Soooo, I’m calling this a Flourless Chocolate Torte because I don’t know how else to classify it. Except as awesome! The original recipe that I adapted this from called it a brownie. Nah. Nope. Not a brownie. I mean, sorta kinda but not really. It’s not exactly cake like you think of cake either. It’s a brownie cake hybrid maybe. Or, it just needs its own category –> straight up dang delicious dessert. Yep, that’s it!
This Chocolate Torte is gluten-free (yeah!), refined sugar free (seriously!), and oil-free (that’s right!). I know, I know. All the “good” stuff is gone. That’s what I thought too. The first time I made it I was HUGELY skeptical. It came about by chance really.
I was having some friends over and baked up a bunch of things AND THEN remembered two of them are gluten-free. Ooops, now what? I was in an out-of-the-way place where the closest (not very good) grocery store was half an hour away. I could have made a trip to the store and bought some expensive gf flour or something. Instead, in my normal adventerous baking way, I decided to see if I could find a gluten-free dessert recipe using ingredients I already had with me. It took some searching, believe me, as I had not a lot of options, but then I found this recipe. It sounded interesting enough and got double bonus points for being super easy. I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to taste all that great but figured I could spiff it up with some sugar-laden frosting if necessary. Afterall, my friends were gluten-free, not sugar-free.
After I took it out of the oven, I did a little taste test to make sure I wasn’t going to be offering something completely inedible. And, lo and behold, I had to hold myself back from snacking the entire thing before anyone even showed up. OOOOPS! It survived until the party and I’ve made it 6 more times since then and every time I am absolutely amazed at how good it is.
The best part —> it’s pretty healthy so I don’t feel guilty eating the whole thing :-D.
And, no sugar rushes, crashes or shakes.
Thank you Running With Spoons for the original recipe and inspiration!
RECIPE NOTES:
- You can use any nut or seed butter you like. You’ll see in the step by steps that I was making two batches at once: one with Sunbutter and one with Almond Butter.
- I preferred the Almond Butter version. It was inherently sweeter.
- The Sunbutter one was good too but that was the one I thought could use a frosting.
- The type of cocoa powder you use will make a difference! Since there are so few ingredients, they all stand out more. Use a good cocoa powder for a richer, deeper, flavored cake.
- If you aren’t used to naturally sweetened desserts, you may find this needs a frosting. Feel free to add one. I liked it better without.
- This ‘torte’ doesn’t slice into nice looking bars all that easily. Lightly wet a knife before cutting for better results. It sticks a bit though.
- This torte is very light and airy. Not dense like a brownie. But it’s thin like a brownie, not tall like a cake. I should try doubling the recipe and see what happens….besides me eating even more lol. Maybe it could be more cake-like at least in size.
Step by Step
Prep Time | 8 minutes |
Cook Time | 30 minutes |
Servings |
|
- 1/2 cup nut or seed butter [peanut butter, almond butter, sunbutter...]
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree [not pie filling]
- 3 tablespoons aquafaba (*)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (**)
Ingredients
|
|
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line an 8x8 pan with parchement paper or oil lightly.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the nut or seed butter, pumpkin puree, aquafaba, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Whisk in the cocoa powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice until all is combined and smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and spread out evenly with a spatula.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool for 15-20 minutes.
- Can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
(*) Aquafaba is the brine from a can of chickpeas or other bean, like cannellini. Use the liquid as is, straight from the can. You can also use aquafaba from homemade beans. See www.aquafaba.com for more information. (**) The pumpkin pie spice adds a nice depth of flavor. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, replace it with a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Or omit it entirely.