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–+ servings
sliced gluten-free chocolate cake on a plate

Gluten-free Chocolate Cake (perfect texture, so quick and easy!)

Author Erin Dooner
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16 slices
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
This gluten-free chocolate cake has the perfect texture and is extremely moist and chocolaty. It’s super quick and easy to make and also has vegan and dairy-free options.

Ingredients

Cake:

For the frosting:

  • 3 cups (510 grams) semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips, chopped
  • 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk of choice
  • 3/4 cup (168 grams) refined coconut oil or butter
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

For the cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line two round 8" cake pans (2" tall) with parchment paper on the bottom and grease the sides of the pans.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (sugar through salt).
    2 cups granulated sugar, 1 3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour, 3/4 cup (85 grams) cocoa powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
  • Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.
    2 large eggs, 1 cup (240 ml) milk of choice, 1/2 cup (120 ml) oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Mix until combined, and then stir in the boiling water. The batter will be almost as thin as water (if using King Arthur Flour, it'll be thicker).
    1 cup boiling water
  • Divide the batter between the two prepared pans.
  • Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with some moist crumbs, but not raw liquid.
  • Let cool for 5 minutes in the pans, and then turn out onto a rack to cool. Let cool completely before frosting.
  • Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated for 3. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

To make the frosting:

  • In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, mix together the chocolate, milk, coconut oil or butter, vanilla extract and salt. Stir until melted and completely smooth.
    3 cups (510 grams) semi-sweet chocolate, 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk of choice, 3/4 cup (168 grams) refined coconut oil, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Let the pan cool for about 15 minutes (or until cool enough to place in the refrigerator) and then place the pan in the refrigerator for about 1-2 hours, stirring after every 15-20 minutes, or until firm enough to spread on the cake. I usually need about 1 hour. If you forget about it and leave it in the refrigerator for too long, it'll be too firm to spread on the cake, so be sure to keep checking on it. If it gets too hard, very lightly reheat it on low heat, while stirring constantly, until it's soft enough to spread.
  • Once the cake has cooled, spread about 3/4 cup of frosting on the first layer, about 1 cup on top of the cake, and the rest on the sides. If you have any left over, it freezes great.
  • Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the frosted cake or unfrosted layers for up to 3 months.

Notes

  • Instead of 2 cups of granulated sugar, you can also use 2 cups (380 grams of coconut sugar).
  • The honey version is less sweet, but with the frosting, still sweet enough. Nobody has ever complained about it not being sweet enough!
  • If you're outside of the US, it's best to weigh your eggs unless you know what the equivalent of a large US egg is where you live. US large eggs = German medium eggs, for example. Each egg should weigh 50 grams out of its shell.
  • To make this cake vegan, I use chia eggs. For this recipe, mix together 2 tablespoons of ground chia seed with 6 tablespoons of water until well combined. Let sit for about 1-2 minutes or until goopy like regular eggs.
  • To make it dairy-free, I use cashew milk but you can use whatever you'd like. If you want to use canned coconut milk, I recommend using 1/2 cup of that + 1/2 cup of water for the batter. That’ll thin it down so that it’s like regular milk. For the frosting, you'd use 6 tbsp coconut milk + 6 tbsp water.
  • I recommend something neutral like melted refined coconut oil, light olive oil, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil or canola oil.
  • For a vegan cake, use sugar (not honey), plant-based milk, chia eggs, vegan chocolate and coconut oil in the frosting. This is how I usually make the cake and it's great!
  • For dairy-free, use plant-based milk, dairy-free chocolate and coconut oil in the frosting.
  • The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator. This recipe yields 8-12 servings. The nutritional info was calculated based on 12 servings.
  • Adapted from Hershey's One Bowl Chocolate Cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 502kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 5gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 373mgPotassium: 257mgFiber: 6gSugar: 38gVitamin A: 46IUCalcium: 93mgIron: 3mgNet Carbs: 48
Tried this recipe?Tag me today! Mention @texanerin or tag #texanerin! Thanks. 🖤