This is the best gluten free chocolate cake recipe out there. It’s moist, rich, and incredibly easy to make. There’s a dairy free option too!
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.
A plain old, classic gluten free chocolate 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 birthdays) and nobody can tell it’s even gluten free!
The great thing about a stellar chocolate cake recipe is that you can do a lot with it. The chocolate cake 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!
I’ve made a mint chocolate chip version and a Snicker’s version for a couple birthdays and most recently, I made this with peanut butter frosting for Adam’s birthday. It’s one of those classic recipes that you’ll want to keep on hand, you’ll definitely be making this one again and again.
This cake is made with buttermilk but it’s easily adapted to be dairy free. Just use unsweetened coconut milk + 1 tablespoon of white vinegar instead of the buttermilk.
Key Ingredients for this Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe
For the Cake:
- All purpose gluten-free flour blend (omit the xanthan gum if using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour)
- Cocoa powder
- Buttermilk (or 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk + 1 tablespoon white vinegar)
- Avocado oil or canola oil
- 2 eggs at ROOM TEMPERATURE
- 1 cup hot coffee
For the Frosting:
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Heavy whipping cream
- Powdered sugar
Equipment Needed
How to make Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
Step 1. Combine the dry ingredients and whisk together.
Step 2. Combine the wet ingredients and whisk together until blended.
Step 3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Step 4. Mix them until completely combined.
Step 5. Pour in the hot coffee and mix until incorporated.
Step 6. Pour the batter evenly into two pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Step 7. Allow cakes to fully cool (20 minutes) then begin to frost the first layer.
Step 8. Add the second layer and frost over.
Step 9. Make sure the cake is completely frosted on the top and sides.
Step 10. Add some swirls or other fancy decorations (optional).
Frosting Options
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. It gives a wonderfully nutty flavor with a nice, smooth chocolate flavor. I promise you’ll love it!
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.
But 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.
Let me know in the comments who you’ll be making this cake for! 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!
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To make the Cake: To make the chocolate buttercream: As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.Best Ever Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake
For the Frosting
Instructions
Notes
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 569 Total Fat: 29g Unsaturated Fat: 13g Fiber: 2g Protein: 5g
THIS CAKE. It looks absolutely stunning, oh-so chocolatey, and I can’t believe it’s gluten-free! This is perfect for my cousin’s birthday party!
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.
My sister uses a little dark hot cocoa instead whenever a recipe calls for coffee, it delivers that bit of bitterness.
This is just gorgeous! I totally want to jab a fork right through my computer screen into that dense, moist, fudgy goodness! It’s so great that people with gluten intolerance can still indulge and don’t have to feel like they’re missing out! Plus, I love that you also included tips for adapting this cake to be dairy free and added the option for vegan chocolate frosting. So many great options!
This looks so amazing! I can taste it through the computer screen.
The texture of the cake looks perfect! I am loving the dark chocolate color!
Such a gorgeous cake!! I bet it tastes amaaazing!!
We’ve been doing more gf lately and THIS LOOKS AMAZING!
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 🙂
this chocolate yumminess is calling my name, let me grab a glass of milk and I’ll be right over!I’m visiting from Anita’s and I invite you to share at my Thursday link party ( its open until Saturday at midnight.) Don’t forget to enter the giveaway. Hugs!
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.
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.
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!!
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!
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 🙂
Does the frosted cake need to be refrigerated?
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 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!
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!
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.
This cake looks so, so good!
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!
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.
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 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 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!
Any suggestion on making this cake without eggs? I am sensitive to them.
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 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!
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 🙂
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.
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 🙂
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.
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!
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 🙂
Any way to replace the egg. My child is allergic to eggs and gluten.
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!
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.
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!
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 🙂
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!!
Thanks, Connie, so glad you both loved it!
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!
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 🙂
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!
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!
Is there a way to test the doneness of this cake? Like the toothpick test? Thanks!
Yes, toothpick or cake tester!
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!
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.
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)
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 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 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!
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!
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.
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
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!
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!!!
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?
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 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.
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!
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.
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!
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!
Thanks Rachael, so glad you love the recipe so much!
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/
Can this cake be frozen?
You can freeze the individual cake layers until ready to use.