Moist Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Learn how to make the best gluten free chocolate cake with an easy, no fail recipe! This richly chocolate recipe is so moist, fluffy, and spongy, no one will suspect they are devouring a deceptively gluten free dairy free cake!

Whether you are new to gluten free baking or a seasoned veteran, we all need need an easy gluten free cake recipe, made from scratch, that fools even the toughest critics. Everytime I serve this cake, no one suspects anything but an old fashioned, moist, homemade chocolate cake.

I’ve made this cake for countless gluten free birthday cakes and celebrations. It’s my hailed recipe because I always have the ingredients on hand, it’s affordable, and quick to throw together.

I’ll teach you how to make the best gluten free chocolate cake, with plenty of tricks, bakers tips, and variations for sheet cake, cupcakes, and dairy free adaptations. 

What Makes this the Best Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe?

• No speciality ingredients are required. This recipe uses pantry items I bet you have right in your kitchen.
• It’s an easy, one bowl recipe. Just dump, mix, and bake!
• No fail – If you are new to gluten free baking, you will appreciate how it turns out fluffy, moist, and amazing every single time.
• Not only is this cake recipe gluten free, but dairy free as well!
• Versatile – It’s so quick and easy I use it for a ton of gluten free cake recipes like, Ding Dong Cake, Baked Alaska, Mint Pudding Poke Cake

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Ingredients

The ingredient list is simple, with the only speciality item required being gluten free flour.

• Favorite gluten free flour (I recommend Cup 4 Cup brand.)
• Sugar
• Unsweetened cocoa powder – Use Dutch processed cocoa for richer chocolate taste.
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Milk – regular or dairy free
• Vegetable oil – coconut oil may be substituted
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract

How to Make Gluten Free Chocolate Cake From Scratch

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by spraying with cooking spray, lining pans with cut-to-size parchment on bottom, and then spraying the parchment. This helps the cakes easily release from the pans. Below I have also listed alternative size baking pans that may be used.
2. In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt on low speed.
3. Add regular or dairy free milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture. Mix on medium speed until well combined.
4. Reduce speed to low and slowly add boiling water to the cake batter. Once the water is mixed in, increase to high speed and mix for 1 minute. This helps aerate the batter and make the cake light and fluffy.
5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool completely before frosting with one of the recipes below. 

Best Chocolate Cake Frostings

• Fluffy Buttercream Frosting – either vanilla or chocolate buttercream
• Whipped Cream Frosting – regular or chocolate whipped cream frosting
• Ganache
• Peanut Butter Frosting
• Cream Cheese Frosting 

What is the Best Gluten Free Flour To Use?

Gluten free baking flour blends have come a long way in the last ten years. Gluten free baking used to mean buying, storing, and measuring several different flours to make your own flour mix.

Fortunately there are several commercial brands that perform way better than any homemade mixes I’ve ever experimented with. These are the brands I find work the most consistently and have the best taste for gluten free cakes.

• Cup 4 Cup Gluten Free Flour – This is the brand I primarily use because any gluten free taste or difference in texture is undetectable. However, it is also the most expensive and contains milk powder, so it is not dairy free.
• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour – This is the other brand I rely on in cakes. It is widely available at grocery stores and slightly more affordable than Cup 4 Cup. However, I don’t recommend this flour for cookies, pastries, or breads. 
• King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten Free Flour – This version in newer on the market and has performed well in my baking tests. It’s more affordable, but I do detect a slightly gritty flavor in baked goods.

Wondering how different gluten free flour brands compare? Four of the most popular gluten free blends were thoroughly tested. See the surprising results for the best gluten free flour!

Do I Need To Add Xanthan Gum?

No, not if the gluten free flour blend contains it. All three flours mentioned above do have xanthan gum in the mix.

Please note King Arthur has two variations of gluten free flour. King Arthur’s all-purpose gluten free flour does not contain xanthan gum, so 1 teaspoon will have to added to the dry ingredients.

King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten Free Flour does contain the xanthan gum already, so there’s no need to add extra.

Baking Tips for Perfectly Moist Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

• Use cake baking strips to not only keep the cake moist, but they prevent uneven layers, which can be tricky to frost and hold shape. (See image below.)
• The less sugar you use, the drier the cake will be. Please note while the amount of sugar may be reduced, it will dry out the cake slightly.
• For the most accurate measurement, spoon the flour into the measuring cups instead of dipping cups into the bag. Using more flour, even by a tablespoon or two, dries out the cake.
• Generally using oil in cakes versus butter makes them more moist.
• This gluten free cake recipe is more forgiving when it comes to baking time, but you still don’t want to overbake. Check a few minutes before baking time ends by inserting a toothpick into the middle. It should have some moist crumbs, without being liquidy.
• Enjoy the cake at room temperature. Although some frostings have to refrigerated, I highly recommend setting cakes out for several hours before serving to reach room temp. Gluten free cakes especially have a tendency to dry out in the refrigerator.

Using Different Baking Pans

If you like to experiment with using different size cake pans, or make cupcakes instead of a layer cake, follow these adaptations:

Gluten Free Cupcakes

Fill 24 cupcake liners 2/3 filled. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes clean. The recipe may also be halved to make 12 cupcakes. Cool on wire rack completely before frosting.

9X13 Sheet Cake

To make a gluten free sheet cake instead of layer cake halve the ingredients. Spray a 9X13 baking pan and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes clean. Cool on wire rack completely before frosting.

Freezing / Storing Chocolate Cake

Gluten free cakes do not stay fresh as long as regular cakes. Therefore, if you don’t plan on freezing the cake, make it no more than 24 hours ahead of time.

Frequently I bake the cake layers and freeze them until ready to assemble with a filling and frosting. Alternatively, the cake may be baked, frosted, and frozen whole.

Freezing Unfrosted Cake Layers: Wrap each completely cooled layer securely in plastic wrap. Transfer wrapped layer to a gallon freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months.

When ready to use, remove from freezer bag and thaw wrapped cake at room temperature for 1 hour.

Freezing Frosted Cake: Assemble the cake with filling and frosting. Transfer whole cake to the freezer so frosting solidifies. After the frosting is frozen, wrap the cake securely with plastic wrap. Cover plastic wrap with foil and freeze up to 3 months.

Thaw cake overnight in refrigerator. Carefully remove plastic wrap and foil. Continue to thaw at room temperature for 5-6 hours.

Freezing Cake Slices:

I often do this to save myself from eating a whole cake! Slice the leftover cake in serving sized portions. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once the pieces are solid, transfer slices to a gallon freezer bag or airtight container. 

Thaw pieces on the counter for 1 hour or defrost in the microwave at 20% power, carefully avoiding overheating and melting the frosting.

Dairy Free Chocolate Cake Adaptations  

If you are looking for a dairy free gluten free chocolate cake recipe, you’ve come to the right place! 

The only recipe adaptation you’ll have to make is replacing the milk with a dairy free milk, such as almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk. If you prefer using coconut oil, that may also replace the vegetable oil. 

More Gluten Free Dessert Recipes

• Gluten Free White Cake – The best, easy, from scratch, vanilla cake recipe perfect birthdays and celebrations! 
• Gluten Free Coffee Cake – A homemade, easy recipe made with sour cream for extra tender crumb and has dairy free adaptations. 
• Almond Flour Brownies – One bowl recipe for thick, gooey grain free and gluten free brownies homemade brownies.
• Gluten Free Sugar Cookies – Make the best gluten free sugar cookies from scratch that are soft, easy to roll out, and taste amazing. 
• Gluten Free Angel Food Cake – A light, airy dessert no one will suspect is gluten free! 

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