The ultimate two-layer gluten-free chocolate cake! It’s incredibly rich, and best of all, easy to bake at home. The cake batter combines gluten-free all purpose flour with cocoa powder, avocado oil, milk (dairy free option below!) and brewed hot coffee. You read that right! Hot coffee is the key to unlocking a mouth-watering moist cake! The 8-inch cake rounds are frosted with the creamiest chocolate buttercream frosting. A perfect gluten-free cake for celebrating a birthday, to serve a a dinner party, or to bake just because! Yields 12 slices.
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
I’ve been making this gluten free chocolate cake recipe for years and I can’t believe I’ve never shared it here! I’ve shared versions of it, like my gluten free chocolate cookies and cream cake. And I made a half batch of it to make my gluten free chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake. I mean, who doesn’t love decadent chocolate recipes?!
A plain old, classic gluten free layer cake? NOPE. What was I thinking?!
Clearly I wasn’t and it’s definitely time to change that because this cake is EVERYTHING. It gets rave reviews every time I make it (which is pretty frequently for birthday cake) and nobody can tell it’s even gluten free! It’s definitely one of our favorite gluten-free dessert recipes in our household!
The great thing about a stellar chocolate cake recipe is that you can do a lot with it. The chocolate cake with cocoa powder is the perfect base for all different kinds of flavor combos you’d like. It really has no limits so you can use your imagination! Topped with homemade chocolate frosting, it’s perfection!
I’ve made a Sourdough Chocolate Cake with the discard from my gluten free sourdough starter. I also turned it into a fall cake and made a Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
This cake recipe is one of those classic recipes that you’ll want to keep on hand, you’ll definitely be making it again and again.
This cake is made with regular milk but it’s easily adapted to be dairy free. Just use unsweetened coconut milk or your favorite dairy-free milk alternative!
Pro tips for making this chocolate cake:
- First of all- Don’t skip the hot coffee! The coffee really helps to enrich the chocolate-y flavor surprisingly.
- Secondly-You can make the chocolate cakes and freeze them until you’re ready to frost the cake.
- Make sure all of the wet ingredients are room temperature.
- I use Rodelle’s Dutch Processed Gourmet Baking Cocoa because I prefer the rich chocolate flavor. Regular cocoa or dark cocoa powder can also be use.
- The frosting makes enough to frost one cake. If you would like a thicker layer of frosting or if you want to pipe any details, I suggest making 1 1/2 batches or doubling the recipe for best results.
- If you freeze your cake layers before frosting, you can often get away with skipping the crumb coat.
Note– Feel free to skip the crumb coat and piping if you’re short on time, that step is totally up to you. The crumb coat just locks in the crumbs so they don’t get into the frosting when you’re trying to spread it.
Key Ingredients for this GF Chocolate Cake Recipe
For the Cake:
- All-purpose gluten free flour (try my Nightshade Free Mix or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free baking flour)
- Xanthan gum (omit this if your blend contains it)
- Granulated sugar
- Cocoa powder (not natural cocoa powder). I use Rodelle’s Dutch Processed Gourmet Baking Cocoa because I prefer the rich chocolate flavor. Regular cocoa or dark cocoa powder can also be used.
- Milk- Whole milk is best but any milk including unsweetened dairy-free milk can be used.
- This recipe used to call for buttermilk, but after extensive testing and feedback, I’ve updated the recipe to use regular milk to help keep the center of the cakes from sinking.
- Hot coffee
For the Frosting:
- Butter, softened (or 1 cup vegan butter)
- Powdered sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy whipping cream
How to make this Gluten Free Chocolate Cake from scratch
How to make the chocolate buttercream frosting
- First, add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until completely smooth.
- Next, add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and mix on low to combine.
- Then, mix in the vanilla extract and heavy cream.
- Turn the mixer to a medium-high speed and beat for 1-2 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Finally- frost the cake as desired!
What types of frosting can I use?
For frosting, I made a simple homemade chocolate frosting. If you’re making this dairy free, frost it with my vegan chocolate frosting.
Another great frosting option is Nutella Buttercream Frosting. As a result, it gives a wonderfully nutty flavor with a nice, smooth chocolate flavor. I promise you’ll love it! And I linked to my Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting above (which is fabulous).
I suggest making a double batch of frosting so you can do a proper crumb coat to lock in those cake crumbs and then frost it with a good thick layer of creamy, dreamy chocolate frosting. You’ll probably even have a little bit extra for piping if you want to get fancy.
Which gluten free flour blends work best with this recipe?
I highly recommend to use my Nightshade Free Flour Mix in this recipe. This cake recipe also works well with both my White Rice Flour Blend and the Brown Rice Gluten Free Flour Mix.
I have also tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour with great results.
Measuring your gluten free flour blend- the right way!
I REALLY recommend you follow and sign up for this free guide on how to properly measure your flour blends. This is a step that is often overlooked but is super important! If you follow this guide, it will increase the quality of the recipes that you bake. I guarantee it!
How do I make this GF chocolate cake dairy-free?
Simple! First, be sure to use a dairy-free milk alternative, such as coconut milk. Secondly, make sure to use a vegan frosting. I highly recommend you try my recipe for vegan chocolate frosting. It’s delicious- and super easy to make!
Delicious and moist homemade gluten free chocolate cake with coffee
Let me know in the comments who you’ll be making this moist cake for and if it’s for any special occasions! And if you’re making it for yourself, I won’t judge! But if you ARE looking for a mini cake, I’ve got you covered with my mini chocolate layer cake. Enjoy!
be sure to follow me on instagram and hashtag #whattheforkfoodblog or tag @whattheforkfoodblog – i love seeing what you make!
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Moist & Rich Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose gluten free flour
- 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend contains it
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups cocoa powder*
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup milk 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk or your choice of dairy-free milk
- 1/2 cup avocado oil or canola oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot coffee
For the Frosting
- 1 cup butter softened (or 1 cup vegan butter)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
To make the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 2 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper and spray that parchment paper with non-stick spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift together the flour, xanthan gum, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Use the paddle attachment to mix the dry ingredients on low speed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until completely combined.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and pour in the hot coffee. Mix on low until incorporated.
- Pour the batter (it will be very thin and pretty liquidy) evenly between the two pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes. (Mine take about 37 minutes.)
- Cool the cakes on a wire rack (in the pan) for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the cakes from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
- When the cakes are cool, prepare the buttercream.
To make the chocolate buttercream:
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until completely smooth. Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and mix on low to combine. Mix in the vanilla extract and heavy cream.
- Turn the mixer to a medium-high speed and beat for 1-2 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Frost the cake as desired!
Video
Notes
- I currently use my Nightshade Free Flour Mix in this recipe. It also works well with both my White Rice Flour Blend and the Brown Rice Gluten Free Flour Mix. I have also tested this recipe with Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Mix with great results.
- *I use Rodelle's Dutch Processed Gourmet Baking Cocoa because I prefer the rich chocolate flavor. Regular cocoa or dark cocoa powder can also be used.The frosting makes enough to frost one cake. If you would like a thicker layer of frosting or if you want to pipe any details, I suggest making 1 1/2 batches or doubling the recipe.
- If making this dairy free, you can frost this cake with my favorite vegan chocolate frosting.
-
For freezing the unfrosted cakes:
- Firstly, wrap the chocolate cakes tightly in plastic wrap.
- Next, freeze on a sheet pan 4-6 hours and then transfer to freezer safe bags.
- At last, when you're ready to bake with them, make sure they are fully unthawed (4-6 hours)
- Firstly, slice the the cake into individual pieces first.
- Then, freeze individual slices on a sheet pan lined with wax paper.
- After frozen solid (4-6 hours), wrap in plastic wrap and transfer to freezer safe bag(s).
- Finally, thaw for at least 4 hours when you're ready to enjoy the slice of heaven!
- Cake adapted from Ina Garten.
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information
Disclaimers
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Facts are estimated and aren't always accurate. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist if you have special dietary needs.
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Modified Recipe
I made this cake with oat milk and Krustez GF flour.
The big change was using
1 cup sugar
1 cup Splenda
measure 4 measure
325° 45 min 9″×13″pan
The cake was about half way between normal and pound cake.
Frosting was a bodge of 1 tub frozen No Sugar Cool Whip that I mixed on low to a soft serve ice cream consistency and ~1/3 c Natural no stir Peanut Butter to make a spreadable topping.
Very good results and a low sugar tasty treat for my diabetic husband’s birthday.
Thank you for sharing the alternative sugar adjustments you made.
This cake is amazing! It has become a family favorite 🙂
Thanks so much Julie!
Hi, can this recipe can be used for cupcakes?
I prefer to use this recipe for gluten free chocolate cupcakes: https://www.whattheforkfoodblog.com/2024/07/17/gluten-free-chocolate-cupcakes/
Stupendous! Made for my husband’s birthday and he loved it. Due to a strange issue with my round cake pans, wound up making this as 13×9 and it rose quite high and didn’t collapse. I had both King Arthur measure for measure and Pillsbury GF flour so I used some of both. Also had some superfine baking sugar so split the sugar with regular granulated. Before starting, I did see notes about buttermilk but since it’s usually my magic charm, I used half buttermilk and half leftover evaporated milk. Overall, the cake is not too complicated and this will now be my go to instead of boxed mixes.
Thanks for sharing, Leeann!
I have made this cake and shared this recipe countless times because EVERYBODY LOVES IT! I’ve never made anything that gets such rave reviews. I would ask if it’s possible to include a mention that the recipe used to call for buttermilk (and it can still be used of course) because bakers like me are afraid of changes that might alter the taste of the original. I appreciate your explaining to another reviewer why you did it though! Thank you for creating such a beloved cake recipe for our family and friends.
Thanks for sharing, Sandy! I’ll add that to the recipe notes 🙂
I’ve been searching for a cake like yours. I’m excited to try this but I’m wondering about tweeking the coffee? She wants a mocha cake so I’m wondering if I brew a dark blend or even espresso would it enhance the coffee flavor? I worry about creating too much “bitter” though. Perhaps, I’d need to pull back on the dark cocoa? Have you tried anything like this? I’m going to paruse the site, I haven’t looked too far yet, and this is the closest I’ve found. If ypu manage to see and answer my questions. Thank you in advance. 😊 I plan to give this a try if I can’t find another recipe I time, and I’ll be back.
You could use a dark blend coffee and it wouldn’t be too bitter. You could also try adding a teaspoon of coffee extract to the batter to enhance the coffee flavor. I don’t recommend reducing the cocoa powder.
Delicious, super-moist chocolate cake. Frosting looks light, but has a rich chocolate flavor. Next time I will make 1.5 batches of frosting for a crumb layer. So good!😋
Thank you, Lori!
Everyone, I mean EVERYONE loves this cake!! Thank you for such a delicious cake and so simple to make.
You’re welcome! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe so much!
Found this recipe a few years ago and haven’t made another chocolate cake since! So good and very reminiscent of my mom’s “chocolate quick cake” from my growing up days. The original used buttermilk but it’s great either way! I have used coconut milk since my grandson is dairy free! Still perfect! And make my homemade frosting with coconut milk as well! Yum!
My husband can’t tell the difference and I often make it in a brownie pan – basically square cupcakes with a dollop of icing on top and they look so elegant! I have served them SO MANY times at different events and they are gone so quickly!
Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback, Andi!
This was the first gluten-free bake I attempted and I still come back to it because it never fails! I make it dairy-free also and would love to see more recipes like that.
Thanks so much, Laura! Many of my recipes have a dairy free option but if you see one that doesn’t, just let me know and I can make a suggestion for you.
Hi Shay, planning on making this cake one day before serving. Why freeze the cake layers as opposed to refrigerating them? First time making this. Looks so good.
Hu Jayne, you don’t want the cake to dry out in the refrigerator!
Has anyone tried this with a Bundt or 9” rounds? What changes were made to accommodate that if so?
Thanks!
I’ve used 9-inch rounds. They bake a few minutes faster.
My wife and I thought this recipe had buttermilk in it rather than regular milk. Are we imagining that, or did you update the recipe? We get requests to make this cake with the Nutella Buttercream icing from all of our gluten free friends/family!
Hi Matt, you’re not imagining it! It did originally call for buttermilk but I updated it because I, and others, have had more success with the center not sinking when using regular milk or dairy free milk instead of buttermilk. If you prefer the buttermilk version, feel free to use it!
I get lots of complements whenever I use this recipe for cake or cupcakes and people do not even realise it is dairy and gluten free. I am a bit nervous about stacking more than 2 layers as it is quite dense. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much Laura!
Literally THE best chocolate cake (gluten free or not). Will absolutely be my go-to gluten free cake recipe.
Thanks so much Lauren!
This cake is amazing but the past 2 times I have made this my cake tops and sides have turned out very dry after cooled. I baked as directed and checked with a toothpick for doneness. What am I doing wrong? The first time was perfect and so good!!
Hi Alexis- have you checked the temperature of your oven to make sure it is accurate? If not, buy a cheap thermometer, let the oven preheat for at least 20 minutes and take a temperature reading. Let me know!
I’ve made this numerous times for family celebrations and it’s always a big hit. Do you have any time and temp recommendations, if I want to bake this in 6” pans? Thanks!
Thank you Judy! I made this as part of a 6-inch ice cream cake and baked it at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
You can get the full recipe for that here:
https://www.whattheforkfoodblog.com/2015/04/02/chocolate-peanut-butter-cup-ice-cream-cake/
Hi, how do I update the recipe to make a larger rectangular cake?
Can I just double the recipe? is there a specific cake tin size that you recommend?
Thanks!
No need to double the recipe. Bake it in a 9×13 pan for 30-35 minutes 🙂
Do you think buttermilk can be used instead of milk?
Yes, but I recommend regular milk
Love this cake and make it often for birthdays as well as shared it with others to make too. My son has a friend with an egg allergy so wondering if anyone has tried flax eggs as a sub in this recipe. Thanks!
I have made this cake at least a dozen times and everyone loves it!!! Everything about it is amazing
Thanks Ericka!
Hi how would I go about doubling this recipe ?
Can this recipe be used for cupcakes? I have a wedding rehearsal coming up and a few people there are celiac. If it can be used for cupcakes do you think about 20 mins should do it for baking time?
I recommend using this recipe for cupcakes: https://www.whattheforkfoodblog.com/2018/05/19/best-recipe-for-gluten-free-chocolate-cupcakes/
Did anybody else’s cake completely cave in the center? I’ve made this cake 3x (because it is DIVINE), but it sure ain’t pretty. I’ve made it in two rounds and tried it in a 9×13. I grossed it with ooey gooey chocolate ganache and made a fresh raspberry filling. Seriously, absolute heaven. Wish I could get it to come out evenly!
If you are using coffee in the recipe, use regular milk instead of buttermilk like I originally had. There may have been too much leavening agent!
Hi Sharon,
I am hoping to make this for my sister’s wedding as the gluten free option. I might have totally missed you writing this but is it OK to freeze this cake ahead of time? my plan is to make everything before hand.
Look forward to hearing from you! Olivia
Yes you can Olivia!
Help! My cakes are moist and delicious, but they fell. I’m at 5300 feet and need some guidance with adjusting to altitude.
Try using King Arthur High Altitude baking guide on their website!
Literally the BEST gluten free chocolate cake I’ve ever made/had. It was sooooo light and fluffy, amazing texture. Please, whatever you do, do not skip the coffee. It gave it an amazingly rich and deep flavor. Oh and the frosting! One of the best chocolate buttercreams I’ve ever made. I don’t like American buttercream because it’s usually too sweet, but this one was perfectly rich and delicious. Almost tasted like a whipped dark chocolate ganache. What makes this recipe even better is that it’s as easy as it can get. I baked mine in three 6” cake pans to get a nice 6” tall cake. Filled with Nutella and mini chocolate chips and covered in the above chocolate buttercream recipe.
Cake sunk completely and followed the recipe exactly. Even double checked as I added each ingredient. Not sure why this would be an issue. Temp and type of baking pans were the correct also.
If you are using coffee in the recipe, use regular milk instead of buttermilk like I originally had in the recipe card. There may have been too much leavening agent!
Sorry if you’ve been asked this already. Have you gotten any feedback on making this with regular flour. I have made it many times with GF flour and love it. But I’m making it for someone and don’t want to waste my expensive GF flour.
It would work just fine, just omit the xanthan gum 🙂
Have you tried it with Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer? We have an egg allergy in the family, but really want to try this cake/
I haven’t tested it with that, but it may work. If you do try it, let me know how it turns out!
I be am curious if this cake will hold up under carving as I am making an Air Jordan cake with some sculpting? Thank you.
It may be a bit tricky, but try and let me know!
can I just remove the Gum indgredeient or will it ruin the cake?
If you’re making this cake gluten free, you’ll need the xanthan gum. However, if the gluten free flour blend already contains xanthan gum, you can omit what I called for.
Do I have to use baking powder and the gum product for the cake?
I answered your question about the xanthan gum in a previous question. And yes, you need the baking powder because it helps the cake rise.
My granddaughter and I made this today because she’s been asking for cake all week. It’s fantastic! It was loved by everyone including non gf family! Thanks for another delicious recipe, your recipes never let me down.
I needed a cake for my youngest son’s birthday and my daughter in law is the only gluten intolerant person in the family so I try to make sure I find gluten free recipes so she doesn’t feel left out. When I saw all the great reviews I knew I had to try this one out. I WAS planning on making cupcakes out of it but I saw a couple reviews that suggested against it – which tbh didn’t make much sense. I’ve been baking for over 50 years now and I’ve found a cake is a cake is a cake no matter how or what shape its baked in. I ended up using a 9″ round pan (cut the recipe in half since there’s only 6 of us). I baked this on Friday using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour and it turned out amazing! I covered it well overnight and frosted it the next day. Today there was one slice left and it was still nice and moist! I used my family’s “special” frosting that my mother used to make when we were children and made it mocha flavor. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! Thanks for your kind words Jane!
This was absolutely the best gluten free cake I’ve ever had! The flavor and texture is wonderful and the layers are high and light. Thanks for this recipe.
This quote is from the party I served this cake at “this is the best chocolate cake I ever had”. Everyone loved it! Made 1.5 times the recipe since I had 2 9×9 pans. Subbed regular sugar for coconut sugar, used coconut milk with vinegar. Used instant coffee to make my cup. Followed this recipe exactly. Will make again. I did not make the buttercream though.
That’s great Fatimah!
What do you do if you don’t like coffee or worse, have a coffee allergy?
You can use hot water in place of the coffee 🙂
Seriously now this is the BEST chocolate cake gluten free or not! Thank you!
You’re welcome!
I’d love to try make this but don’t have buttermilk! Any chance Greek yogurt or cream would work?
I would stick to using regular dairy milk if you have it
Hey! I know this is an old recipe, and I know this might sound like dumb question, but is it also almond free? I don’t see anything that WOULD include almonds, but I wanted to double check.
Hi Michael! Older recipe yes, but still one of my most popular for good reason! This recipe is nut free. Just check your flour blend and make sure almond flour isn’t an ingredient. I highly suggest using my flour blend though, it’s spectacular in baked goods!
Best gluten free flour blend: https://www.whattheforkfoodblog.com/2016/01/14/nightshade-free-gluten-free-flour-mix/
Hands down the BEST GF Chocolate cake!!! I have made 7 different GF cakes and this one….wow!!!!! I skipped the frosting and did a simple powder sugar water glaze instead:)
Thank you Sherri! I’m glad you finally found a cake you love!
Simply delicious! I used 1 cup of plain yoghurt instead of buttermilk since I did not have buttermilk.
We celebrated our daughters 50 birthday with your cake. It was delicious!! I have eaten other gluten free cakes that were dry and not very good. This was a hit and we all ate more than we should. It’s cake for breakfast now. Thank you so much
Happy 50th birthday to your daughter! I’m so glad you were able to celebrate with a cake you all enjoyed!
This cake is AMAZING! Best gluten free thing I’ve ever made. Period. Girl ily and im excited to try alll your recipes
Thanks Rileigh!!
Hey I followed the recipe exactly and am now stuck with the smell of burnt cake because my 2 8-inch cake pans were NOT big enough for this amount of batter, and I ended up having to put a pan under them to catch the uncooked cake as it spilled over the edges. Maybe put a note about this on the recipe? Otherwise enjoyed it. 🙂
Are you baking at high altitude by chance? I’m on the east coast and never have issues with there being too much batter and I’ve baked this well over 100 times.
This is a go to recipe! I was skeptical the first time I made the cake due to it being gluten free, but it is the absolute best chocolate cake I have ever had. I constantly get asked to make it by friends and coworkers. It’s a blessing and a curse because now I am always having to bake it!
Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback, Bradley! I’m so glad everyone is enjoying it as much as we do!
I have made this cake multiple times now. It is my go to Chocolate Cake! My daughter ask for it for her birthday and she is not even GF. Definitely the best GF chocolate cake I have ever made.
Quick question, have you ever substituted the sugar? Like monk fruit sugar, or coconut sugar? It is so expensive to try and fail, that I would love to know from others first if it is worth giving it a shot.
Wow! This is one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had, period. And I’m a food snob. The cake was easy to make and a super rich moisture with a delicious buttercream frosting.
Honestly, no one in my 15 person family gathering last night knew that it was gluten-free, in any shape, way or form.
I am recently gluten-free. Therefore, when I want dessert at a family function, it’s up to me to make.
THIS CAKE IS SO GOOD!!!! Don’t even hesitate to make this recipe if you like chocolate. I served it with cookies and cream ice cream for those who love ice cream with their cake, red wine with those who love wine with their cake and decaf coffee for those who love coffee with their cake. THANK YOU!
I made this cake for my friend’s dad and he absolutely loved it. I used coconut milk and made a dairy free coconut frosting and then covered it with shredded coconut. I made it as cupcakes also and tried one. Very good cake! I saved the recipe so I can make it for other gluten/dairy free friends.
Thanks for recipe!😊
Can I use coconut or almond flour?
Not in this cake, sorry. It would take quite a bit of tweaking and adjustments to get it to come out right.
What kind of butter do you use in the frosting?
I prefer Kerrygold Unsalted Butter.
Have you every made this recipe using ‘flax egg’ instead of egg, then making it vegan? Thanks
I haven’t tried this with an egg substitute.
Shay a crazy question for you. I am an experienced baker and was making this cake for the first time. After placing the 2 8 inch pans in the oven; about 10 minutes in the centers kind of exploded leaving a crater! I never had that happen before. Then they sort of became level with a rough center edge. I thought fine, I can disguise that with frosting. Cake pick came out clean in 36 minutes but when they cooled they sunk again. Can you please help me figure out why. I used your brown rice flour blend and eggs and buttermilk were at room temperature. Appreciate your thoughts.
If you are using coffee, use regular milk instead of buttermilk. (I updated the recipe card) There may have been too much leavening agent! Let me know how it turned out.
This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had! Ever!
I’ve searched far and wide for a cake recipe I could enjoy, (I’m allergic to gluten.), and this. is. it. It was fudgey AND fluffy – and the frosting was heavenly.
I used 3 six-inch pans instead of 2 eight-inch pans and everything turned out fine.
This recipe is the holy-grail of chocolate cake!!!
Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback, Vivi! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and making it in 3 6-inch pans is a great option!
When people that do not have celiacs fix gluten-free baked goods for a gf friend aren’t they concerned about cross-contamination? I had to replace virtually ALL of my cooking utensils when diagnosed with celiacs and wouldn’t have dared to use my stand mixer again (too many places for previous flour dust to hide). I would LOVE to understand, please help.
Yes for preparing food celiacs you should use separate utensils, cutting boards etc for cross contamination concerns.
Have made this cake 3 times. It is wonderful. We live at 6,500 feet so I adjust several recipe items and it comes out great. I only have 9″ pans which makes the cake a little shorter. What adjustment would be needed to have the 9″ pan layers come out as high as an 8″ pan layer? Do not know if it is worth buying 8″ pans if the recipe can be adjusted. Anyway, I am not going to stop making this cake. The best I have found after years of cooking gluten free.
Try checking out King Arthur’s high altitude baking guide on their website.
I am not an avid baker but absolutely believe a Birthday requires a cake. Evidence shows that a GF diet has improved health in our household in distinct and clear measures but as amazing as the cake smells, I have made yet another birthday cake that comes out of the oven with a dent and then collapses further as it cools. I’ve made enough cakes and all of them are coming out this way. Please for for the sake of my vanity, can you make a suggestion what I can do differently?
Also – I must admit I exchanged half of the sugar for brown sugar with the belief it is less processed (but who knows!)
Thank you
If you are using coffee in the recipe, use regular milk instead of buttermilk like I originally had in the recipe card. There may have been too much leavening agent in the original recipe!
This looks so good, I can’t wait to try it!! Quick question – if I’m not worried about the height of the cake, will the cake still be moist enough if I use two 9 inch round pans? Should I decrease the cook time? I can’t find 8 inch pans anywhere so I would greatly appreciate any tips for using 9 inch pans. Thanks!!
Yes, you can use two 9-inch pans. Baking time will likely be between 30-35 minutes. You can also bake this in a 9×13 pan for 30-35 minutes.
Hi! I’m wondering if I go the coconut milk route (I have a lot at home), will it make the cake taste like coconut? I’m thinking of making this for my husband’s birthday on Friday. We love coconut rice but I’m not a huge fan of it in desserts…especially since I was going to make your peanut butter frosting too. If we are better off tracking down some buttermilk, let me know. Thanks in advance!
I use unsweetened coconut milk beverage all the time when baking and it doesn’t make baked goods taste like coconut. Canned coconut milk has a stronger flavor and can give a coconut taste to your baked goods. You can also use regular milk with vinegar instead of buttermilk.
Honestly best cake ever – family asked is this really GF?! I did a vanilla buttercream frosting and we decided it taste like an oreo! Making it for second time! So much love for your recipes!
I do not leave reviews. I have been celiac for 30 years and had given up on a good chocolate cake. They were either dry or gummy, called for ingredients I didn’t have on hand. But my daughters birthday was here and I thought I’ll try one more time. Oh my goodness! It was delicious! It was so easy to make, so wonderfully delicious that even the members of my family not celiac, loved it! Do not be afraid to try this cake. I promise. you will not be disappointed.
Thanks so much for This recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this Susan!! Thanks for the positive feedback!
Hi ! When you say 1 cup hot coffee , what does that mean- 1 whole cup of ground coffee beans or coffee mixed with hot water ? If it is the latter, how much coffee do I add in the water ? Thanks
It is coffee mixed with water, like when you brew a cup of coffee to drink. Just follow the guide on your coffee maker and use the amount of coffee beans/grounds that use you for a regular cup of coffee!
This has been my go-to cake recipe for the past few years. Have tried others, but none compare. Tonight I’m baking them as cupcakes for my son’s birthday.
This cake is so good! Easy to make too. I used a vanilla frosting instead of chocolate and it was fabulous. Thank you for the recipe.
So good!! Best chocolate cake ever! So moist and delicious! I used my own flour blend equal parts brown rice, potato starch, cornstarch, tapioca starch, and Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder.
I just made this cake last night .. had it today and was very happy .it was nice and moist love this recipe thanks for sharing .
You’re welcome, Susan!
OMG… Made this tonigh for my daughters 6th birthday because I’m gluten free. And OMG. Hot damnnnn this was good. Will be making again. 🥰💖
Thank you Tara! Happy 6th birthday to your little girl!
I am the only one in Fam that has sensitivity to gluten. I just made this for my Birthday, I love chocolate.
My Bobs flour did not have Xanthan gum, I searched for a substitute, used corn starch but could not find the ratio. Cake made 2 thinner rounds. Is that they way they should be? I hope it tastes good. Nice frosting.
Should I refrigerate for tomorrow?
Thanks
If you used 9-inch pans instead of 8-inch, they’ll be thinner. If your cake is fully frosted, it can be refrigerated overnight. If it’s not frosted, wrap the cake layers tightly in plastic wrap and freeze overnight. Take them out the next morning, frost them frozen, and let the cake thaw at room temperature until ready to serve later in the day.
This is the finest Chocolate Cake recipe EVER. The fact that it is gluten free tastes matter of fact and NOT like a re-worked recipe! I made this for my husband’s birthday worrying that I would not be able to pull off a gluten free alternative that tasted like a celebration! It was amazing. I have tried some of your other recipes and all of them taste wonderful. Thank you.
Made this cake today for my birthday. OMG it was awesome!! I added the coffee, hoping there would be no coffee taste – as I hate coffee. Couldn’t taste it at all! This will be my new go-to chocolate cake recipe. Absolutely delicious!!! Thank you!!!!
I have made this 2 times. We love it! Today, I made one for my niece who is diabetic. I used Lankanto sugar. I used less of that sugar as well . For some reason it did not rise as much as in the past. I hope it tastes good. Do you have any idea why it didn’t rise as well. I followed exactly, except for sugar.
Thank you, Hope
Hi Hope, try using regular white milk instead of buttermilk, especially if you are adding coffee. Let me know!
Great cake. Substituted 1/2 cup Truvia for the sugar. Used LF milk with a stab of lime juice, to curdle it. Didnt make icing as we are trying to cut down on sugar consumption. Light. Fluffy. Moist. Ate with sugar free-lactose free ice cream tonight. BOOM! Cake for dessert. It was heaven in our mouths. Be doing this again…
Thank you for sharing your sugar free sub!
Thank you so much for this recipe! This is , hands down the best cake I’ve ever made . I’ve only begun my gluten free journey recently, so I’ve had many all purpose gluten full cakes, and this is so much better. It’s moist, chocolatey , rich and oooooh so yummy!
You’re welcome, I’m so glad you enjoyed it as much as my family does! I hope you get a chance to check out some of my other gluten free cake recipes, they’re all amazing too!
OMG, I can’t believe how awesome this cake is (if I do say so myself 😉) made it for the first time today for hubby’s birthday shout at his office. First time I’ve made a from scratch GF cake that actually worked out. Even got a woah! from the teens. thankyou so much for the recipe. I used the nightshade free flour mix and made nutella buttercream for the frosting. Need to make another cake for home now as kids want one…
Thank you Carolyn! I’m so glad it was such a big hit! Great choice for frosting too!
I like alot of people was searching for a gluten free chocolate cake for my partner. This was so easy to make, I was skeptical of the coffee but you need it to make it pourable into the pans and I did research and the coffee brings out the Cocoa. I made the cake and froze it over night, let it defrost the next day for 3 hours and my partner couldn’t believe the taste. All she could say was “Oh My God!, Oh My God!” as she ate each bite. I found my go to recipe for GF Chocolate Cake. I used the Bob’s 1 to 1, Herseys Dark Cocoa powder and a chocolate/espresso ganache recipe from Bon Appetit.
Thanks for the feedback, Kyle! Happy to hear how much you enjoyed it!
My cake is sinking in the middle and not finishing baking. Any suggestions?
If you are using coffee in the recipe, use regular milk instead of buttermilk like I originally had in the recipe card. Also, make sure your oven temperature is accurate using a hanging thermometer.
My wife has Celiac but I do not but for my birthday I made this cake so she could eat it too. My only changes to the recipe were that I used Peanut oil (as that is what I had on hand) and I made my own buttermilk with whole milk and sour cream as I wasn’t going to buy a quart of buttermilk for one cup 🙂 I used Bobs Red Mill GF flour mixture and added an extra 1/2tspn of Xanthan gum. This cake was hands down the BEST GF chocolate cake I have ever tasted and I dare say it rivaled most regular non GF chocolate cake mixes. I will have to look, but I am hoping Shay has a white cake recipe that’s as good. I used my own chocolate fudge icing recipe. I had only planned on having a slice or 2 as it was my birthday. My wife only had 3 slices so it looks like I will be finishing it off myself 🙂 Happily I might add!
Happy birthday Adam! I’m so glad you were able to enjoy this cake with your wife!!
Can you use coconut oil instead of avocado or canola?
Just be sure to measure your coconut oil when it’s melted.
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday as her BF is gluten-free.. He said it was the best cake he’d ever eaten, and all of us “gluten eaters” agreed. I used Cup 4 Cup flour. I might suggest, though, that the toothpick test is a little unreliable as the cake is so moist and fudgey. Just check that the sides have pulled away from the pan and give it a few extra minutes. SO GOOD!!!
Thank you Nan, happy to hear how much you all enjoyed it! Happy birthday to your daughter’s BF!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I made it today and it was better than expected! It’s super moist, light , and fluffy! My daughter wants a chocolate cake for her sweet sixteen party and this is going to be THE cake for her special day! I used King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Flour, it’s perfect! And it doesn’t have that sandy texture some GF flour blends have when you eat it.
Thanks for the feedback – Happy Sweet 16 to your daughter!
I’m making this cake ahead to use a couple of days from now. What is the best way to store it?
The best way would be to freeze your cake layers until you’re ready to frost.
The best damn chocolate cake I have ever made or eaten! I have made it 3 times in the past 2 months. I use Raw Cacao in place of the Cocoa, in the batter and frosting. I also love the strong coffee addition. It is truly worth the calories and doesn’t make me ill like a glutinous cake would. Thank you for the recipe, and thanks for who you are and what you do.
You’re welcome, glad to hear how much you enjoy it! And thanks for the info on using raw cacao!
Awesome cake. Do you know how many carbs is in one serving?
Can I use coconut sugar instead of cane sugar?
And do u have these measurements in grams?
Thank you
I havne’t tried this recipe with coconut sugar so I can’t tell you for sure. In my experience, coconut sugar can make baked goods a little drier.
Best chocolate cake hands down!
Thanks Katie!
This cake turned out so much better than I ever expected! Even after reading all of the wonderful comments-which is exactly why this is the recipe I chose when my daughter who has recently become gluten free for health reasons requested chocolate cake for her 20th birthday.
Instead of frosting, she requested this https://pin.it/sy5h5vjoyd4vn4 poke cake and it turned out amazingly good! So happy and even her gluten loving dad enjoyed it. https://photos.app.goo.gl/31WJY9JcQ24EgDxJ8
Thanks for sharing!
That’s great to hear Jenny! Happy belated birthday to your daughter!
I was wondering if there is both baking soda and baking powder in this recipe because the video for it only says baking soda and it also shows it being hand mixed in a bowl instead of a mixer like the written recipe states. Is that a different recipe even though it shows the end result cake as the same as above? Thank you!
Hi, looks like an editing issue on the video, sorry about that! Please follow the ingredients listed in the recipe itself 🙂
You can use a hand mixer, stand mixer, or mix this cake by hand.
A very easy cake to make. I used it to make a 5 shaped cake for my Gran Daughters birthday’s party yesterday. It was good to cut and position the different parts into shape. Thanks you.
Happy belated birthday to your granddaughter!
I am almost 70 and have made many many chocolate cakes in my day!!! For my brother’s birthday last night, I went searching on the web for gluten free cake. I choose Shays cake. Not only did 6 old “farts” clean the platter, but not one of them believed it was Gluten free. Moist, wonderful texture and the buttercream smoothed on like never before with no crumbles rolling around. This recipe is a keeper! Book- marked, printed and inserted in Grams cookbook binder. Thank you.
Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback! Happy belated birthday to your brother, so glad he got to celebrate with a tasty cake!
Ok. I was sceptical about this being the best Gf chocolate cake ever….But IT Was!!.
The texture was amazing, the flavour was excellent and I loved the frosting. I made the dairy free version with the coconut milk and I reduced the sugar to 1 1/2 cups for the cake recipe. Will definitely make this again!
Thanks Cathy, glad you enjoyed it!
This cake was absolutely delicious!!! Thank you 🙂
You’re welcome, glad you enjoyed it!
absolutely loved this cake, baked it the night before and iced it the day of the event. i covered it in a chocolate ganache shell and made goat cheese icing as the filling. along with a cherry topping it was an absolute hit with my family!
everyone loved it and there wasn’t a single slice left by the end of the night. my only issue is that it came out a little dry for my tastes so I might try experimenting with this recipie a little.
I’m going to make this awesome cake for my husband and son for Fathers Day they both are chocolate nuts. My son is gluten free as I am.
Hi! Do you have a replacement for the heavy cream? My daughter is allergic to lactose, (and gluten) I love everything else about this recipe! Thanks!
I use coconut milk.
Can this cake be frozen?
You can freeze the individual cake layers until ready to use.
I baked this cake and it was absolutely the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made either gluten feee or regular.! Everyone loved it! But have you ever made cupcakes with this ? If so how long should they be baked ? I want to carry to a party where only finger foods are being served .
That’s so great to hear, Pamela! I don’t use this recipe for cupcakes. While this recipe is amazing as a cake, I don’t love it as cupcakes. Here’s my chocolate cupcake recipe: https://www.whattheforkfoodblog.com/2018/05/19/best-recipe-for-gluten-free-chocolate-cupcakes/
This is the second time I’ve made this. Once as the cake the second time as cupcakes. It’s delicious and I can have gluten! Awesome recipe! Thank you!
Rachael, did you have to adjust anything about the recipe when you made cupcakes?
Jessica, if you’re looking for a chocolate cupcake recipe, use this one: https://www.whattheforkfoodblog.com/2018/05/19/best-recipe-for-gluten-free-chocolate-cupcakes/
I developed it off of this cake recipe 🙂
Thanks Rachael, so glad you love the recipe so much!
Made this cake last night using Bob’s 1-1 flour in a 9×13 pan, and it was literally the most amazing gluten-free cake I’ve ever had. We seriously couldn’t believe it was really this good. Thanks so much for the recipe.
You’re welcome, thanks for the feedback!
Hi there!
Is the nutritional info listed at the end for the entire cake or just an individual slice?
Per slice based on 12 pieces of cake.
Thank you for the recipe! It looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it for my daughter’s birthday.
Thing is, I only have one 10″ round cake pan. Could I bake the full recipe in the 10″ round pan and skip the layering? What would the cook time be?
Thank you so much!!
I don’t much like cake, I’m not a baker, and I’ve never found a GF bakery product that I care for… till now! This chocolate cake (which I made with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF flour and baked in a 9″x13″ pan for about 43 minutes) was moist, fudgy and delicious. It was the hands-down favorite at a large party today. Even people who have no gluten sensitivity loved it and asked for the recipe. Oh, and it’s easy to make — even I couldn’t mess it up. I’m saving the recipe for sure! Thanks so much for a wonderful cake recipe.
Thanks so much for the amazing feedback Jonny!
I was craving a rich gf chocolate cake today, found yours, and immediately threw it together. Only have 9” cake pans so decided to try a 9”x13” glass pan. Baked it for about 23 minutes . The second I took it from the oven to the rack, I realized I omitted the 2 cups of sugar! No problem. Cut a piece, drizzled a little maple syrup and scooped my favorite coffee ice cream on top. This easy rich chocolate cake is a keeper! Can hardly wait to try your other recipes. Thanks for satisfying my cravings.
I’m glad you enjoyed them Betsy!
I made this cake for my non gluten free son’s birthday. My gluten free son wouldn’t eat it at the party because he was afraid people would not “like” it once they found out it was gluten free. Everyone loved it and never suspected a thing! It was absolutely amazing!!! I will never look for another gluten free cake recipe ever!!! Thank you so much for posting!!!
Thanks for the feedback Kristie! It makes me so happy to hear how much everyone loved it 🙂
Hello: Do you think I could make a sheet cake from this recipe?
Yes you can, just bake it in a 9×13 pan and adjust the baking time as needed. I’d start checking around 30 minutes.
Literally the BEST chocolate cake ever!!! I can’t think of another that I could compare it to, but it was delicious. AND it’s amazing that it’s gluten free!!! The frosting…ummmm, yum.
I have a celiac kiddo and this satisfied our entire families’ chocolate cake desires.
I never comment…EVER.
That’s how incredible this was.
By the way, I followed exactly and I used Namaste GF flour and milk w/ vinegar.
Thanks so much Amber, so happy to hear how much you and your family loved this cake!
I wish I had read the comments before I baked this cake. The recipe said two 8 inch pans and since the picture shows a round cake I naturally assumed that you meant round cake pans.
If I had read the comments beforehand… One comment said the batter made enough for three 8 inch round pans. Another comment said that you used 8 X 8, 9 X 9, or 10 X 13 pans. I have a terrible mess on my oven racks, the bottom of my oven and the outsides of the two 8 inch cake pans. Maybe you should add the shape of the 8 inch pans on your recipe.
Hi Gayle, I bake this cake often and I only ever need 2 8-inch round pans. The batter only comes up about half way. Round vs. square will not matter when you’re using 8×8 or 9×9, it will only affect the shape of the cake. The 9×13 is a standard rectangle pan, not a round pan. You would use one 9×13 pan in place of 2 8-inch pans if you would prefer making a rectangular cake instead of a layer cake. This cake can also be baked in 2 9-inch pans if someone doesn’t have 8-inch pans. Are you by any chance baking at a high altitude?
Thank you so much for sharing your baking notes on the different flours. I appreciate your test bakes so much. They save me cabinet space, money and frame of mind!!!
Is this cake sturdy enough for some sculpting? I am making a 60th Birthday cake for my Mum next weekend and looking for something I can carve into the shape of an open book.
Hi Sara! I haven’t tried my hand at sculpting but a member in my Gluten Free Baking and Desserts group turned it into a fabulous Horse Cake!
Was wondering if you measure the cocoa before sifting it or after(3/4c). Also noticed none of your measurements are by weights. Do you not weigh your flours in particular?
Thanks. So looking forward to making this for Xmas Eve.
Karen
Hi,
I am so excited to make this cake!
I just wanted to make the cake in the one pan and skip the frosting in the middle. Will this still work?
I’m planing to do kit Kats around the outside and put Ferrero Rocher on the top for Christmas!
If you bake it in a 9×13 pan it would work 🙂
Kit Kats aren’t gluten free though so if you’re serving this to someone who has Celiac disease or gluten intolerance they wouldn’t be able to eat it.
This is truly an amazing gluten free cake. I followed the recipe, but did not have xanthan gum, but I used Bob’s Red Mill All purpose gluten free baking flour, and the cake came out amazing. The batter is thin, but as the recipe said, that’s OK! I made it in a bundt pan, and the cooking time was longer, but the finished cake was terrific! I did not frost it, I used a confectioner’s sugar on it, and it was so pretty.
Turning this into a bundt cake is a great idea!
I make it every week, today I am doubling the recipe because it only lasts two days! It is our family favorite.
Thank you so much!
Thanks for the feedback Susana so glad your family loves it!
I made this cake this weekend for my boyfriends birthday (he has celiacs). I’ve got to say: this was THE BEST chcokate cake both of us have ever eaten — gluten or not gluten !!
The only “sub” I made was that my coffee had some cream in it (bf came home with my coffee order instead of just black coffee), oh well. Aside from that everything was as accurate as possible.
Paired the cake with a chocolate buttercream and ganache drip. Perfection.
Flour: I used a bulk cup-for-cup from Bulk Barn (Canada)
Thanks Megan, so glad you guys enjoyed it!
I’m happy to be part of ur many yummy recipes and look forward to try to duplicate and eat ur delicious recipes. Thank you
Thank you, Jacklyn!
Do you think coconut oil can be substituted for the avocado oil?
Making as a wedding cake and the groom can only have coconut oil.
Hi MaryEllen, I think coconut should work! Just make sure it’s melted when you measure it and a refined oil would be best for so it doesn’t have a coconut flavor but unrefined should work too.
I used your recipe for my brothers wedding cake and with the right gluten free flour we had excelent results!
I tried two other flours and I couldn’t get consistent results with them but the one I listed works well with this recipe. ( I have never ever ever baked gluten free so this was a major learning experience)
Can you use almond milk or does it have to be coconut for dairy free? Thank you.
I prefer baking with unsweetened coconut milk beverage because it doesn’t leave a coconut taste. Personally, I find that baking with almond milk makes things taste too nutty for my own taste.
So delicious!! Thank you for this recipe- I have made several other gluten free cakes in the past, and this one was by far the best taste, texture, and consistency! I used Cup4Cup GF flour, and frosted with a different frosting (just because the guest of honor really wanted a peanut butter frosting), but the cake would taste amazing with almost any frosting. Will definitely use this recipe again!
Thank you so much Sara! Let me know if you make any more cakes!
Is there a way to test the doneness of this cake? Like the toothpick test? Thanks!
Yes, toothpick or cake tester!
This is a great GF cake. I made this cake today, so easy to make, moist and very chocolaty. Instead of vanilla, I added a few drops of Almond extract to the icing, which gave a nice flavour. Next time I might add chopped almonds to the icing when sandwiching the two cakes and decorate the top with sliced Almonds. Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
Thank you so much for your kind words! Let me know how it comes out when you make it again with those toppings/additions!
The best gluten free chocolate cake recipe I have made. It will be my go to recipe from now on for gluten free chocolate cake. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Thanks Alescia, glad you enjoyed it!
I made this today for my husbands birthday – our first one since the wedding- and it was a huge success! So moist and decadent! I told him I was putting it in the recipe box and he replied, ok but not to far in the back! Lol. Thanks for sharing! We live in Italy now so I used Schar 1:1 mix and it was perfect! Question for you though, it’s just the two of us and the yield is just too much for us; can we freeze the frosted cake in slices to enjoy later? Also, I saw in the comments that you recommend another recipe for cupcakes; why is that? This one is so tasty, id love a smaller version!
Hi Elaine I’m glad it was a big success! Yes, you can freeze individual pieces!
Can this recipe be used for cupcakes as well?
Hi Carly! While this makes an amazing cake, I don’t recommend it for cupcakes. This is my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe:
It makes 1 dozen but can be doubled 🙂
I really want to make this cake for my son’s birthday this weekend… looks so good! I have Pamela’s GF All Purpose Flour and it has guar gum in it. Do you think I should leave out the xanthan gum? Also wondering how thick each layer is when baked? I only have 9 inch pans and don’t want the cake to be super thin!
Yes, if you’re using a blend with xanthan gum or guar gum you can omit the xanthan gum called for in a recipe. It won’t be super thick if you’re using 9 inch pans. What you can do is slice the cakes down the middle once they’re cooled to turn it into 4 layers. Just make extra frosting for the extra layers. That will give your cake a lot more height!
OMG! Made this tonight & used the Bobs Red Mill Egg replacer. Made a 9×13 & used Miss Jones (wal-mart) chocolate frosting. Even my husband, who is a picky eater loved it. This is a keeper!!
But what about livegfree gluten free angel food cake mix? Can I make this with 12 eggs separated from egg whites?
Hi Jane, you would not be able to use 12 egg yolks in this recipe. Instead, you can make a double batch of Coconut Custard. 2 extra egg yolks probably wouldn’t hurt 😉
https://www.whattheforkfoodblog.com/2016/06/13/dairy-free-coconut-custard/
Thanks, Connie, so glad you both loved it!
Boy, I thought I had chocolate cake nailed until I tried this recipe. I was searching for something dairy free for a friend. This cake is amazing!!!
Glad you loved it Sarah!
WHOOOOA! I made this using bob’s red mill all purpose gf flour, and it was BEAUTIFUL and pERFECT and I and my husband ate it all by ourselves in under a week. No regrets. I tried a different frosting for fun, but the cake itself was the real star. Do yourself a favor and MAKE THIS. thanks SO much for your adaptation from the goddess herself, Ina Garten!
Thanks so much for the stellar feedback Ambria!
This is an awesome cake recipe, and apparently mercifully difficult to mess up! I completely forgot to add the avocado oil, but it still came out fine. I also used straight whole milk without vinegar. I used buttered nonstick cake pans without parchment and the cake came right out without sticking at all. I also added a couple dashes of cinnamon to the batter and it was a deliciously spicy hint, like Mexican hot chocolate. It came out moist and dense, almost like spice cake or plum pudding.
However, the frosting recipe was way too sweet for us, so I ditched it and used whipped cream flavored with triple sec and garnished the top with sliced kumquats, candied ginger, and chocolate shavings. Next time I’d like to reduce the amount of sugar in the batter, or maybe use coconut sugar or something’s less sweet … What would you recommend?
Hi Arielle, you can certainly adjust the sugar amount to your taste or preference. Play around with different sugars such as coconut and let me know what you found!
Hi! I’m not vegan or anything, but we don’t have buttermilk where I live. I was just wondering if there is a better substitute rather than coconut milk seeing as I don’t want to have coconut flavor in the cake. If this is the best sub then I will use it but if there is something else please let me know! (I’ve heard of milk and vinegar or lemon juice but I don’t know if that’s any good). Thank you!!
Hi Isabella – the coconut milk + vinegar is the dairy free sub (and it doesn’t make it taste like coconut). If you don’t need dairy free, regular milk + white vinegar is is fine to use!
I don’t necessarily need dairy free! which one is better for the cake though? texture wise? thanks and sorry for all the questions!
Is there a way to make this without the coffee? @whatthefork
Hi Derricka – you can use hot water instead 🙂
But, I just want to say that the chocolate flavor just isn’t quite as good if you replace the coffee with water.
I love this cake and the frosting. Mine wasn’t light and fluffy. What did I do wrong?
It sounds like you may have over-measured your flour. Too much flour will make gluten free baked goods heavy and dense. You can get my flour measuring guide here: https://whattheforkfoodblog.lpages.co/baking-guide-1-tip-opt-in
Does it make the cake taste like coffee?
Nope! The coffee enhances the deep chocolate flavor. You can use hot water instead if you prefer.
My sister uses a little dark hot cocoa instead whenever a recipe calls for coffee, it delivers that bit of bitterness.
This turned out amazing! I hadn’t had cake in so long since I’ve had to give up gluten, dairy and eggs! I used Bobs Red Mill Egg Replacer and organic coconut sugar and coconut milk/vinegar. Turned out great! The vegan frosting was excellent!
I’m so happy for you, Sarah! I’m glad you were able to adapt it for your needs! Thanks for the kind words and take care!
Does the coffee flavor stand out? I want to use this cake recipe for a black forest cake and wanted to find something with espresso to give it a depth of flavor but not so much that you taste coffee. Thanks so much. This recipe looks decadent!
Rachel
You can’t taste it at all! I highly recommend trying it 🙂
Hi, thank you for this amazing cake recipe. It’s my go to cake recipe now…I have a lot of gluten free people in my life!!! I swap the milk for unsweetened almond milk and use sunflower oil and use a dairy free icing for my dairy free teen! Perfect every time. Thanks again for the recipe.
Thanks for the great feedback Helena, so glad you enjoy this cake as much as my family does!
What is the absolute best flour to use for this recipe? the nightshade mix, white rice, brown rice or bobs red bill flour?
Thanks!! Will be making this for my boyfriend’s birthday 🙂
Hi Isabella, you could use any of those flours. If you use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1, omit the xanthan gum called for in the recipe. I make it most often with the nightshade free blend if that helps.
Any way to replace the egg. My child is allergic to eggs and gluten.
Use applesauce to replace eggs
Hi Sita, I haven’t tried this with an egg replacer but you could maybe try using flax eggs since there are only 2 eggs in this recipe. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
First off, I don’t go onto sites and leave comment really ever. I want to but I forget and I am super busy. I was looking for a tasty gluten free and nut free chocolate recipe for my boyfriends bithday. This recipe came up and what caught my eye was it was supposed to taste like regular cake and not the typical gluten free taste. You could not tell it was gluten free. This cake exceeded my expectations. It was the most amazing chocolate cake I have ever eaten/made. I had 2 sclices at the party! I eat very healthy and usually don’t crave chocolate. But this cake is so moist, soft and decadent and i could not resist. I wish i could give this cake 10 stars. I used the Bob’s red mill 1:1 gf flour. And unsweetened coconut milk.
Thanks so much Val! I’m so glad you loved this recipe and it was able to change how you thought about gluten free baked goods 🙂
Hi Sharon! Your recipe looks amazing, I’m going to try it tomorrow for my husband’s birthday! Our household has been GF for 6 yrs and I’ve not been able to redeem myself from the last few cakes I made for him – where he had to enjoy it in a bowl of milk! 😉 His favorite is a marble cake, can I alter this recipe? I know you add the cocoa powder at the beginning, would it matter if I added it at the end so I can separate the batter?
Hi Crystal! I would not recommend trying to turn this cake into a marble cake. Sorry!
Thank you for the recipe. I don’t make cakes often. Can I make this the night before and leave it out?
Hi Jordan – you probably could if you wrap them really tightly in plastic wrap. Usually if I make them ahead, I wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them.
I just made a 1/2 recipe of the cake batter as a test for a gluten free birthday cake next weekend. I couldn’t make a cake without a taste test first 🙂 The 1/2 recipe made 12 cupcakes. They taste great and I will use the recipe for the birthday cake. I will be making a 2 tier cake-a 4 layer 9″ topped with a 4 layer 6″ cake. My question is how to keep the cake from sagging in the middle. I used Krusteaz GF AP flour which is a 1 to 1 replacement. Any ideas how to keep the cake from sagging? If you add a bit more flour, maybel the batter will be a little thicker and maybe sag less? Any help would be appreciated.
If you use coffee in the recipe, use regular milk instead of buttermilk like I originally had stated in the recipe card. There may have been too much leavening agent! Also, be sure your oven temperature is accurate as that can have in impact as well!
Made this tonight for my son’s 16th birthday and it was delicious! My flour mix was 1 cup cassava and 3/4 white rice. Very successful.
Thanks Cathy – glad you loved it! And thanks for letting me know which flour mix you used 🙂
You mentioned a Snicker’s version. Can you elaborate? Directions? 🙂
I have snickers brownies! https://www.whattheforkfoodblog.com/2016/04/17/snickers-brownies/
Thank you for the chocolate cake recipe, I made it for my wife’s birthday Jan 10 . I diid make it with coconut milk and vinegar, it was delicious and very moist. How do you get it to not sag in the center? I used GF robin hood all purpose flour blend. Thanks again.
Hi there, just to confirm: when you use Bob’s 1-to-1, you leave out the xanthan gum since it’s included in the Bob’s, correct? I’m going to use this for a friend’s birthday cake this weekend!
That’s correct, if the flour blend you use contains xanthan gum, omit the amount I called for 🙂
Thanks I had the same question :>)
Any suggestion on making this cake without eggs? I am sensitive to them.
I bet if you use Organic Eggs, where hens are not fed stimulants, antibiotics, hormones, etc. You will not have sensitivity. Try them! I can’t eat regular eggs either. My sensitivity means running to the bathroom all day!
Flax seed works as a great egg substitute. If you google there are measurements. I used it with flax seed and it turned out great!
Hi Bree, I have not tried any egg substitutes in this recipe so I can’t tell you for sure. If you end up experimenting, let me know how it works out for you.
I made this cake for my daughters birthday. Followed recipe exactly using Cup4Cup GF flour as flour. The taste was awesome! However I made it in 2 -8” pans and both fell badly in the middle. Cooked for full 40 minutes and sides were pulling away but middle sunken and a little gooey. Suggestions?
If you are using coffee in the recipe, use regular milk instead of buttermilk. There may have been too much leavening agent! Also, make sure your oven temperature is accurate and get a cheap thermometer to check if you don’t already have one.
I noticed someone said they made three layers. I used 2” deep pans and the side rose all the way to top. Maybe 3 layers would have been better?
Hi Susan, are you baking at a higher altitude by any chance?
I wanted to let you know that I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday. I have to say, it really is the *BEST* gf chocolate cake – and maybe just chocolate cake! I am the only one gluten free in my family, and we all LOVED it! I made your chocolate buttercream, as well, but added a raspberry filling in between the layers, as requested by the birthday girl. It didn’t last long! This will be my go-to chocolate cake recipe. Thank you!
Jen, I’m glad that you enjoyed it! And thank you for the nice comment- it is much appreciated!
I found this and have made it twice now – outstanding results! I have only been GF for about 8 months and have always done a lot of baking. This reminds me of a cake my mom would make with Nestle’s Chocolate Quik. SO moist and so NOT a typical GF cake! The first time I made it, I didn’t have enough cocoa, so I actually used about 1/4 cup of chocolate pudding mix. It was incredible! Second time, I had cocoa and it was just as good! This has been a real find. We have quite a few folks at church who are GF, and I always try to have something to offer them at our gatherings. They LOVED this! First time that every scrap of a GF cake has been devoured! My husband loves it too, and he has no gluten issues! Thanks for sharing this! Only other difference is that I made vanilla butter cream frosting one time and cream cheese frosting another. SO GOOD!
Thanks for the great feedback Andi! And cream cheese frosting on this sounds AMAZING!
I just made a trial cake for my daughter’s first birthday and it is delicious! Trying to work out baking in the cupcake cake pan I got as that did not work out well. The pan itself is pretty deep, so if you have any suggestions, that would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
Hi Pam, I’ve never baked this in a pan other than the typical 8×8, 9×9, and 9×13. Sorry I can’t help with cupcake cake pan suggestions!
I just made this for my first gf cake and it’s delicious! A couple things, though…I had a lot of batter, so I made a 9 inch layer cake. Also it was pretty soft and delicate. Both layers completely ripped apart. Maybe that’s typical for gf flour? I managed to piece it together and then I froze it a bit before doing a crumb coat, and then I froze it again before the final layer of frosting. It ended up being a very pretty and yummy cake! Even got my hubby’s stamp of approval! Next time I may use 6 inch layers and let them cool more before trying to remove them from the pan.
FYI, Ina Garten’s recipe is almost verbatim the cake from the back of the Hershey’s cocoa powder can. The only difference is buttermilk instead of milk. Both have a total of 3 tsp leavening, but Garten uses 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder. Hershey’s use 1 1/2 tsp of each. The non-gluten recipe is every where and always attributed to Hershey’s.
Yes, her’s is similar to Hershey’s but Ina’s also calls for coffee instead of hot water which is why I like it more.
Just a question regarding the cocoa powder. Does it need to be GF. Cocoa powder for cealiacs??
I’m needing a cake to make for a friend of my sons, birthday tomorrow. He is cealiac, but not by choice??
Can you advise?
Also is the xantham gum GF, and readily available?
Thanks,
Bev
I’ve used Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa (Dutch processed), regular Hershey’s Cocoa Powder, and Hershey’s Special Dark all with great results. Xanthan gum is usually available in the gluten free section at the grocery store. Hope that helps!
Made this yesterday for a birthday party… two people there are gluten free, one by choice, the other has celiac’s… anyway, this cake was AH-MAZING! Everyone raved and asked for the recipe. The only other comment I have is that there was enough batter for (3) 8 inch cake pans.
I made this recipe using the coconut milk method. It was absolutely amazing! So moist. I baked in 2 tins as suggested (but square). Then I sliced each cake in 2 so I created 4 layers. Whipped cream in between each layer. Then made a chocomate ganache and served a tall square piece of cake with choc ganache dripping down each piece. This is the first gluten free choc cake I have made because I had a GF friend coming for dinner (she comes over regular so I am aleays searching out good GF recipes. It eas a big hit!!!!
Thanks for the feedback Belinda! I love your idea of turning it into a 4 layer cake with whipped cream and chocolate ganache!
I made this for my sister for her birthday cause she has problems with gluten and everyone loved it !! It really is the best gluten free chocolate cake. Thanks 🙂
Thanks for the great feedback Olivia! Happy birthday to your sister!
Does the frosted cake need to be refrigerated?
@Sharon, I actually find that this chocolate cake tastes even BETTER when cold, if that’s even possible.
I sometimes refrigerate it if it’s really warm/humid out. In the winter, I usually leave it at room temperature. If you do refrigerate it, bring it to room temp before serving 🙂
I don’t know what went wrong. This cake wouldn’t cook! I left in in longer than 35-40 minutes and it still wouldn’t cook in the center. When I took it out in became concave instead of domed. It was very flat. More like a brownie. I’m wondering if the xanthan gum needs to be added even if the flour has it in it. It tasted all right but I wouldn’t make it again. I like my cake light and fluffy.
Hi Frances, if you use coffee in the recipe, use regular milk instead of buttermilk like I originally had in the recipe card. There may have been too much leavening agent!
I just had to comment because I made the cake and it is beautiful! I dont have a stand mixer and just used a hand mixer and it was fine. I also used slightly less in the cup measurements because I use AUS metric and I know US cups are that little bit less. I used Orgran all purpose plain flour and didnt need to add the xanthan gum. I used a different icing recipe so cant comment on that.
I tested this cake out to see if I would make it for my daughters birthday that is coming up and I will be keeping this recipe for a long, long time. Even a few days later and the cake is still great to eat (eating some now) Thanks so much!
Thanks Claire! Happy birthday to your daughter! I often just mix this cake up by hand too instead of using a mixer 🙂
This looks amazing. What flour blend do you use? Is it your own blend or a store bought? I typically use Bob’s Red Mill but sometimes the garbanzo flour is too heavy for the recipe.
I’ve used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour (not their flour blend with bean flour) and it works great. I almost always use my own flour blend though!
Just made this for a birthday, haven’t tried it yet, but it looks great and the crumbs I did try were delish ;)!! Icing is very yummy!!! Will be using again!!
Hi. Can I leave the cup of coffee out? Will it make a difference?
Hi Tara, the coffee is essential in this recipe. It brings out the flavor of the chocolate (without making it taste like coffee) and adds moisture to the cake. If you can’t have regular coffee because of the caffeine, you can use decaf coffee or just use 1 cup of hot water instead.
Can I leave out the cup of coffee? Will it effect the recipe?
You can replace the coffee with hot water if needed. The coffee brings out the chocolate flavor.
Could this be made in a 9x13pan and approx baking time? Thanks for all recipes Sharon, you’re the best, linda
Hi Linda – I just baked it in a 9×13 pan this morning – mine was done after 37 minutes. So depending on your oven, I would shoot for somewhere between 35-40 minutes 🙂