon for a nice touch.
• Ice cream goes especially well with the deep chocolate of this cake, I use vanilla, it allows the flavors to shine.

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3.28 from 93 votes

Mexican Chocolate Cake with Berries (gluten free, or not)

My Mexican Chocolate Cake with Berries is so easy to make, so intensely chocolatey, and so velvety smooth...this (almost) flourless cake is decadent but light at the same time.  How that's possible I don't know, but it's true.  The subtle hint of Mexican spices like cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and a pinch of cayenne, makes it magical.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Mexican/American

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 9 ounces dark or semi-sweet chocolate, either chocolate chips, or bar chocolate cut in small chunks
• 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 and 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 tablespoons all purpose flour or your choice of gluten free flour or nut meal
• 5 large eggs at room temperature

garnish

• fresh berries
• powdered sugar

Instructions

• Lightly butter a 10 inch spring-form or tart pan with removable bottom. Note: make sure your pan is at least 1 1/2 inches deep because this cake will puff up.
• Put the butter and then the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds, and stir again. If it's not completely melted, put it back in for another 15 seconds, and stir until the chocolate completely melts.
• Add the sugar, spices, vanilla extract, and flour to the chocolate, then the eggs, and whisk really well to completely break up the eggs. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes. The mixture will thicken as it sits.
• Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 325F
• Pour the batter into the buttered pan and smooth out evenly. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, until firm on top and cracks form across the surface. Cool on a rack, then remove the outer ring.
• When completely cooled and just before serving, decorate the cake with fresh berries and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Notes

The spices are subtle but evident in this cake, you could increase them if you like for a more assertive flavor.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if you like.

Still craving flourless desserts?

Ottolenghi’s Flourless Coconut Cake

Flourless Belgian Chocolate Cake

Gluten Free Carrot Cake