Go Back
+ servings
5 from 44 votes

Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

by: claire cary

This vegan gluten free chocolate cake is rich, made in one bowl, moist and loved by all types of eaters! This is my go-to recipe to impress a crowd or for any special occasion.
/ /
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
14

Ingredients

Wet:

  • 1 cup room temperature non-dairy milk I used almond
  • 1 cup boiling hot water
  • ¾ cup oil I used avocado
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp apple cider or white vinegar
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 1 ½ cups white granulated sugar*

Dry:

Buttercream:

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Line two round 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper and set aside. See notes about using 9 inch pans.
  • Combine the room temperature milk with the vinegar and mix together in a glass. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl (mixing is easier if the bowl is extra large!), sift together the almond flour, all purpose flour and cocoa powder. Whisk in the remaining dry ingredients. The espresso powder is optional, but it really enhances the chocolate flavor. I promise it won't taste like coffee at all!
  • Add in all remaining wet ingredients and whisk together until smooth.
  • Add the batter to the prepared cake pans, trying to keep them as even as possible to ensure even baking.
  • Let sit for 5 minutes.
  • Add to the oven and bake for 34-42 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. You don't want to underbake since the cake will sink in the middle or end up dense, but over-baking will lead to a dry cake, so start your timer at 34 minutes, and add just a couple of minutes at a time until the toothpick has a few crumbs but isn't wet.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool in the cake pans for 30 minutes.
  • Carefully flip onto a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting. I usually stick them in the fridge to cool, which takes about 90 minutes.
  • Prepare the vegan buttercream, then frost the top of one layer, add on the second layer, then frost the top and sides of the cake.

Notes

You can use two 9 inch round cake pans instead, but the layers will be thinner and the bake time will be shorter. Start checking at 25 minutes rather than 32. 
You can use a different sugar (such as light brown or coconut) in place of the white sugar, but I have the best results with the white. If you prefer, you can also decrease the granulated sugar to about 1 1/4 cups instead of a 1 1/2.
For the all purpose flour, I used Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour, which I recommend. You can use other GF blends, just make sure it has xanthan gum. If you aren't gluten free, regular all purpose works too!
Serving: 1slice / Calories: 468kcal / Carbohydrates: 61g / Protein: 8g / Fat: 25g / Saturated Fat: 2g / Fiber: 7g / Sugar: 35g

Did you make this?

Mention @eatwithclarity or tag #eatwithclarity!