Chocolate torte, flourless chocolate cake or chocolate decadence – whatever you call it, it is a dense, fudgy chocolate cake. There are few desserts more pleasurable to consume than something richly chocolate. But, what is the difference between these desserts and how do you make them?

Chocolate tortes

A chocolate torte is traditionally a cake with little or no flour. Tortes originated in Europe where the name is synonymous with a dense, rich cake. Tortes commonly contain ground nuts, most often hazelnuts or almonds. Since tortes usually are flourless, they may rise when they bake, but they usually fall as they cool. Most often, tortes used whipped egg whites to provide some body to the cake and to allow them to rise a little bit. This makes for a fudge-like or pudding-like texture to the middle of the cake. The outside of the torte may crack or look lumpy, again attributed to the fact that the cake falls when it cools.

Flourless chocolate cake

So, is a flourless chocolate cake a torte? Yes and no. The two terms can be used interchangeably and they are both dense, chocolaty and delicious. However, some people use the two terms to differentiate between types of cakes. Flourless chocolate cakes are less likely to call for ground nuts, traditionally containing only chocolate, sugar, eggs and other flavorings. In addition, many torte recipes use some flour. Of course, some flourless chocolate cake recipes call for very small amounts of flour, too. However, they are still considered "flourless" compared to their more traditional cake cousins.

Chocolate decadence

Most of the recipes for chocolate decadence or death by chocolate are very similar to those for chocolate tortes or flourless chocolate cakes.  While there is a lot of overlap, the key difference with most chocolate decadence recipes seems to be that the eggs are beaten whole and that whipped egg whites are not used to add a fluffier texture to the cake. 

 So, the real question is which is the yummiest. Well, it all depends on what you like. For a fluffier, almost soufflé-like texture, find a flourless chocolate cake recipe that uses a lot of whipped egg whites – try the Classic Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe I have included on the site. For something that is thick, rich and almost like fudge, try the Chocolate Decadence recipe. Both cakes are delicious and easy to make.