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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
This gluten-free chocolate cake recipe is also in my cookbook, “Sweet & Simple Gluten-Free Baking; Irresistible classics in 10 ingredients or less!” 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!
Happy Baking and Cooking,
Chrystal
Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
This easy gluten-free chocolate cake is super simple, and has the perfect texture.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 1/2 cups (320g) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (285g) all purpose gluten-free flour blend
- 3/4 cup (75g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (6g) gluten-free baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (8g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt (6g)
- 2 large eggs (110g), room temperature
- 1 cup milk (260g) (or dairy-free milk)
- 1/2 cup (110g) vegetable oil (or oil of choice)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (4g) gluten-free vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (150g) boiling water (for activating the cocoa)
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter (or dairy-free butter)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (4g) gluten-free vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 1/2 cups (450g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (40-60g) milk (or dairy-free milk)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Position rack in center of oven. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until there are no visible clumps.
- Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer on medium speed for two minutes.
- Stir in boiling water.
- Spoon batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for 35 to 38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack.
- 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.
- Frost cakes.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
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 slicesServing Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving:Calories: 407 Total Fat: 14g Saturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 8g Cholesterol: 40mg Sodium: 347mg Carbohydrates: 66g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 49g Protein: 4g
Helen Snow says
I just made this with King Arthur gluten free flour which is my favorite. It came out beautiful! Thank you for sharing. I have celiac disease and have tried many recipes and this is the best!!
chrystal says
Hi Helen,
I am so glad you like this cake! Thank you for letting me know, and for sharing which flour blend you used.
All my best,
Chrystal
Terry Vaich says
I was able to print out gf chocolate cake, don’t have 2 round pans, can I use 9×13 greased, floured pan, serve Fromm that And 1/2 frosting, what temp and time, thanks so much
chrystal says
Hi Terry,
You can bake this cake in a 9×13. Grease the pan, bake at the same temperature but start with 35 minutes. Watch for doneness from there. You can half the frosting recipe.
Best,
Chrystal
Samantha says
Can I substitute cacao powder for cocoa powder?
chrystal says
Hi Samantha,
I haven’t tried it in this recipe, but it should work.
Best,
Chrystal
Samantha says
I don’t bake with much sugar, if I put weigh less sugar in this will it still turn out?
chrystal says
Hi Samantha,
I’m not sure if this will work with less sugar, I haven’t tried it. You could start by reducing it by 1/3 cup.
Best,
Chrystal
Kammi says
I used coconut sugar (as I don’t eat refined sugar) and it turned out amazing!
chrystal says
Hi Kammi,
I’m so glad! Thank you for letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Karla says
Can I add an extra egg or two to this recipe? And can I use buttermilk in place of regular milk?
chrystal says
Hi Karla,
I haven’t used extra eggs in this recipe but buttermilk should work just fine.
Best,
Chrystal
colette says
I am doing this gluten free cake for my granddaughter it’s my first time trying something like this I must have done something wrong it’s very liquid putting it into the tin please
Advise
chrystal says
Hi Colette,
The batter should be a little runny, but not super runny. How did you measure your flour? How did it turn out?
Best,
Chrystal
Angela says
Hi, would this cake be able to be covered with fondant?
chrystal says
Hello Angela,
Sorry for the late reply, I was traveling. I haven’t personally tried this recipe with Fondant. If you decide to experiment and use fondant please let me know how it turns out 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Lynnette says
Best cake and icing recipe I have ever made! I really recommend this cake.
chrystal says
Awe, thank you so much Lynnette. I am thrilled that you loved it!
Best,
Chrystal
Lydia says
I didn’t have very good luck with this recipe. It is absolutely delicious and the texture was good but it fell to about an inch high but the edges were high.
I tried again and the same thing happened, it overflowed in my oven, rose wonderfully and fell in the middle. After it cooled, it broke on me and crumbled like crazy.
I do live at 6200 feet and wonder if altitude had anything to do with it. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
chrystal says
Hi Lydia,
I absolutely think it’s your elevation. I talk about this above the recipe, in my post for the gluten-free chocolate cake. 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. If you want to give this recipe a try again I suggest cutting down on the baking powder and baking soda. With that elevation, I’d do a 1/2 teaspoon of each.
I hope that helps,
Chrystal
Lynn says
Usually, my gf cakes turn out just too heavy!
This recipe, however, create the perfect cake that I know I’ll make again and again!
Thanks so much, Chrystal!
chrystal says
Hi Lynn,
I am so glad you like it! Thanks for taking time to stop by and let me know 🙂
All my best,
Chrystal
Haylee says
Can we make make these as cupcakes and if so how long would we bake them for.
chrystal says
Hi Haylee,
I have a cupcake version for you 🙂 https://www.glutenfreepalate.com/easy-gluten-free-chocolate-cupcakes/
Best,
Chrystal
Casey says
This was an awesome recipe- needed a last minute cake!! Only thing I changed was 1/2 cup coconut milk mixed with 1/2 cup water- I needed a cup of the milk for the icing I made and I made 2 shots of espresso and then added boiling water to it to 3/4 cup. It was fantastic!!! I also used the president choice gf flour blend (I’m in Canada) from superstore!
Thanks again
chrystal says
Hi Casey,
So glad you like it! Thanks for sharing what flour blend you used. I sometimes add espresso too 😉 So good.
Best,
Chrystal
Amber says
I made this for my husbands birthday today and it was amazing. I am not gluten free and I don’t think I would have been able to tell that this was gluten free if I hadn’t been the one to make it. We loved it and it is for sure a keeper for sure. I used namaste flour. Thank you for such a great recipe.
chrystal says
Hi Amber,
I am so glad you and your husband liked this cake (happy birthday to him). Thank you for stopping by and letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Lexi says
I’m planning on making this cake for a friend this weekend but cannot find the king Arthur blend thats been recommended I am not gluten free so I dont want to buy a large quanity of ingredients for a one time use, do you have suggestions on what flour blends would work with this recipe I live in CA…
TIA
chrystal says
Hi Lexi,
Some readers do use King Arthur, but I developed this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend (not gf all purpose). Can you get the 1-to-1 in your area?
Best,
Chrystal
Angel says
Can I bake this is one 8″ pan and layer it myself? I usually do that with all my cakes. Please let me know when you get a minute. I can’t wait to make it for my daughter’s bridal shower next weekend.
chrystal says
Hi Angel,
Yes, you can bake it in two 8″ pans, it won’t fit into one. Just watch the time for doneness.
Best,
Chrystal
Kelly says
Hi, I was hoping to make this with 3 8inch pans, how would you adjust the recipe?
chrystal says
Hi Kelly,
Just lower the time by about 6-8 minutes and watch for doneness from there.
Best,
Chrystal
Whistler says
Outstanding, moist and just enough sweetness, not too much.
I’ve never had better chocolate cake, gluten free or not. I made a half batch, using King Arthur gf flour blend and a 9″ cake pan because I didn’t have 8″.
I did not make the icing, perhaps next time as this is now my go-to gf cake recipe.
chrystal says
Hi Whistler,
I am so glad you like it. Thank you for taking time to stop back by and let me know, and share which flour blend you used.
Best,
Chrystal
Donna says
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for the well written instructions. The cake turned out phenomenal and was a huge hit with our gluten intolerant daughter.
chrystal says
Hi Donna,
I am so glad you liked this cake recipe! We made it this weekend for my daughters birthday. It’s always a favorite.
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a review!
Best,
Chrystal
Erika says
Have you tried it with coconut oil as the vegetable oil?
chrystal says
Hi Erika,
I haven’t used coconut oil in this recipe, but I have in other cake recipes. It should come out nice, just make sure the coconut oil is melted and cooled (so it doesn’t cook the eggs).
Best,
Chrystal
SS says
Made this yesterday for my daughter’s bday (she eats gluten free). I followed the reccipe exactly. Cake taste was great! however, slightly over baked. Next time I will try 3-4 minutes less in oven. I realize all ovens are different! thanks for a great chocolate cake recipe.
chrystal says
I’m glad you liked it! Yes, oven temperatures vary and sometimes you’ll need to adjust the cooking time. I’m happy you were able to still enjoy it.
Best,
Chrystal
Pearl says
Hi there, I was wondering what you used as your dairy free substitute? I’m looking forward to trying the recipe!
chrystal says
Hi Pearl,
We like to use almond milk.
Hope that helps,
Chrystal