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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Best Ever Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe
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!
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 buttermilk (or 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk + 1 tablespoon white vinegar)
- 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
- 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, buttermilk, 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!
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.
- Cake adapted from Ina Garten.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 569Total Fat: 29gUnsaturated Fat: 13gFiber: 2gProtein: 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.
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.
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
Awesome cake. Do you know how many carbs is in one serving?
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!
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 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 :>)
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!
Use applesauce to replace eggs
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!
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/
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!
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!!
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!
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 🙂
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.
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.
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.
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.
This cake was absolutely delicious!!! Thank you 🙂
You’re welcome, glad you enjoyed it!
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!
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!
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 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.
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!
Best chocolate cake hands down!
Thanks Katie!
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.
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!
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.
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 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!
Can you use coconut oil instead of avocado or canola?
Just be sure to measure your coconut oil when it’s melted.
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!!
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!
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!
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!
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!