Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
This one bowl gluten free chocolate cake is perfect for birthdays, celebrations, or just because! It’s moist, fluffy with the perfect tender crumb, and I promise you’ll have no idea it’s gluten free and dairy free friendly.
I don’t even know where to begin because I have no words to describe how much I love this homemade gluten free chocolate cake! It’s easy (like one bowl in 10 minutes easy), moist, fluffy, rich, spongey, cakey (that’s a given) and undetectably gluten free.
Seriously, if you gave someone a slice and then proceeded to tell them it was a gluten free chocolate cake (made completely from scratch!), I doubt they would believe you.
It’s topped with a silky smooth chocolate buttercream that melts in your mouth. It can be dairy filled or dairy free, but I made it dairy free by using vegan butter. The cake itself is naturally dairy free, so the buttercream is your choice!
You most definitely don’t need a special occasion to make this cake, but if you serve it to friends, I promise they’ll be impressed- it tastes just like the real deal. You’ll never go back to a boxed gluten free cake mix again! Not into chocolate? Don’t worry, try my gluten free vanilla cake, chocolate peppermint cake or gluten free strawberry cake instead!
Key ingredients
FLOUR. Any good cake needs a good flour! For this recipe and most of my gluten free cake recipes, I used the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour. I suggest that one to keep the recipe consistent, but if you use a different blend, just make sure it has xanthan gum.
COCOA. Cocoa is how we achieve a rich chocolate flavor! You will need one full cup for this recipe.
EGGS. Three large eggs will make this cake fluffy and hold all ingredients together so it doesn’t fall apart or crumble.
SUGAR. You will need a mix of white sugar and brown sugar to get the perfect sweetness but a rich flavor from the molasses in the brown sugar.
MILK. I used almond milk because that’s what I had on hand, but any milk, either dairy or non-dairy will work.
COFFEE. I love using coffee in chocolate recipes because it brings out such a rich flavor. If you don’t want to use coffee, you can use hot water instead.
OIL. Any plain oil will work here! I used refined avocado oil. Olive oil is also great and adds a rich flavor like in my gluten free chocolate loaf cake.
How to make gluten free chocolate cake
Prepare either one 9×13 cake pan or two round 8 inch cake pans. Spray the bottom(s) with oil then add parchment paper just to the bottom. I like to use these parchment rounds to make it easy. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients aside from the coffee/boiling water. Whisk in the sifted dry ingredients.
Pour in the coffee or boiling water and whisk until combined. The batter will be fairly thin.
Add the batter to the prepared cake pan. If making a layer cake, try to measure each cake as equally as possible, or use a kitchen scale for best results.
Bake for 35-45 minutes for a sheet cake, 32-37 for layer cake, or until a toothpick comes out clean. All ovens are different so just keep an eye on it.
Let cool in the pan(s) for about 10-20 minutes, then carefully flip onto a cooling rack. They should slide right out, then peel off the bottom parchment paper and flip back so they’re upright.
Let cool completely before frosting. Once cool, add your buttercream and any sprinkles or other toppings!
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
The best flour blend
I am very loyal to my favorite Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour. It has never failed me and manages to yield recipes that are moist, fluffy, not gummy and just really well balanced.
King Arthur also has a good gluten free blend, but I strongly recommend using the Bob’s Red Mill for best results since all gluten free flour blends are different.
Just be sure you use a blend that has xanthan gum! To successfully bake without gluten, you usually need xanthan gum and/or eggs to help bind all ingredients together. Works well in my mint chocolate cake!
Getting the perfect texture
There are a few things that not only make this cake moist, but also give it the perfect spongey texture that isn’t too light but also not dense.
The first is the eggs! You need three whole eggs for this recipe, which helps the cake rise and contributes to the perfect cake texture. Unfortunately, I don’t recommend a vegan substitute for the eggs, but I have a vegan and gluten free chocolate cake recipe you can try instead!
The second is the mixing technique! Over-mixing cake can be just as big of a disaster as under-mixing, which is why you need to find a balance.
With an electric mixer, you run the risk of getting too much air into the batter, which can cause the cake to sink in the middle and collapse after it comes out of the oven.
With a wooden spoon, you don’t get enough air into the batter which can yield a dense cake. A whisk allows just the right amount of air into the batter for a moist, spongey cake.
The third is the other liquid ingredients such as the milk, oil and boiling water! I know boiling water seems like an odd thing to put into a cake, but it “activates” the cocoa powder, giving the perfect rich chocolate taste that isn’t dry. I promise, it works like a charm and I use the same method in my gluten free snack cake.
Storage and baking tips
This gluten free chocolate cake will store at room temperature for 3-4 days in an air tight container, or in the fridge for about 1 week. If kept in a container, I promise it will stay very moist! No dry cakes here. I will usually just store mine on the cake stand with a cake cover on top and it keeps it fresh!
Finally, be sure to place your cake in the center of the oven as it bakes. This ensures it bakes evenly and doesn’t rise too quickly or too slowly.
A cake that rises too quickly can lead to a cracked and very domed top, which we don’t want! Keep it in the center for an even bake. The eggs, baking powder and baking soda are what help this cake rise.
You can freeze the cake layers before frosting if you want to prep ahead of time. Just let cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until you’re ready to decorate.
Is flourless cake the same as gluten free?
A flourless chocolate cake is one that is made without flour and is therefore usually gluten free by default. However, a gluten free cake is not necessarily flourless!
This cake is made with gluten free all purpose flour and is not flourless.
Try these next!
- Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Funfetti Cupcakes
- Lemon Cupcakes
- Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes
- Protein Chocolate Cake
- Classic Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. As always, tag me on instagram if you make this recipe so I can see your creation! Don’t forget to leave a comment and rating if you enjoy this recipe!
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Dry:
- 2 ⅔ cups Gluten Free All Purpose baking Flour sifted
- 1 cup cocoa powder sifted
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet:
- 1 cup milk dairy or non-dairy
- 1 cup white sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vinegar white or apple cider
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup oil safflower, canola, refined avocado etc.
- 1 cup hot brewed coffee or boiling water
Buttercream:
- ¾ cup butter 1 1/2 sticks
- ½ cup sifted cocoa powder
- 3-5 cups sifted powdered sugar adjust to get your desired consistency
- 2-4 tbsp milk dairy or non-dairy
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare either 1 9×13 cake pan or 2 round 8 inch cake pans. Spray the bottom(s) with oil then add parchment paper just to the bottom. I like to use these parchment rounds to make it easy. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients aside from the coffee/boiling water.
- Whisk in the sifted dry ingredients along with the baking soda, powder and salt.
- Pour in the coffee or boiling water and whisk until combined. The batter will be fairly thin.
- Add the batter to the prepared cake pan. If making a layer cake, try to measure each cake as equally as possible, or use a kitchen scale for best results.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes for a sheet cake, 32-37 for layer cake, or until a toothpick comes out clean. All ovens are different so just keep an eye on it.
- Let cool in the pan(s) for about 10-20 minutes, then carefully flip onto a cooling rack. They should slide right out, then peel off the bottom parchment paper and flip back so they’re upright.
- Let cool completely before frosting.
- To make the buttercream, add softened/room temperature butter to a bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a handheld mixer and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Beat in the sifted cocoa powder.
- Beat in the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time until your desired consistency is reached. Finally, beat in the milk and vanilla until well combined.
- Frost the cake and add sprinkles if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Comments
-
Hello and thanks for this scrumptious looking recipe! Can you tell me what conversion you used for the gf flour quantity? Thanks!
-
I’m not sure what you mean by that. Do you mean a conversion to metric?
-
Plan on making this as a sheet cake. Would that work. Temp/cooking times?
-
yes! Same temp, I’d start with about 25-30 minutes and adjust from there.
-
-
-
I made this cake for a little boy’s birthday party and it was a hit! The kids loved it and no one could believe it was gluten free. The cake was moist, not at all dense, and had a delicious chocolate flavor. Your recipe made his day!
-
Love it! Thank so much, Lisa!
-
-
Hi, looking forward to making this. Do you know if “plant milk” butter (non dairy) would work for the buttercream?
-
Yes, a non-dairy butter is fine for the buttercream!
-
Delicious! I don’t bake often (first time sifting and yes, it is important to wait for the cake to “completely cool” before frosting) but this was fun! I made it gluten and dairy free. Look forward to making it for another person’s birthday. Thanks for your responses, I read every comment.
-
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks, Margaret!
-
-
-
-
Today I made the best gluten free chocolate cake ever, thanks to this recipe.
Freaking delicious and way easier than I thought it would be! My oven runs hot, so I only cooked the layer cakes 29 minutes..
-
Thank you for this recipe!! This cake is delicious and was so appreciated by my GF family and you cannot tell it is gluten free. I work hard to find recipes that don’t sacrifice flavor and texture and this cake fits the bill, and then some! It got rave reviews on thanksgiving and was requested by my non-GF daughter for her birthday!
My only substitution was espresso instead of coffee.
Don’t waste your money on a GF box cake! This is simple to make and tastes divine!
-
I’ve been looking for a good cake recipe for my sister’s birthday. She has a severe gluten allergy and a gluten free cake during the holidays can be pricey. This recipe and its maker are truly a godsend, 10/10 would recommend! Thanks for your beautiful mind!!!❤️
-
Amazing!! Thank you, Isabella!
-
-
I made this for my son’s 25th birthday and let me tell you: This is the stuff dreams are made of. I did make a few changes: in the cake, instead of milk, I used 1c buttermilk and omitted the vinegar. This gave the cake a more tender crumb and depth of flavor. For the frosting I replaced the milk with two shots of fresh cooled espresso (4T). I’m not usually a big cake fan but this recipe has made me a convert!
-
Best GF chocolate cake I have ever had. If I was given this in a blind taste test I would never guess it was gluten free. Five stars!
-
Thank you, Noah! Makes me so happy 🙂
-
-
Not fully sure what happened. Didn’t have any chocolate taste. I used this recipe because it used so much more cocoa than other recipes. I’m guessing it has to do with not having accurate measurements. A Cup of flour for one can vary greatly. That’s the only thing I could think of!
Another issue maybe is that you’re pouring the coffee/boiling water into an already filled bowl. Classically they say the boiling water can help “activate” the cocoa. Then again, my coffee wasn’t boiling or really hot for that matter because it was specified. Super bummer-
Sorry it didn’t work out for you! What cocoa powder did you use?
-
-
I tried a few gluten free recipes and one of my favorites was one made with cooked garbanzo beans. I was short of those today so I decided to google for glutenfree recipe cake instead of grocery shopping. I am so happy I was too lazy to drive! This recipe is amazing! I am making a cake for work and wish it wasn’t for work. So I am driving to the store anyway because I want to make one for my family and I am out of gluten free flour! This cake is fluffy and moist and doesn’t need frosting. It’s much less dense than garbanzo bean cakes, and won’t make us gassy (side effect of garbanzo bean cakes I don’t like). This is going into our family recipe book.
-
Love it! So glad you found something that works for you. I’ve never tried a garbanzo bean cake, but I’m intrigued now!
-
-
I would like to make cupcakes from this recipe. How long should I bake them?
-
I’d start with 16-18 minutes and go from there!
-
-
It turned out so good! Definitely one of the best gluten free cakes I have had and my family loved it too! It made a bigger cake than I expected but who doesn’t love leftover cake??
-
What size did you make? So glad you loved it!
-
Delicious! I covered the chocolate buttercream with sieved icing sugar for a winter birthday cake! I put it into two 8″ tins and they baked at 35 mins spot on. Very dubious about the coffee but it worked really well, thank you!
-
Ohh that sounds beautiful! Thanks, Stephanie!
-
I made this for my birthday yesterday and it was fabulous! I used Anita’s gluten free flour and baked it for 35 minutes. I was a little worried how thin the batter was but I was glad it was noted in the recipe to expect thin batter because I was thinking of adding more flour. It didn’t taste gluten free and was so easy to make. Thanks for the recipe!!
-
The thinner batter helps make it a bit fudgier! So glad you loved it, thank you!
-
-
-
-
The cake was good. Moist it taste like a fudge brownie.
-
Thanks, Linda! So glad you enjoyed it.
-
-
This cake came out so nice ! Wish I could share a picture ! Got loads of compliments 😊didn’t feel like a GF cake at all ! I used boiling water instead of coffee and made more buttercream (x1.5). Also buttercream was a bit stiff so I added more oat milk to thin it 🙂 thanks for the recipe !
-
Feel free to tag us in a photo on instagram! Would love to see 🙂
-
-
First time making GF cake and this recipe was perfect! super easy and delicious
-
So happy the first time was a success! Thanks for trusting me!
-
leave a comment and rating