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! Boiling water helps saturate the starches, aerates the batter, making the cake light, fluffy and moist instead of gritty. This two-layer cake uses 9” round cake pans and is ready in 40 minutes. Yields 12 servings.
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 cup all purpose gluten-free flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, ¾ cup unsweetened baking cocoa, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 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 vegetable, canola, or coconut oil, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 cup boiling water
Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. 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 or chocolate buttercream.
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Notes
Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake
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. The recommended flour, Cup4Cup, does contain milk powder, so King Arthur Measure-for-Measure gluten-free flour is recommended instead.
Using Different Baking Pans
Gluten Free CupcakesTo make bake this cake as cupcakes follow Incredible Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes recipe.9X13 Sheet CakeTo make a sheet cake instead of layer cake make the batter as written. Spray a 9X13 baking pan and bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes clean. Cool on wire rack completely before frosting.
Freezing / Storing
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