This 4-Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake Comes Together In No Time At All

A good cake is a wonderful treat for any occasion, whether you're celebrating your birthday with cake or sharing a special day with someone you care about. Baking a cake, though, can represent a lot of time and effort, which is why so many of us turn to bakeries or instant boxed cake mix. Yet, if you still want a delicious cake made with fresh ingredients without putting down a ton of money or effort, you're in luck. You can easily make a flourless cake using just four ingredients.

Butter, sugar, eggs, and chocolate are all it takes to make a delicious chocolate cake with ease. Once it's done, you can also add toppings like a dusting of powdered sugar, but they're not critical when it comes to baking the cake. Many recommend separating the egg yolks from the whites, then beating the whites alone until they form soft peaks. This provides the structure necessary to form the cake in place of flour.

While your flourless cake is baking in the oven, don't expect it to rise (or fall). Cakes get that lift thanks to the structure provided by flour, as well as leavening ingredients like baking soda or baking powder (which leavener you use depends on your recipe, barring this one, of course). All of this means your flourless cake won't rise much in the oven. The result will be more fudgy than a normal cake, but worry not, as it will still taste fantastic.

Since this cake is so simple and easy to make, it's easy to customize to your exact taste. Without the flour, chocolate provides much of the fat and starch that give your cake structure, but that doesn't mean you can't adapt it to other cake flavors besides chocolate (if you try this, consider adding some extra egg or butter). Try vanilla, strawberry, lemon, or any of your other favorite flavors.

You can also mix in different ingredients to enhance your cake. Sprinkle in nuts or fruit, like cherries or a dash of orange zest. Even if you're not making a full-on vanilla cake, a little vanilla extract can deepen the flavor profile and add a rich warmness that makes it feel like an entirely new confection. A dash of espresso powder can also bring additional depth. Just don't commit the baking sin of adding cake ingredients straight from the fridge.

You're not done once the cake comes out of the oven, either. Powdered sugar is a classic topping for this cake, but it's only one out of a nigh-endless sea of possibilities. Top your flourless cake with your favorite frosting — perhaps use a handy chocolate bar hack here — or an array of sliced fresh fruit.