The Best Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe

This gluten free chocolate cake recipe is rich in chocolate flavor with a tender-moist crumb, and with the perfect amount of sweetness. Lathered in homemade vegan chocolate buttercream frosting, this is what chocolate layer cake recipe dreams are made of!

This Gluten Free Chocolate Cake is everything a perfect chocolate cake should be – rich, moist, fudgy, and honestly the best chocolate cake you will ever eat. I’ve tried numerous different chocolate cakes over the years, and tested this recipe 3 different times to perfect it!

This cocoa-based cake is deeply chocolatey and incredibly moist. It REALLY surprises me how good it is for something so easy.

It is a great emergency chocolate cake to have in your repertoire for special occasions, last-minute visitors, or urgent Friday night chocolate cravings. You could also transform these into gluten-free chocolate cupcakes with a chocolate ganache for birthday parties to share with more people instead of a birthday cake.

If you have ever seen the movie Matilda you will surely remember the scene where the boy is forced to eat the most delicious looking rich chocolate cake ever. I feel just like that boy when I eat this cake.

This is seriously the best chocolate cake recipe, and is an absolute must for all chocolate lovers. The richness of the chocolate combined with the moist crumbs, it’s just one of those amazing recipes you want to make over and over again.

I have not tested this recipe with egg substitutes, if you are looking for vegan and gluten free chocolate recipes I recommend trying my Healthy Homemade Vegan and Gluten Free Twix Bars and my Homemade Vegan and Gluten Free Snickers Chocolate Bars.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR THIS EASY GLUTEN-FREE CAKE RECIPE

You will need the following ingredients listed below to make this rich cake (the exact measurements and full recipe are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post):

• Soy Milk – Almond milk, coconut milk, or any dairy-free milk will work. Regular milk if desired.
• White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
• Vegan Butter – use vegan butter for a dairy-free option, however it’s not necessary.
• White Sugar – can substitute for coconut sugar if you don’t want it as sweet.
• Eggs – we need both the egg yolks and the egg whites in this recipe.
• Vanilla Extract
• Gluten Free All-purpose Flour – I used Bob’s red mill, just ensure your gluten-free flour blend has xanthan gum in it. King arthur flour will also work as a good gluten free option.
• Natural Cocoa Powder – pro tip, use a high quality coca powder for best flavor.
• Baking Powder 
• Baking Soda 
• Salt 
• Boiling Water
• Icing Sugar – this is for the vegan chocolate frosting.
• Optional – fresh raspberries, dark chocolate chips, coconut oil, maple syrup, extra melted chocolate, heavy whipping cream, etc. 

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE

MAKE THE CAKE

Make your buttermilk by combining the non dairy milk with the vinegar. Set aside to let thicken.

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two 8 inch cake pans.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the vegan butter with a hand or stand mixer. Cream in the white sugar and continue beating, then add in eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift together gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined. Pour in hot water and mix together.

The batter will be thin – this will create a moist cake.

Pour cake batter evenly into each pan using a rubber spatula. Will be just under 2 3/4 cup batter in each pan.

Bake for 30-34 minutes, watching the cake carefully so it doesn’t over bake.

To check if it’s fully cooked, quickly open the oven door and insert a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done.

Allow cake to FULLY cool on cooling rack or wire rack before frosting.

Place the second cake on top of the first cake, ensuring it’s completely centered. Apply a very thin layer of frosting to the top and sides of the cake (this will be your “crumb coat”).

This acts as a glue so the cake crumbs do not come off while you are applying the thick layer of frosting. Place in fridge for 20 minutes.

MAKE THE FROSTING

In a large bowl cream the vegan butter using an electric mixer or stand mixer. Add in 1/4 cup dairy free milk, the icing sugar one cup at a time and the vanilla slowly.

Then add the cocoa powder. If icing is too thick, add the remaining 1/8 cup milk (you will most likely need it).

Place the first cake down on a cake stand or plate and frost the top of the cake. This will be the middle layer of frosting – be generous!

Place the second cake on top of the first cake, ensuring it’s completely centered. Apply a very thin layer of frosting to the top and sides of the cake (this will be your “crumb coat”).

This acts as a glue so the cake crumbs do not come off while you are applying the thick layer of frosting. Place in fridge for 20 minutes.

Remove from refrigerator and continue icing the cake as you normally would and count on your trusty crumb coat to keep your cake surface from getting into your frosting. It’s a beautiful crumb-free thing. ENJOY!

HOW TO STORE THE EASY GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Both the cake and the chocolate frosting can be made ahead. Allow the cakes to cool completely, and place each layer into a freezer bag or large airtight container wrapped in plastic wrap.

Freeze the cake layers for up to one month.

To frost the cake, simply remove from the freezer and allow to thaw in the refrigerator. Then, frost the cake once it has completely thawed.

Store the cake at room temperature on the counter. You can also store in the fridge if you need it to be kept fresh longer.

This gluten free chocolate cake recipe is so moist that it does stay fresh for a long time!

NOTES AND TIPS FOR THE BEST GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE

• MEASURING GLUTEN FREE FLOUR TIP – if you scoop your gluten free flour using a measuring cup, it will compact the flour and can add up to 25% more flour than you intended. For best results, spoon the gluten free flour into the measuring cup and level off with a knife.
• BUTTERMILK is an absolute MUST because it gives it the best texture and taste. It steps your cake up a notch and really adds a melt in your mouth texture!
• USE BOTH BAKING SODA AND BAKING POWDER – this will allow the cake rise fully! Gluten free baking is always a bit tricky, and homemade cakes never puff up as much as boxed cakes.
• SIFT the dry ingredients into a large bowl first to get rid of any hard lumps caused during storage, while getting more air into the mixture. Cocoa powder especially ALWAYS needs to be sifted as it always has lumps and nobody wants chunks of cocoa powder in their cake bites!
• DON’T OVER BAKE YOUR CAKE – this is arguably the most important tip in making cakes! You also don’t want to under bake it, or it may sink slightly in the middle.
• FREEZE YOUR CAKES SLIGHTLY BEFORE ICING – this makes the cake cool faster, and also makes the icing process much smoother! It will make the crumb coat process easier because crumbs won’t be coming off everywhere in your icing!
• CRUMB COAT when icing your gluten free chocolate cake recipe, this acts as a glue so the cake crumbs do not come off while you are applying the thick layer of frosting. I like to refrigerate my cakes after I add the crumb coat, then continue layering on the frosting after!

IS THIS CHOCOLATE MIXTURE VEGAN?

No, it’s not a vegan chocolate cake. It’s gluten free & dairy free, but it does contain eggs in the recipe.

CAN YOU MAKE THIS INTO A FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE?

No, unfortunately you cannot make this into a flourless cake. If you want to achieve that perfect texture you must follow the recipe as is.

CAN YOU SUBSTITUTE ANOTHER FLOUR FOR THE GLUTEN-FREE ALL PURPOSE FLOUR?

I have not tested this recipe with another flour. Stay away from coconut flour and almond flour for this gluten free chocolate cake recipe.

Other Delicious Sweets Treats You May Want To Try!

• Gluten Free Chocolate Glazed Donuts (Tim Hortons Copycat)
• 3 Ingredient Funfetti Cake Pops
• 4 Ingredient Vegan Rice Krispie Treats
• The Best Ever Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake w/ Cream Cheese Icing
• Homemade Dunkaroo Dip (Funfetti Cake Batter Dip)

IF YOU TRIED THIS EASY RECIPE PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND A STAR RATING. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR CREATIONS! YOU CAN PIN THIS RECIPE ON PINTEREST OR SHARE ON INSTAGRAM BY TAGGING @basicswithbails and #basicswithbails