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Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

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

You won’t know it’s gluten-free! It’s my favorite gluten-free chocolate cake recipe and it will be yours too.

And it makes the best gluten-free birthday cake!

a slice of gluten free chocolate cake on a white plate in front of a chocolate cake

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

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

It’s simple, uses minimal ingredients, and it bakes up quick.

I often find that gluten-free cake recipes are complicated or call for a kazillion ingredients (ok, not a kazillion – 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.

I need gluten-free cake recipes to be simple, have less than 15 ingredients, and require two bowl 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.

a top down view of the side of a chocolate cake topped with raspberries

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

We were tired of having to hunt down ingredients and even more tired of recipes failing.

Chocolate cake was one of the things we missed the most. Not flour-less chocolate cake, not 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.

We tried a couple of gluten-free chocolate cake mixes (mind you, this was seven years before this post) and weren’t satisfied. Most of them tasted like grass.

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

a slice of gluten free chocolate cake on a white plate with a fork and raspberries

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, you have to follow the recipe.

So many people comment on recipe posts saying that they made a ton of substitutions and the recipe didn’t turn out.

Other than the dairy substitute, I haven’t tried other substitutes in this recipe. If you use substitutions, you are doing so at your own risk.

Second, you want to mix at the right time and not over-mix. When you are beating the oil, sugar, and eggs you’ll want 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.

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.

a straight on view of a chocolate cake topped with chocolate frosting and raspberries on a white cake stand

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.

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.

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

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 uses the same ingredient as this chocolate cake.

 

Why did my gluten-free cake sink?

There are several reason why cakes sink, one is from over beating the batter and adding too much air. Also, cakes often will sink when there is too much moisture.

This is more common 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.

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

a pinterest pin with a photo of a slice of gluten free chocolate cake on a white plate with a fork and raspberries

This gluten-free chocolate cake recipe is a family favorite.

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).

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 back by here and let me know what you thought!

Yield: 1 2-layer cake

Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

a close up of a slice of gluten free chocolate cake on a white plate with a fork and raspberries

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

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 38 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 3 minutes

Ingredients

For the cake:

For the frosting:

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.

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
© Chrystal
Cuisine: American / Category: Desserts

a pinterest pin with a photo of a chocolate cake on a white cake stand with the words easy gluten-free chocolate cake in text at the top

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Hi Crystal,
    Can this chocolate cake also be halved for a smaller cake as your Birthday Cake can? Thanks, Janice

    Reply

      • Crystal, Thank you for these awesome looking desert recipes. I first want to make the chocolate cake and I only saw you use powdered sugar in the cake and frosting. Is that correct that there is no granulated sugar or any sugar substitute except for powdered sugar that is added?

        Reply

          • It doesn’t have to. This recipe works with or without xanthan. I’ve used my flour blend without xanthan and Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 which has xanthan.

            Best,
            Chrystal

          • I just want to say thank you so much for this recipe. My sister and niece have a lot of food allergies and yesterday was my sisters birthday so I wanted to make her a surprise cake mind you I’m not a cake or sweets person so I’m not the sweets baking type lol I came across your recipe and you had great reviews so I gave it a try and it was an extreme success. Everybody was shocked how great the cake was saying you can’t even tell it’s gluten and dairy free. It made my sisters day so thank you again for sharing this recipe.

      • I’ve been GF since 2012 and this absolutely is the best GF chocolate anything I’ve eaten, ever. It’s super easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly and used high quality 100% cocoa powder (unsweetened, of course) and it’s amazing. I like a lot of frosting, so I think the frosting needs to yield about another half cup of frosting, but it is totally delicious. Thank you!

        Reply

    • Literally the best cake I’ve ever made! I needed a chocolate cake for a trifle I was making… The only thing I did different was add 1 tsp of Mint extract. I’ll be keeping the recipe bookmarked for future use!

      Reply

      • Made this cake for my nephew’s birthday with homemade apple sauce as egg substitute, and it was delicious! My brother in law said it was the best cake he’d ever had, which is amazing considering there was no gluten or eggs! Definitely saving this for future use. For milk I used buttermilk, and instead of hot water I used hot coffee (a game changer in chocolate cake).
        I do have a question though, if I wanted to make this again in cupcake form, how would the baking time and temperature change?
        All the best and thanks for sharing the recipe!

        Reply

        • Hi Leah,
          I am so glad everyone loved it. Thank you for sharing what you used. For the cupcakes, it’s the same temp, just a lower baking time. Spoon batter evenly into cupcake wells. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

          Best,
          Chrystal

          Reply

  3. This is definitely the best recipe for GF chocolate cake I’ve found. Thank you!! Am wondering, if you bake in just 1 pan, how long do you bake for? Thanks

    Reply

  4. Hi Chrystal, i was wondering if i could use cacao powder instead of cocoa and if i would then still need the hot water.
    Many thanks
    Chloe x

    Reply

  5. This is by far the very best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. The texture is perfect and not crumbly. I was afraid it would be considering I did not use a 1 to 1 GF blend and after I had taken the cake out I realized it didn’t have xanthin gum and thought it would come out all crumbly, but it wasn’t and it held together beautifully (for some reason…). Here are a few tips I do to be assured of a light textured cake:
    For best results for a light textured cake is to beat the eggs for 5 minutes and set aside in another bowl. Combine the rest of the ingredients except for the baking powder and soda and mix until blended. Let mixture rest for 25 minutes for the flour blend to absorb well with the liquid and then turn on oven to preheat for 5 minutes while adding the eggs and baking soda and powder & mix well for about another minute to blend. Pour into rectangular glass pan for 34 minutes at 325 degrees. Glass pans always require a 25 degree lower temperature than metal. Resting the flour mixture and adding in the whipped eggs and leveling last makes for a light cake. Hope this helps especially bakers who are new to gluten-free baking.

    Reply

    • Thanks for sharing Cheryl! You don’t need xanthan gum in every recipe. It acts like a binder and it’s most helpful in recipes that are higher in fat like pie crust and cookies. It’s also a shelf stabilizer, so it helps baked goods stay good a couple days longer.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  9. Hey Crystal,
    I was just wondering what gluten flour blend of yours you specially used in this recipe, thank you I am very excited to try it!!

    Reply

  10. Hello Chrystal. 3 questions: I live in a high humidity area, can this affect how my cake bakes? Also, I cannot find Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 GF flour, what other common GF flour may I use? Finally, can I make a successful chocolate roll using this cake recipe? Thanks in advance for your feedback.

    Reply

    • Hi Mickie,
      High humidity may effect it. Just watch the cooking time for doneness and let it cool completely before frosting. For flours, some of my readers have used different flour blends. Check the comments and see what’s working for other people. I don’t recommend Namaste or Bob’s All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (I know you said you couldn’t find the 1-to-1, but the all purpose doesn’t work).

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  12. Hey Chrystal! Have you baked this in a Bundt pan before? I wanted to try it and just wasn’t sure if I’d need a larger recipe and how to adjust the cooking time.
    I saw your recipe for chocolate Bundt cake but my son is dairy free so I can’t try it due to the sour cream. Thanks!

    Reply

    • I haven’t baked this particular cake in a bundt cake pan. For my other bundt cake recipe, you can use dairy-free yogurt in place of the sour cream, to keep it dairy-free. You can also leave out the chocolate chips.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  13. Hi Chrystal,
    I want to try this cake for a trifle I’m making for thanksgiving and was wondering if I can substitute the granular sugar for coconut sugar? Thanks!

    Reply

      • Hi Chrystal,
        It worked!! I made it last night with coconut sugar and lactose-free milk and it turned out amazing!! I loved loved the texture!!! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. It will for sure be my go to one for any time I have to back!

        Reply

  14. Hi! My husband just started cooking/baking as a quarantine “hobby”
    he made your chocolate cake for me as his 1st attempt at GF baking….it was the most delicious dessert I’ve had since I can remember….thank you!!

    Reply

  15. Made this cake as per recipe, I used canned coconut milk and a 1 to1 flour blend my wife makes. It came out awesome. Will become our go to cake recipe. I haven’t had many cakes since I went gluten-free years ago. I believe this is better than gluten cakes. Thank you for the recipe

    Reply

  16. This was the best gluten free cake! So moist. Great chocolate flavor. I used your gluten free flour recipe without the gum. Thank you

    Reply

  17. I made this cake yesterday and it was amazing! The texture rivals any “regular” wheat cake I’ve ever had. Tastes yummy too and so easy. I’ve been looking for a good cake recipe (g/f) for several years and finally, here it is! Thank-you

    Reply

  18. My sister’s birthday is on Christmas and my brother in law has a gluten sensitivity. This will be the first gluten free baking attempt I have made and am excited to try it. Since it doesn’t matter which kind of milk is used could I a ratio of milk and irish liqueur or kahluah as long as together it amounts to one cup? Thanks!
    jaime

    Reply

    • Hi Denise,
      I haven’t personally made a yule log with this cake, but I think it would work. I’d use half the recipe and bake the cake in a 9×13 jelly roll pan or rimmed baking sheet. Line the pan with parchment paper and bake until the top just starts to spring back when gently pressed, 10 to 12 minutes (the top might still feel a little tacky). Do not overbake or the cake will crack. Place a clean dish towel on a large wire rack. Dust with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar. While the cake is still hot, loosen the edges from the pan, then turn out the cake onto the towel; carefully remove the parchment. Dust the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar. Starting at one of the long sides, use the towel to tightly roll up the cake with the towel inside. Position the cake seam-side down and let cool about 1 hour. When you are ready to add the filling, carefully unroll the cooled cake and spread evenly with the filling, leaving a 1/4- to 1/2-inch border on all sides. Re-roll the cake, using the towel to help you. Cover the cake roll with parchment paper and then tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours.

      Reply

  20. Thanks so much for such a great recipe! This was the first birthday cake I made since we went gluten free in august (husband and oldest diagnosed with celiac). I made your flour blend and it came out great! Youngest wanted a rocky road cake so I mixed mini marshmallows and pecans into chocolate ganache and put it between the two layers and covered it with vanilla buttercream per his request. Came out great!

    Reply

  22. Wow!!! I mean WOW!!

    I’ve been GF for 5+ years and DF for 4. Being a former caterer & baker (gift to all my sisters for their weddings were their wedding cakes) learning I was allergic to gluten, wheat and almonds was a devastating blow, but my return to health was worth eliminating. I gave up all baked goods, bread, pastas, you name it until Christmas 2019, when I started experimenting with making my own oat flour for cookies. Didn’t care much for most GF blends, as 1) most contain almonds, and 2) everything came out dry, gritty and dense.

    Still hadn’t found a cake recipe that worked…Until now.

    I made this for hubby’s birthday last night. Hubby and kids were blown away! Seriously, he moaned with delight (I haven’t made him a cake in years).

    Used Earth Balance sticks for icing. No one believed it wasn’t my classic butter cream.

    Still need to make one final adjustment to eliminate all my allergies (egg whites), but not super concerned as I have had great success with aquafaba in mayo, cornbread, and waffles, so will try it here. Just didn’t have any last night. [Thinking I may do combo of applesauce and aquafaba???]

    This being said, I did make a few tweaks based on my classic Devil’s Food recipe:

    1. Reduced sugar from 2 cups to 1.5 cups of which .5 cup was dark brown sugar
    2. Stayed with 2 cups of flour based on this recipe (normally only use 1.5 cups of flour)
    3. Added 2 tsp espresso powder to the boiling water (one of my bakery secrets)
    4. Added generous pinch of Ceylon cinnamon to dry ingredients (another bakery secret)
    5. For milk I whisked together 1/3 c plain cashew yogurt, 2/3 cup cashew milk and 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar

    I sifted flour first, then measured by spooning into cups.
    Combined all dry ingredients, including sugar, then sifted 2x.
    I beat the eggs for 5 minutes on high (almost peak stage) then added other liquids and beat for another 1 minute till super frothy.
    Combined dry and wet, 1/3 at a time and barely mixed, only till fully incorporated. [When I saw that batter was still very liquid I smiled as this is a clue for Devil’s Food moisture. ]
    Poured batter into two 8 inch round pans lined with parchment. Let sit for 10 minutes before putting into oven and baked for 32 minutes.

    Perfection!!

    Thank you so much Chrystal for sharing.

    This made a milestone birthday without the big party we had originally planned, so very special for my husband after such a trying year.

    Reply

  24. Hi Chrystal,

    Could I use almond or oat flour instead of the gluten-free blend? I haven’t experimented a lot with different flour types because I get nervous about messing up the consistency and texture of recipes.

    Reply

  25. This is no doubt the best cake I have eaten. It is better than the cake from the nearby gluten free bakery. I have baked it several times and friends that are not gluten free love it. Thank you for sharing the recipe.

    Reply

  26. I am so impressed by this recipe! I made this with a non-dairy vanilla frosting and nobody could tell it was sans gluten or dairy. A wonderful birthday cake that my brother could finally enjoy. Thank you!

    Reply

  27. Great recipe. Just made today for me daughter’s birthday. Everyone loved it. I was nervous after adding the water to the batter as it made the batter really thin… but it baked up perfectly. So moist. Thank you!

    Reply

  28. All of our children have Celiac and it is nice to have a god chocolate cake recipe. We have used it many times. Thank you for sharing it.

    Reply

        • I keep replying and I’m not doing a good job. Here are the measurements for half.

          FOR THE CAKE:
          3/4 cup granulated sugar
          1 cup all purpose gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1)
          1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
          3/4 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
          3/4 teaspoon baking soda
          1/2 teaspoon salt
          1 large egg, room temperature
          1/2 cup milk (or dairy-free milk)
          1/4 cup vegetable oil (or oil of choice)
          3/4 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
          1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (3 oz.) boiling water (for activating the cocoa)

          Reply

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