Legit Moist & Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

Learn how to bake the best and most moist gluten-free chocolate cake with this an easy to follow, no-fail recipe. What makes the cake so moist? Boiling water in the cake batter. It helps saturate the starches, aerates the batter, making the cake light, fluffy and moist instead of gritty. Find out for yourself why this GF cake recipe has earned hundreds of 5-star reviews!

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 35

Total Time 40

Servings

Author Melissa Erdelac

Ingredients

2 cups (292 g) all purpose gluten-free flour (I highly recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour)
2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (75 g) unsweetened baking cocoa dutch-processed preferred
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (245 g) milk or non-dairy milk
½ cup (107 g) oil any preferred
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (240 g) boiling water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with cooking spray, lining pans with cut-to-size parchment on bottom, and then spraying the parchment. Set aside.
In a large bowl add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine or, using your paddle attachment on stand mixer, mix until combined.
2 cups all purpose gluten-free flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, ¾ cup unsweetened baking cocoa , 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
Add milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture. Mix on medium speed until well combined. 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.
1 cup milk or non-dairy milk, ½ cup oil, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 cup boiling water
Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. (Tip: Letting the cake batter rest in the pans for 10 minutes before baking helps set up the structure of the cake so it doesn't sink in the middle or get a "wrinkly" top. If you have the extra time, I highly recommend it!) Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool completely before frosting with fluffy vanilla buttercream or chocolate buttercream.

Notes

Dairy-Free Modification

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.

Some flour blends do contain milk powder, so be sure to read the ingredient labels.

Using Different Baking Pans

Gluten Free Cupcakes

To make bake this cake as cupcakes follow Incredible Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes recipe.

9X13 Sheet Cake

To make a sheet cake instead of layer cake make the batter as written. Spray a 9X13 baking pan. (Let the batter rest in the pan for 10 minutes before baking. I find this helps set up the structure of the cake so it doesn't sink in the middle or get a "wrinkly" top. If you have the extra time, I highly recommend it!) Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes clean. Cool on wire rack completely before frosting.

Freezing and Storing Tips

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.

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:

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.

Adapted from Add a Pinch

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