Craving something rich, decadent, and chocolatey? This flourless, gluten-free chocolate cake is perfect for sharing and takes only five minutes to prep. It’s a delicious way to enjoy the heart-healthy benefits of chocolate without a ton of sugar and white flour, so it's perfect for a diabetes-friendly diet.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375F. Heat butter and dark chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, then heat in 10-second increments until completely melted. Crack an egg into melted chocolate, whisking to combine. Stir in sugar, vanilla extract, out flour, and a couple pinches of salt. Spray an oven-safe ramekin with nonstick spray. Scrape batter into the ramekin, place in the oven, and bake 12 to 15 minutes until cooked through. Serve warm.

Ingredient Variations and Substitutions

This recipe uses dark chocolate, which is rich in heart-healthy phytonutrients from cacao, with less added sugar than milk chocolate. Look for a chocolate bar with about 70 percent cacao or use semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Although this recipe is gluten-free if you do not need to avoid gluten feel free to use ​white flour or whole wheat flour. Normally, I encourage whole grains for people with diabetes, but a teaspoon of flour is such a small amount it doesn’t matter much what type you use. To make this cake grain-free, use almond flour. It adds nutty flavor without changing the texture much.

If you’d like to reduce the sugar and carbohydrate content of this recipe further, feel free to use the non-caloric sweetener of your choice. My personal favorite is erythritol, a sugar alcohol that doesn’t have a bitter aftertaste and bakes just like sugar. Double check the labels of any sweetener you use, but most are a one to one conversion for sugar. If using liquid stevia extract, you’ll likely need 7 to 10 drops.

If you prefer not to cook with butter, this recipe can be made with any buttery spread. If using, be sure to check the ingredients for partially hydrogenated oil. You could also use coconut oil. Even though it is higher in saturated fat than butter, the specific type of saturated fatty acid has a neutral effect on cholesterol levels.

Cooking and Serving Tips

Before baking, double check that your ramekin is oven safe. You definitely don’t want it to explode in the oven! Not only would it make an awful mess but you also wouldn’t want to miss out on this delicious chocolatey treat.

If you don’t have an oven-safe ramekin you could also “bake” this in the microwave using a mug. The microwave may dry it out just slightly, so you may want to add a tablespoon of milk to the mix. Microwave the butter and chocolate together in the mug, whisk in the rest of the ingredients, then microwave the cake for about 1 minute and 30 seconds.

To make this treat even more decadent, drizzle it with a bit of peanut butter and serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a small scoop of your favorite ice cream. Or, top with seasonal berries for an extra antioxidant boost!