This is the ultimate 1-bowl flourless chocolate cake…moist and delicious and loaded with rich chocolate flavor, plus it’s easy to make, vegan and gluten-free. This rich and decadent dessert is the most perfect chocolate cake for Passover I have ever tasted…meaning it doesn’t actually taste like a passover dessert, but just an incredible chocolate cake for special occasions! This chocolate cake is refined sugar free, made with just a few simple ingredients and is absolutely divine!
Looking for more Healthy Passover Recipes? Discover new and exciting ways to enjoy Kosher for Passover Recipes while maintaining a balanced diet with Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes for Passover.
My daughter’s birthday sometimes falls during the holiday of Passover. In 2020 I made her an avocado chocolate mousse for her birthday…let’s just say it was my cue to develop a fabulous chocolate birthday cake that was pareve and kosher for passover….I’ve been perfecting this recipe ever since…and it’s finally ready to share.
Chocolate Cake for Passover
- Vegan = Pareve, so this chocolate cake with chocolate frosting can be served after any type of meal, perfect for a Seder dessert!
- With a little elbow grease, you can make both the cake and the frosting without any special equipment…super important during Pesach if you don’t have an immersion blender or small food processor.
- Double the recipe for a layer cake and then spread my vegan chocolate frosting on top and between layers for a real treat. If your birthday falls during the holiday, this is the BEST passover birthday cake EVER!
Cake Ingredients
- Applesauce: unsweetened applesauce will help keep the cake moist and also add some natural sweetness.
- Dark chocolate: stirring in melted dark chocolate is what makes this cake rich and decadent!
- Apple: I think shredded apple, plus the juices is the key to a moist and delicious oil-free cake.
Make the cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. My oven is a bit sluggish, so I use the convection setting. Cut a round piece of parchment to place on the bottom of a 9″ cake pan and spray the sides and parchment with olive oil spray for easy removal of cake. Alternately, use a springform pan lined with parchment.
Mix applesauce, almond butter and maple syrup in a medium sized bowl until uniform in texture.
Add in cocoa powder, almond flour and salt. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Peel apple and then grate with medium holes.
Add the shredded apple plus any juices that have accumulated into the cake batter and mix well.
Melt chocolate either using a double boiler or in the microwave and add that to the cake mixture.
Stir until chocolate has been fully incorporated into the batter.
Pour cake batter into prepared pan and use a spatula to spread into the pan evenly.
Bake for 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of cake.
Once cake has cooled slightly, transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling before wrapping or frosting.
Make the easy vegan frosting
Use an immersion blender, a personalize sized blender (like a nutra bullet) or a small food processor for a smooth and creamy vegan chocolate frosting for this cake. You can also use a fork and mix this by hand.
Add almond butter, maple syrup, cacao powder, vanilla extract and salt to a tall container.
Use an immersion blender and blend frosting. Add 1 tablespoon water. Blend again.
I made a double batch of cake and used my vegan chocolate frosting recipe to get 2 cups of frosting, enough for the 2 layer cake. I spooned ¾ cup frosting onto the first layer and used an offset spatula to roughly spread it around.
Then, I carefully put the second layer of cake onto the frosted first layer. Spooned on another ¾ cup frosting and spread it. Afterwards I spooned more frosting onto the edges and let it spill over the sides….it’s so easy!!
Debra’s Pro Tips
- Cool cake COMPLETELY before storing or attempting to frost.
- Chill frosting for an hour…or up to 3 days in advance to make it easier to spread onto the cake.
- To make cake in advance and then frost another day, wrap well and refrigerate up to 5 days in advance, then frost. Or freeze for 3 months, wrapped well.
- Use a square baking pan for more of a snacking cake. It’s funny, but I think square pieces taste totally different than a slice…let me know in the comments if you agree!
- Frosted cake will be easier to slice if refrigerated first for an hour.
- APPLESAUCE: either buy unsweetened applesauce in ½ cup individual servings, or make my easy unsweetened applesauce recipe and freeze in ½ cup silicone molds….perfect for baking!
- Double the frosting and the cake recipe for a double decker vegan chocolate birthday cake. Perfect for Passover birthday celebrations.
- Make sure your jar of almond butter has been THOROUGHLY mixed before you use it….you want a consistent drippy consistency for best results.
📖 Recipe
Flourless Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe
Rate this RecipeIngredients
Flourless Vegan Chocolate Cake
- 1 3-oz bar bittersweet dark chocolate
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup creamy almond butter
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ cup cacao powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 apple peeled and grated
Frosting for a single cake
- ⅓ cup almond butter, creamy
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoon water
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 375. Line a 9" round baking pan with unbleached parchment round and spray with olive oil on the sides.
- Use a double boiler to slowly melt the chocolate, stirring constantly. Let it sit to cool while you prepare the rest of the batter. Alternately, use the microwave and stir in between each 15 second interval of cooking.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl mix applesauce almond butter and maple syrup together until fully combined, thick and creamy.
- Sprinkle on almond flour, cacao powder and salt and mix until dry ingredients are fully incorporated into the wet.
- Peel apple and grate over the bowl with cake batter. Mix well. Then add in the melted chocolate and mix to thoroughly combine.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool cake COMPLETELY before moving ahead. Cake can be wrapped as is and refrigerated until ready to frost/serve. You can leave cake in pan and cover with plastic wrap OR, remove from pan once completely cooled and wrapped and then refrigerate or freeze.
Frosting
- Place almond butter, maple syrup, cacao powder, vanilla extract and salt into the bowl of a small food processor or mini blender. Process until smooth and creamy. Add water and process again.
- Frosting can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Frosting may thicken when in the fridge, so gently stir in 1 tablespoon of warm water to bring it to a spreadable consistency.
- Spoon frosting onto top of cake and use an offset spatula to evenly spread.
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Amy
Yay! I can’t wait to try this! How did you know my birthday is on Pesach this year? Those box cakes from my childhood are the worst cakes ever!
Debra Klein
March and April birthdays often run into Pesach….and this is a great recipe that you can count on to celebrate with! Even approved by my daughter!!!
Shanna
Can you substitute the almond butter? Something without nuts?
Thanks!
Debra Klein
During passover, I don’t know what a good substitute would be…but the rest of the year, you could use sunbutter, peanut butter or even tahini instead of the almond butter….seeds and legumes aren’t an issue.