Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake – Gluten-Free Palate (2024)

Ready to make my easy gluten-free chocolate cake? It's super simple, and has the perfect texture. So you won't know it's gluten-free!

It's my favorite gluten-free chocolate cake recipe, and I hope it will be yours too.

And it makes the best gluten-free birthday cake!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

Sometimes you just need a little gluten-free cake chocolate cake to get you through the day. That's why I make this chocolate cake recipe at least once a month.

It's simple, uses minimal ingredients, and it bakes up quickly.

I often find that gluten-free cake recipes are complicated or call for a bajillion ingredients (ok, not a bajillion - but a lot). I don't have the time or the brain space to bake up crazy big recipes, or recipes that have tons of steps in them. That's why I made this gluten-free chocolate cake recipe.

It's simple.

And I need gluten-free cake recipes to be simple, have less than 15 ingredients, and require two bowls or less -- otherwise, my kitchen ends up a massive wreck.

You know what I'm talking about, right?

Piles and piles of dishes, all for one delicious thing -- a gluten-free chocolate cake. You might be wondering why it has to be that way. Well, it doesn't.

There are amazing recipes out there, and they don't take forever to make or require you to hire a housekeeper to clean up after you in the kitchen. You just have to look for them.

Give this gluten-free chocolate cake a try, and see what I mean. We often use this gluten-free cake recipe to make gluten-free birthday cake.

Note: Now that the autumn season is here, I recommend checking out our 20 Best Gluten-Free Pumpkin Recipes!

Do you love whipping up delicious desserts in the kitchen, but want to improve your skills? Take this Raw Vegan Desserts Course to become a gluten-free, dairy-free dessert pro!

When my family first switched over to a gluten-free diet, we struggled. Gluten-free recipes were over-complicated, and I got frustrated in the kitchen.

I was tired of having to hunt down ingredients and even more tired of recipes failing.

Chocolate cake was one of the things my family missed the most. Not flour-less chocolate cake, not a chocolate cake made with nut butters, but regular old-fashioned gluten-free chocolate cake.

The kind that is crumbly on the outside, and spongy in the middle.

I tried a couple of gluten-free chocolate cake mixes (mind you, this was seven years before my original recipe debuted here), and I wasn't satisfied. Most of them tasted like grass.

It wasn't until I started creating recipes from scratch that I found my perfect, easy gluten-free chocolate cake.

How to make gluten-free chocolate cake

There are a couple of tips and tricks to getting the right texture with gluten-free cake. First, make sure to follow along with my recipe. So many people comment on recipe posts saying that they made a ton of substitutions and the recipe didn’t turn out. Follow my steps, and you shouldn't have a problem.

Other than the dairy substitute, I haven’t tried other substitutes in this recipe. If you use substitutions, understand that you're starting your very own experiment.

Second, you want to mix at the right time and not over-mix. When you are beating the oil, sugar, and eggs, please make sure to beat it for the time listed.

This adds air which in turn helps the cake rise. Beating any longer will cause the batter to stiffen. That's one of the most common issues, and I find it pretty easy to avoid by sticking with the recipe.

Can I make this gluten-free chocolate cake dairy-free?

Yes, you can make this gluten-free chocolate cake dairy-free. Simply use dairy-free milk in the gluten-free chocolate cake mix and use dairy-free butter in the frosting.

Can I make this gluten-free chocolate cake egg-free?

I haven't tried using an egg substitute in this gluten-free chocolate cake, but a few others have tried it with flax-egg.

If you make it egg-free, please stop back by and let me know which egg replacer you used.

If you don't want to experiment, you could always start with my Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes.

What causes a gluten-free cake to crack on top?

If your temperature is too high, or your cake is placed in the oven too high, your cake may bake up into a high, cracked dome. That's a common issue with any gluten-free chocolate cake recipe. It's also pretty simple to avoid.

Here's why you may see a crack on top of your cake: The heat of baking activates the baking powder and causes it to release carbon dioxide, which forms bubbles and raises the cake.

If your oven is too hot, that process is sped up. Make sure to place your cake in the center, and regularly check your oven's temperature. That will reduce cracking on top, so your dessert looks as delectable as possible once it comes out of the oven.

Some of my favorite gluten-free cake recipes

• Gluten-Free Chocolate Bundt Cake
• Grain-Free Hummingbird Cake
• Gluten-Free Lemon Cake
• Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Ganache Cake
• Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

If you are looking for cupcake recipes, just search "cupcakes" in the search bar on the right. Here is a video of my gluten-free chocolate cupcakes, which use the same ingredients as this chocolate cake.

Why did my gluten-free cake sink?

There are several reasons why cakes sink; one is from overbeating the batter and adding too much air. Also, cakes often will sink when there is too much moisture. I see this most often in humid climates where added moisture can collect naturally in ingredients such as flour.

When this occurs, cupcakes may rise rapidly and then fall during baking.

In higher elevations, the leavening agent works twice as hard and may cause the batter to rise rapidly and sink before it’s had a chance to set up.

Note that these baking tips are relevant to most cake and cupcake recipes, not just this Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake.

This gluten-free chocolate cake recipe is a family favorite. It's the result of a bunch of attempts, and I'm delighted with how it turns out.

I wanted to share it with you so you can find your happily-cake-ever-after.

This gluten-free cake recipe is simple enough that anyone can make it (yes, even the non-baker folks). Serve it with Gluten Free Ice Cream for an extra special treat.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! If you like cake then you'll also love my Gluten-Free Lemon Cake and my Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes.

If you make this gluten-free cake, please stop by here and let me know what you thought!

Yield: 1 2-layer cake

This easy gluten-free chocolate cake is super simple, and has the perfect texture.

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time38 minutes

Additional Time10 minutes

Total Time1 hour 3 minutes

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 ½ cups (320g) granulated sugar
• 2 cups (285g) all purpose gluten-free flour blend (see note about flour blends below)
• ¾ cup (65g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons (6g) gluten-free baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons (8g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt (6g)
• 2 large eggs (110g), room temperature
• 1 cup milk (260g) (or dairy-free milk)
• ½ cup (110g) vegetable oil (or oil of choice)
• 1 ½ teaspoons (4g) gluten-free vanilla extract
• ¾ cup (150g) boiling water (for activating the cocoa)

For the frosting:

• ½ cup (115g) butter (or dairy-free butter)
• 1 ½ teaspoons (4g) gluten-free vanilla extract
• ½ cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 ½ cups (450g) powdered sugar
• ¼ cup (40-60g) milk (or dairy-free milk)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Position rack in center of oven. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until there are no visible clumps.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer on medium speed for two minutes.
4. Stir in boiling water.
5. Spoon batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for 35 to 38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack.
7. For the frosting: In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Add cocoa powder and beat until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Slowly beat in milk. Beat in additional milk if needed, to obtain desired consistency.
8. Frost cakes.
9. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Notes

• Flour Blend: I used my gluten free blend in this recipe and I've used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. I do NOT recommend using Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour. Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour blend has chickpea flour (also known as garbanzo bean flour) in it. Chickpea flour goes rancid rather fast and when it does it creates a dry and sour/bitter flavor. It also does something funny to this recipe.
• When working with or measuring gluten-free flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level. Do not scoop your measuring cup into the gluten-free flour. The best method really is to weight it but I don't have the ingredient weights for all my recipes yet.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. They never cost you extra.

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  Top Shelf Elements Round Cake Carrier Two Sided Cake Holder Serves as Five Section Serving Tray, Portable Cake Stand Fits 10 inch Cake, Cake Box Comes With Handle, Cake Container Holds Pies (Green)

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  KitchenAid KSM150PSAQ Artisan Series 5-Qt. Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield - Aqua Sky

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  HIWARE 8-Inch Round Cake Pan Set of 3, Nonstick Baking Cake Pans with 90 Pieces Parchment Paper, Dishwasher Safe

• 

  Rodelle Organics Baker's Extract 16oz

• 

  Clabber Girl Baking Powder, 8.1 Ounce (Pack of 12)

• 

  Rodelle Organic Baking Cocoa Powder Dutch Processed 25 Oz.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16 slices

Serving Size:

1 slice
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 407Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 347mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 2gSugar: 49gProtein: 4g