A high altitude tested, gluten free almond flour chocolate torte, drizzled with dark chocolate ganache and sprinkled with chopped chocolate. This incredibly rich flourless chocolate almond torte is more dense than a cake, with a soft, moist, fudgy, almost pudding-like texture that’s just wonderful.
You might also like this flourless almond cake and flourless monster cookies.
This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links. This in no way affects my opinion of those products and services. All opinions expressed on this site are my own.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Gluten Free. It’s a challenge to find high altitude gluten free recipes, so I’m always happy to offer this option when I can.
No Mixer Needed. All you need to make the cake batter is a bowl and whisk.
Serve Warm or Cold. I love a dessert that doesn’t need hours to cool, and this almond flour chocolate torte can be served while it’s still slightly warm from the oven. It has a very moist, tender texture, almost like a cakey chocolate pudding.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Torte
- Almond Flour. Use finely ground almond flour for today’s chocolate almond flour torte. I like Blue Diamond Almond Flour.
- Granulated Sugar. Sweetness.
- Cocoa Powder. Use a good quality Dutch processed cocoa powder for the best flavor.
- Corn Starch. Without any flour in the cake batter, there’s not much structure, so the crumb is very delicate. A little corn starch helps to add a bit more structure and strength.
- Baking Powder. Leavening agent.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Eggs. Add moisture and strength.
- Milk + Sour Cream. Use full fat dairy for a rich, flavorful torte.
- Butter. Melted butter adds flavor, moisture and richness.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
Ganache
- Cream. You’ll need heavy whipping cream to make the chocolate ganache.
- Chocolate. Your ganache can be as sweet or as bitter as you like, depending on the chocolate you use. I prefer dark chocolate around 55% cacao, for a rich, semi-sweet chocolate flavor.
Instructions
Torte
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray an 8-inch round cake pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sugar, cocoa powder, corn starch, baking powder and salt.
- Add the eggs, milk, sour cream, melted butter and vanilla extract, and whisk just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for about 35-40 minutes, until the torte is slightly puffed, and the top springs back when gently touched.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack, run a sharp knife around the edges, and let cool for 30 minutes. As the torte cools, it will shrink and settle a bit – don’t be alarmed if the center sinks slightly lower than the edges.
- After 30 minutes, turn the torte out onto a serving plate, then make the ganache.
Ganache
- Pour the cream into a small saucepan, and warm it over medium low heat, just until hot and small bubbles start to form around the edges.
- Remove from the heat, and stir in half the chopped chocolate, until you have a smooth ganache.
- Pour the ganache on top of the torte, gently nudging it over the edges with a spatula. Let sit for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with the remainder of the chopped chocolate.
- Serve the torte slightly warm, or let it cool completely to room temperature.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between a cake and a torte?
Torte is a German word that translates to cake. But a torte is different from a cake in that it usually doesn’t contain wheat flour, with ground nuts in place of the flour. This gives it a much more dense, moist texture than a traditional fluffy layer cake. So while you could call this an almond flour chocolate cake, I feel like it’s more accurate to call it a torte (which also clarifies expectations about the resulting texture).
What cocoa powder and chocolate did you use?
I used Cacao Barry Extra Brute Cocoa Powder in the cake batter, and Chocolove 55% Dark Chocolate for the ganache.
How should I store leftover almond flour chocolate torte?
Store the leftover torte in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You Might Also Like
Please check out my Amazon Shop for a curated collection of some of my favorite cake pans from trusted brands, baking tools, ingredients, pretty things and fashion finds. I recommend products that I buy and use every day!
Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
High Altitude Almond Flour Chocolate Torte (GF)
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 8-inch round cake pan
Ingredients
Torte
- 1 cup finely ground almond flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder, sifted to break up any lumps
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup full fat sour cream
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Ganache
- 2 oz heavy whipping cream
- 4 oz finely chopped semi sweet or dark chocolate, divided
Instructions
Torte
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray an 8-inch round cake pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sugar, cocoa powder, corn starch, baking powder and salt.
- Add the eggs, milk, sour cream, melted butter and vanilla extract, and whisk just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for about 35-40 minutes, until the torte is slightly puffed, and the top springs back when gently touched.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack, run a sharp knife around the edges, and let cool for 30 minutes. As the torte cools, it will shrink and settle a bit – don't be alarmed if the center sinks slightly lower than the edges.
- After 30 minutes, turn the torte out onto a serving plate, then make the ganache.
Ganache
- Pour the cream into a small saucepan, and warm it over medium low heat, just until hot and small bubbles start to form around the edges.
- Remove from the heat, and stir in half the chopped chocolate, until you have a smooth ganache.
- Pour the ganache on top of the torte, gently nudging it over the edges with a spatula. Let sit for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with the remainder of the chopped chocolate.
- Serve the torte slightly warm, or let it cool completely to room temperature.
Can this be put in the refrigerator until ready to use?
You can make this a day in advance, and there’s no need to refrigerate it.