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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:

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 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!

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

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I’ve now made this 3x since our stay at home order began. I have a daughter with a wheat allergy and GF baked goods are just not as good and since we couldn’t order, I tried to make something myself. I used 1 for 1, ghirardelli cocoa and buttermilk instead of milk. This time I used canola oil instead of veggie oil. Absolutely recommend using buttermilk and honestly canola oil was better as well. No aftertaste and just as delicious, if not more delicious, than a regular gluten cake. Thank you!

    Reply

    • I made this cake for my husbands birthday. It looked beautiful and the icing was delicious. The cake is very dry and tasteless though. I followed the recipe as carefully as possible. It was disappointing. Not sure what went wrong?

      Reply

      • Hi Hilary,
        It shouldn’t have been dry or tasteless. What flour blend did you use? Did you add hot coffee or hot water to activate the cocoa? Did you substitute anything?

        Best,
        Chrystal

        Reply

  2. Just made and having with whipped cream Good texture and taste great My husband is celiac intolerant and doesn’t give compliments but he says very good I will keep this recipe I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Thank you!

    Reply

    • I love this recipe, it’s really delicious. I got diagnosed as celiac 2 years ago and was a big cake Baker. I loved chocolate Guinness cake and could not for the life of me find a recipe that even resembled this. Until now that is. Thank you for beinging this ake to our attention.

      Reply

    • Hi I’ve just made this cake and it smells delicious however it seems like it’s just going to fall apart. Was I supposed to add extra xantham gum? Or just what was in the mix. Thanks

      Reply

  3. Hi Crystal,
    I made this cake last week….I know you said ‘substitute at your own risk’ but I had no choice! Im in Spain and it is sooo hard to get Bob’s Red mill (and I miss it very much), so I used a blend of rice, corn flour and a weeeeee bit of chickpea (confinement and I had nothing else)….But Ooooooh my great Goodness….What a cake!!!!! I have been baking since I was a nipper and GF for 8yrs now and this is the Best…most moist and truely scrummy chocolate cake I have ever made!!!!!!! We are a family of 5…and this cake didn’t last 5 minutes!!!!! Thank you so much…it is on my fav recipes list XXXxxxxXxxxxx

    Reply

  4. Love this recipe, my daughter and husband are gluten intolerant and we struggle to find tasty recipes that taste as good as the gluten filled recipes. You will not know this is gluten free and if you also use almond milk its dairy free also. Best Ever! Also I used NAMASTE gluten free flour blend and recipe turned out perfect. Bonus-it really is easy -my 14yr old makes this all the time, no difficult steps to follow and turns out every time.

    Reply

  6. Can I mix this up the night before and bake it the next morning if I wait to add the hit water?

    Scott

    Reply

    • Hi Scott,
      You can mix up the dry ingredients, and then add the wet ingredients in the morning before you bake it up. If you mix it up and wait to bake it, the levening agents wont be able to do their job in helping the cake rise.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

    • This cake was phenomenal! I am quite impressed. I made it for my roommate’s birthday, and since I rarely bake, I get intimidated about gluten free recipes, but this was easy and the first try was a smashing success. thank you!

      Reply

  7. I used almond flour and used brewed hot coffee instead of the boiling water and it was so good! Coffee brings out the cocoa flavoring in cakes!

    Reply

    • Hi Malia,
      You can bake it in a 8 1/2 by 13. You don’t need to change the recipe or quantities. Spray your baking pan with oil, and pour the batter into it. Bake for 30 minutes, but then watch for donness from there. You want the center to be set, but cakes continue to cook for a few minutes when taken out of the oven.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  9. I just want to say THANK YOU for this recipe. I made the cake for my mother-in-law’s birthday yesterday and it was a hit, she loved it and so did everyone else. My son, the chocolate cake connoisseur, declared it delicious and undectable as gluten-free. And it was insanely easy. This will be my new go-to chocolate cake recipe for any occasion.

    I did use Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose because I had an unopened bag already, and added 2 tsp of xantham gum. I doubled the frosting recipe (it didn’t seem enough for a layer cake, plus more chocolate frosting is always better!), but stopped at 6 cups of powdered sugar (instead of the 9 cups the doubled recipe called for) because the frosting at that point was so good, like a rich dark chocolate. My husband and kids tasted it 6 cups in and put the brakes on more sugar, saying it was sweet enough. I easily used all the frosting on the layer cake, so recommend a doubled recipe for you chocolate gluttons. I do suggest tasting the frosting as the powdered sugar gets added, because you may want a richer chocolate flavor that comes with less sweetness. I didn’t notice any issues with Bob’s Red Mill in this recipe, the cake’s texture and flavor was outstanding.

    Thanks again! I will be trying your lemon cake recipe next!

    Reply

    • Hi Jen,
      I’m so glad everyone loved it, and that the all purpose worked for you. Please note that some of my readers have had issues with the all purpose in my lemon cake. It reacts with the lemon and delivers less than optimal results.

      Thank you for stopping back by and for sharing!

      Chrystal

      Reply

  10. I was very impressed with this recipe! I am a caterer and one of my clients has a gluten allergy. Her husband ordered a birthday cake for her. I used Red Mill 1 to 1.
    I doubled the recipe so I could have extra batter for cupcakes.
    I used my own frosting to fill the layers, then used a ganache over the top. I know this cake will be enjoyed, thank you!!

    Reply

  11. Hi, sounds like a good recipe! I would like to make now, but only have approx half cup white sugar.
    Would it cause a problem to use one cup turbinado/demerara with it?

    Reply

    • You can use your 1/2 cup of white sugar with 1/4 cup of another sugar, like brown sugar or turbinado sugar for a total of 3/4 cup.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  12. Fantastic recipe! Made this cake in an 8-1/2 x 13 pan for my daughter this weekend and it was moist and delicious, a big hit! Many thanks for sharing. Looking forward to trying your lemon cake recipe this summer.

    Reply

  13. I’m the only one in my family that eats gluten free and I made this cake yesterday for my daughter’s birthday and everyone absolutely loved it. I followed one of the comments and added boiling coffee instead of boiling water to activate the cocoa and it tasted amazing. The cake turned out moist and the frosting was SO good.

    Reply

  14. Hi, I don’t know what I did in this recipe, but it exploded in my oven! I decided to put it on a lower temperature and it burnt, I have to admit though the icing was really good, if you could explain to me why this happened that would be nice, nobody else seemed to have had this problem either so it must have been something I did

    Reply

    • Hi Madison,
      I haven’t heard of this recipe exploding. When you say explode, do you mean it rose really high and then spilled over the pan?

      Let’s try and figure out what happened. Can you tell me what flour blend you used and if you are at high elevation? Did you use the correct amount of levening agent? What type of a pan did you use.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

    • Also, I can’t find vaniila essence anywhere as everywhere is sold out as everyone is n=baking as we are still in lockdown in Scotland. Is it okay just to leave it out or is there something else I should use?

      Reply

      • Hi Dorothy,
        You can mix this cake batter with a whisk, but hand. Also, you can leave the vanilla out if you can’t find it.

        Best,
        Chrystal

        Reply

  16. I’m going to do it for my gf birthday, it’s the first time I’m going to baking, so wish me luck!

    Reply

    • You’ve got this. Make sure to use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 (not the all purpose) or my flour blend. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level it.

      Happy Birthday!
      Chrystal

      Reply

  17. I found out I had a wheat allergy last year and been Wheat free since. This is the first Gluten Free baking let alone cake I’ve made that is delicious!! Before my allergy I was an avid baker And really struggles to get back into it. But loved this cake and will definitely make it again. Everyone who tried it loved it and couldn’t believe it was wheat / gluten free!
    Is your cook book available in the UK? Thanks.

    Reply

  18. I’ve made this recipe three times in about 2 weeks. Such an easy and nearly foolproof recipe for this novice baker. I made a practice 9×13 cake, halved the recipe to make 12 cupcakes (plus enough for a mini coquette!) and finally the two rounds. Each one delicious with my picky wife giving rave reviews. Only thing I noticed is that it’s a little dry. Did I overcook it or is this just part of GF baking?

    Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Hi Katie,
      I am so glad you like it. The cake shouldn’t be dry. Cakes continue to cook for a few minutes after you pull them out of the oven. Remove it a few minutes earlier and see if that does the trick.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

      • Hi Stacy,
        I have a chocolate bundt cake recipe that you might be interested but I haven’t made this particular recipe in a bundt cake pan.

        Chrystal

        Reply

  19. One of my grandsons cannot eat gluten, dairy, soy, almonds (so no soy or almond dairy substitutes) or cane sugar (or pecans, blueberries or pineapple). The rest of the family also follows those restrictions as a form of solidarity. I seem to be the default cake baker, and, as you can probably imagine, it has been very difficult to find really good recipes for birthday or other cakes. (It was even worse when eggs were on the proscribed list, but they are now okay.) This cake is a godsend! I sent it for his brother’s birthday and it got nothing but raves. Thank you!
    We have all been in lockdown for three months because of the coronavirus, so I just made a half recipe (there are five in their household) and mailed it. Didn’t make frosting, as I don’t have a VitaMix to powder the beet sugar that I use instead of cane. (I’ve tried using my blender to powder sugar, but it wasn’t great. My small Braun coffee grinder, which I usually use for pulverizing herbs and spices, does a fantastic job, but cannot manage more than 1/3 cup at a time, which makes powdering several cups of sugar a real chore.) Instead, I made lots of raspberry syrup and mailed it with the cake, and the combination was an immense hit. Everyone agreed that they had never had such a good gluten-free chocolate cake, and it’s so easy! I used Bob’s 1-to-1 flour and coconut milk. (I would have used oat milk, because that’s what I usually use when the kids visit, but didn’t want to buy a half-gallon when I wasn’t going to be seeing them for the foreseeable future. It takes up too much room in the fridge.)
    I didn’t get to try the finished cake, but I did taste the batter, and ate the crumbs that stuck to the pan, and — even though I am usually the first to complain when something is too sweet, and don’t buy dressings or peanut butter than contain sugar — I felt it needed more sugar. Most cakes use equal amounts of sugar and flour, so I was surprised that this didn’t. It also may be because I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa. It may also be that beet sugar is not quite as sweet as cane sugar. At any rate, I will probably use more sugar the next time I make this. I will also add decaf coffee powder to the boiling water — and to the frosting, when I can make it with regular powdered sugar.
    I do have one question, though. This cake rises a lot in the middle. That makes it difficult to layer it. Even your photos show it markedly high in the middle than on the sides — much more than “ordinary” cakes. Do you see a way around this? I would sure like the layers to be a lot more level in case I want to decorate them. Even getting them to stick together when they have such crowns must be difficult. (I haven’t yet made a two-layer version, but will for my own birthday, as my son’s family is going to go through quarantine so that they can come to visit me. That’s the only present I want! I will be 76 and my husband is 82, so my son has been very strict about us not visiting them or vice versa because they have a much greater circle of exposure than we do.) I will appreciate any suggestions you might make.

    Reply

    • HI Pam,
      Thank you for sharing. I’m so glad your family loved it. For the centers rising. Mine tend to flatten a bit when cooling, although there is still a little bit if a rise in the center. I typically flip one cake over on a plate, so the risen part is on the bottom, frost then layer the second cake on top. Most great cakes are not flat, and bakeries will cut the top so its flat for frosting.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  20. Hi Chrystal

    Thanks is for this recipe. I made it today and it’s amazing. I can’t always get Bobs flour (I’m in Australia) so I made it with generic GF self raising flour and it was still the best chocolate cake I’ve had in a very long time. I put whipped cream in the middle and it didn’t last long at all. The kids are already asking when I’m making it again!

    Thanks
    Shell

    Reply

  21. This was the BEST cake I’ve ever had! I used Bob Mills all purpose gluten free baking flour and it still tasted AMAZING!!! Also, I made my own cream cheese frosting which went well too.

    Reply

  22. I followed this recipe exactly using Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Flour and the result was fantastic. They rose beautifully and are just as delicious as their gluten filled cousins. Foolproof recipe!

    Reply

  23. This recipe is fab! It looked like a cake and tasted like a cake which makes such a change from some of the terrible recipes we have tried. My son is gluten free and my other son is nut free. Finding good simple recipes that don’t use almonds can be quite challenging. Thank you. Your cupcake recipe is currently in our oven now! We can’t wait to try them.

    Reply

    • I haven’t personally used it but some of my readers have used it with success. Just make sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level it. Let me know how it turns out.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  26. This is the BEST GF cake I’ve ever made. I made it for my sons birthday and it was a hit with the kids and adults alike. Super moist and simply yummy. My kids (8,6,4) made it with me so it’s basically fail proof! I followed the recipe to the letter.

    Reply

  27. I used applesauce as an egg substitute and it turned out great! I highly recommend this if your egg free. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  28. Hello,
    I made this cake today, well actually in the oven now. It seemed like when I was mixing it there wasn’t enough liquid. I followed recipe to a T. It didn’t mix well until I added the hot water. Did you find it thick before adding water?
    Thanks,
    Virginia

    Reply

      • Hey! I’m going to be making this cake recipe tomorrow. There was a shocking lack of GF all purpose flour at the store, so I chose the King Arthur Paleo Baking flour. Will this work and are there any modifications I will need to make? Thank you!

        Reply

  29. I LOVE this recipe!
    This is the juiciest melt-in-my-mouth cake I have ever made. Not only is it the best gluten free cake, it is overall an amazing cake. Super simple and addictive. Thank you soo much for sharing this recipe

    Reply

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