Dark Chocolate Flourless Torte with Strawberry Sauce

March 24, 2022

Chocolate and strawberry together is the ultimate combination of decadence. In this dessert, the two classic flavors join forces once more as a sweet-tart strawberry sauce smothers an ultra-rich dark chocolate flourless torte.

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Did you know that studies have shown that if you feel better about the food you eat, your body reacts to it as though it’s healthier? I feel so validated learning this information, since I’m the type of person to consider anything with fresh fruit healthy. So if you need to, think of this super rich torte as a chocolate frittata. It does have five eggs.

I love tortes because they are like fudge in cake form. For this one, I played with one of my favorite flavor combinations: chocolate and strawberry. It’s like a pan full of decadent chocolate-covered strawberries, but deconstructed. The heavy dark chocolate is balanced by the sweet-tart berries for a perfect blend of flavor.

What You Need to Get Started

You can easily find all of the ingredients for this dark chocolate flourless torte with strawberry sauce at your grocery store:

Let’s Make a Dark Chocolate Flourless Torte

If you are one of those fudgy-brownies-over-cakey-brownies types, like I am, then chocolate torte is for you. Instead of using any flour at all, it’s held together by eggs, sugar, and probably a little bit of magic. Bonus: it’s gluten-free, so easier to share with everyone!

Keep in mind that this torte does need to chill overnight, or for at least eight hours, so you should start it the day before serving. The beginning part of this recipes comes together quickly, however, so preheat your oven and line a pie pan with parchment.

The trick to controlling both the chocolate flavor and the darkness of this torte is going to be in your chocolate selection. I like to go with something in the 70-75% range for this recipe. However, you can work with something a little bit lighter if you’d like.

We’ll start by melting the chocolate along with the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. You can chop the chocolate finely if you’d like it to melt faster, but I just break it into pieces, and let the microwave do the hard work for me. We’re lazy bakers around here.

Zap it in thirty-second increments, stirring after each. When the chocolate pieces are mostly melted, you can stop microwaving and allow the residual heat to help melt what’s left. This will help prevent your chocolate from burning.

Next, add in both of the sugars and some vanilla and almond extract. The almond here is pretty subtle, adding just a slight undertone to the chocolate flavor. If you need to leave it out for allergies, you can replace it with vanilla. Or if you love that almond flavor, feel free to double it.

I use both brown and white sugar here, but feel free to experiment. The small amount of brown sugar will add a little bit of extra richness to the torte. However, it also adds moisture, so I wouldn’t increase the ratio to more than half-and-half.

Stir everything together, and allow the sugars to start dissolving into the warm chocolate. It will be a little bit gritty at this point, but don’t worry, it will smooth out soon. Set the bowl aside for about five to ten minutes, allowing the chocolate to cool slightly.

We let the melted chocolate cool because the next step is to add the eggs. If the chocolate is too hot, the eggs may start to cook a little bit, which is definitely not what you want. Instead, begin by thoroughly whisking the first egg into the cooled chocolate.

Add the remaining eggs in the same manner, one at a time, fully incorporating one egg into the mixture before adding the next. The first couple will be easier than the later ones, which may resist. But be patient, and they will stir in as well.

There isn’t really much risk of over-mixing here. Eggs are the only leavener in this, since there is no baking powder or soda to react together. There’s also no gluten formation happening because it’s a flourless torte, so keep mixing in those eggs fully.

Then you’ll have this ultra glossy, not at all gritty, ribbony chocolate goodness in front of you. I get really distracted at this step, because it looks like the perfect chocolate pudding, all smooth and flowing beautifully off the whisk…

But anyway, it’s full of raw eggs, so unfortunately I don’t suggest trying it yet.

Instead, transfer the batter into the prepared pie pan. I used a standard pie tin which gives it a nice slope, but you can also make this in a cake pan if you prefer straight sides. The parchment is really useful when you need to unmold it later, so I definitely recommend using it.

Make sure to scrape out every last bit of chocolatey goodness into that pan with a silicone spatula, then use the spatula to smooth it all out to the edges. Bake the torte for about twenty-five minutes. It will puff up somewhat, especially on the edges, but will mostly collapse as it cools.

You will know that the torte is done when the center no longer jiggles independently from the rest of the cake. However, it will not be entirely set all the way through. Don’t worry if there are some bubbles on top, since you’ll be covering it with sugar anyway.

After baking, let the torte cool to room temperature on a trivet. Then transfer it to the fridge to chill completely overnight. It’s important that the torte is full chilled before you unmold it, or it may fall apart.

If you are the planning-ahead type, you can make this torte even further in advance. Keep it covered in the fridge until you are ready to serve it, or even freeze it for a couple months.

How to Make Strawberry Sauce for a Chocolate Torte

While you are waiting for that torte to chill and solidify into rich chocolate fudgy goodness, it’s time to prepare the strawberry sauce. You can also make this sauce in advance, and refrigerate it in a sealed jar for a week or so.

Get started by prepping your berries. I like to hull and quarter mine. You can chop them smaller if you prefer, but since we will be mashing them as they soften, I don’t bother. Combine them with sugar and a splash of water in a medium saucepan.

To make the sauce, cook over medium-high heat, and bring the mixture to a boil. At first, the berries will begin to release some of their own juices, and then those juices will begin bubbling. The berries will soften, and that’s when you want to begin smashing them with the spoon against the sides and bottom of the pan.

As the water cooks off, it will thicken into a syrupy sauce. When it’s thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, and stay in place when you use your finger to make a streak, it’s ready.

Turn off the heat, and transfer the sauce to a glass jar. This recipe will make just under two cups of strawberry sauce, which is perfect for a pint-sized jar. Leave the lid on loosely as the sauce cools to room temperature.

Remove the torte from the fridge and carefully flip it over onto a large plate. Then peel off the parchment paper. Flip the torte back over so it’s right-side-up. The edges will be a bit higher than the center, creating a perfect well for your strawberry sauce. Add a thick layer of it right on top, and then cut to serve. If you prefer, you could also slice the torte first, and spoon sauce over the individual slices.

Not all desserts are decadent, but this one definitely is! For something extra rich and sweet, try a dark chocolate flourless torte, covered in strawberry sauce.

How to Serve Flourless Torte with Strawberry Sauce

This dark chocolate torte screams dessert. But since it’s made with a whole bunch of eggs, I think it can be classified as breakfast if you’re into that. Either way, serve it with a chocolate old fashioned or zero-proof strawberry shrub julep for a fun way to accent the flavors.

You could easily make this torte the centerpiece of a dessert table by surrounding it with complementary or contrasting flavors. Try it with rocky road black bean brownies, cherry cheesecake napoleons, and mini rhubarb cakes.

For something really fun, add slices of this chocolate torte to your ice cream bar, and serve with the strawberry sauce on the side. Try it with strawberry ice cream or coffee ice cream. And don’t forget some colorful and sweet birthday cake martinis!

Use Up Leftover Ingredients

Not into strawberry sauce? Try this similar miso chocolate torte with butterscotch sauce instead!

Dark Chocolate Flourless Torte with Strawberry Sauce

A rich and dense flourless dark chocolate torte, covered in sweet strawberry sauce. This dessert is perfect for a romantic date night or any celebration!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
8 hours
Total Time8 hours 45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 253kcal

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate Flourless Torte

  • 7 oz Dark Chocolate broken into pieces
  • ¾ Cup Butter
  • ¾ Cup Granulated Sugar
  • ¼ Cup Brown sugar
  • ½ tsp Vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp Almond Extract
  • 5 Eggs

Strawberry Sauce

  • 1 lb Strawberries hulled and quartered
  • ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Water

Instructions

Dark Chocolate Flourless Torte

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center. Line a 9-inch pie pan (or other similar sized pan) with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a medium microwave safe bowl, combine the butter and chocolate. Heat in the microwave in 30 second increments, until the butter and chocolate are mostly melted. Stir to combine until smooth.
  • Add in the sugars, and extracts, and stir. Set aside to cool about ten minutes.
  • Once cooled slightly, whisk in the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Continue whisking after all the eggs have been added until the mixture is very smooth and glossy.
  • Transfer the filling to the prepared pan, and bake for 25 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles separately from the rest of the cake.
  • Let the torte cool to room temperature, then transfer it to the fridge to chill completely for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Strawberry Sauce

  • Add the strawberries, sugar, and water to a medium saucepan and heat over medium high until boiling.
  • Continue to cook, stirring occasionally at first and then more frequently as it starts to thicken, mashing the softened berries, for about 10 minutes.
  • Once thick enough that it coats the back of a wooden spoon, turn off the heat. Transfer to a 16 oz mason jar, and allow to cool to room temperature covered loosely.

Serve the Torte

  • Remove the torte from the fridge and place a large plate on top of it. Carefully flip it over onto the plate, and then peel off the parchment paper. Flip the torte back over so it's rightside up.
  • Add a thick layer of the strawberry sauce, cut into 16 slices and serve. If desired, you can slice the torte first, and top individual slices with the sauce.

Notes

Make ahead tips:
  • The chocolate torte must be chilled for at least 8 hours, but can be stored in the fridge tightly covered for up to a week, topped or untopped with the strawberry sauce.
  • You can freeze the untopped torte for 1-2 months. Allow it to freeze solid, then tightly double wrap. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
  • The strawberry sauce itself can be stored in a sealed jar in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. 
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