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    Serena Lissy » Recipes » Recipes

    Published: May 21, 2021 · Modified: Jan 8, 2022 by serena · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Chocolate lovers rejoice! Looking for a gluten free chocolate cake recipe? This easy homemade gluten free chocolate cake is so moist and fluffy you won't be able to tell it's gluten free! The best part about this easy gluten-free chocolate cake recipe? It's made from scratch with simple ingredients and requires no fancy equipment.

    It takes less than fifteen minutes to make the batter for our easy gluten-free chocolate cake, which means you'll have more time to spend on other things in your life - like cooking up something else scrumptious! What are you waiting for?!

    Slice of three layer cake next to the cake on a stand.

    Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

    We have just recently been exploring gluten free baked goods. What I found is that a lot of them are dry and flavorless. Which isn't how a baked good should be. So, for my first foray into the world of GF baking (or any new recipe!), I revisited an old favorite: Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. We use this cake any time we have a special occasion and it's just the best chocolate cake.

    I started by making two batches--one using regular all-purpose flour as in the original recipe; one substituting it out entirely with King Arthur Gluten Free AP Flour. It took me some time to get this right but after a few attempts, we have what you see before you today: A rich chocolate cake topped off with deliciously smooth frosted Italian buttercream.

    How Many Cake Layers Do You Want?

    The recipe as written makes two layers. So if you want a three layer cake as shown, just increase the recipe by 50%. Or if you just want to double the recipe, you could make a few cupcakes instead of four layer cakes. The cake freezes well, so go ahead and make more for another day. I wouldn't recommend going over three layers. The structure of the cake isn't strong enough to support the weight of the layers.

    Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Ingredients

    Cake Ingredients

    • Gluten Free AP Flour (We have only used King Arthur GF AP flour in this recipe. You can easily find it in grocery stores or online at Amazon)
    • Xanthan Gum (If your GF Flour already has this, you won't need it)
    • Cocoa Powder (Use good quality to get the best chocolate flavor)
    • Baking Powder & Baking Soda
    • Butter (Room temperature)
    • Caster Sugar
    • Eggs
    • Milk
    • Vanilla Extract
    • Boiling Water
    Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Process Collage

    How to Make the Gluten Free Cake

    1. Preheat oven and grease and line two 8" round cake pans with parchment paper. Be sure to get the sides of the pan as well as the bottom.
    2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
    3. In a second bowl using an electric mixer, or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter and sugar on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
    4. Add eggs and combine. Then add vanilla and milk, mixing until smooth.
    5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined.
    6. With mixer on low speed, slowly add the boiling water a little at a time until incorporated.
    7. Pour the cake batter into your prepared cake pans and bake.
    8. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes then remove and place onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
    Chocolate Cake decorated with buttercream

    Tips For Baking The Best Gluten Free Cake

    • Lightly grease the bottoms of your cake pans with gluten free cooking spray and place a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit in the bottom. This will make removing cakes from their pan super easy!
    • Make sure to allow time for your butter to soften. You can read more about the importance of that in our Baking with Room Temperature Ingredients writeup.
    • Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 10 - 15 minutes, then remove and place on a wire cooling rack.
    • The cakes must be completely cool before icing them.
    • I don't recommend making this cake days ahead of time for when you need it. The earliest I would recommend making a gluten free cake is the day before you need it.
    • Store in an airtight container to keep the moisture in.
    • If you want to know more about the whys and hows of gluten free baking, King Arthur has a great writeup for beginners entering the gluten free world.

    Looking For More Recipes?

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    Gluten Free Chocolate Cake on a Plate

    Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

    This easy homemade gluten free chocolate cake is so moist and fluffy you won't be able to tell it's gluten free!
    5 from 10 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 14 slices
    Calories: 620kcal
    Author: Serena

    Ingredients

    Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

    • 1 ⅓ cups Gluten Free AP Flour (208 grams)
    • ¼ teaspoon Xanthan Gum (Omit if your flour already has this)
    • ⅔ cup Cocoa Powder (62 grams)
    • 2 teaspoon Baking Powder (10 grams)
    • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda (6 grams)
    • ⅔ cup Unsalted Butter (150 grams)
    • 1 ½ cups Superfine/Caster Sugar (312 grams)
    • 3 Large Eggs Room Temperature
    • ½ cup Whole Milk (120 mL)
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • ⅔ cup Boiling Water (160 mL)

    Chocolate Italian Buttercream

    • ⅔ pound Sugar (303 grams)
    • 151 grams Egg Whites (5-6 large eggs)
    • 2.66 ounces Water (80 mL)
    • 1 pound Unsalted Butter cut into 1" cubes (453 grams)
    • 6 ounces Melted and cooled bittersweet chocolate (170 grams)

    Instructions

    Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

    • Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and line two 8" round cake pans.
    • In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on a medium speed for 2-3 minutes to combine.
    • Add the eggs, 1 by 1, beating on a medium speed between each addition.
    • Add the vanilla extract and milk and mix until smooth.
    • Add in the flour mixture and mix on a low speed until just combined, scraping down the sides when necessary.
    • With the mixer on a low speed, slowly pour in the boiling water a little at a time until all of it has been added and incorporated through.
    • Pour the mixture into your cake pans, distributing it evenly between the two. It will be very runny, but don’t worry – this is how it’s supposed to look!
    • Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer poked into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs and no wet cake mixture.
    • Leave the cakes to cool in the pans for10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

    Chocolate Italian Buttercream

    • Combine 76 grams of the sugar with the egg whites in the bowl of your stand mixer.
    • Combine water with the remaining sugar in a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat this until the mixture reaches 240° F (Soft ball stage).
    • When the sugar syrup reaches 230°F, begin whipping the eggs in your stand mixer on medium speed with the whisk attachment. The whites should reach a soft peak stage by the time the sugar reaches 240°F.
    • Carefully stream the hot sugar into the whipping whites. Continue whipping until room temperature.
    • Once the meringue is cooled, switch to the paddle attachment and slowly add the butter on medium speed. Cream until smooth and light.
    • Once the buttercream is at the proper texture add in the melted chocolate and whip until incorporated.
    • Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

    Notes

    Recipe Source: SerenaLissy.com
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database via Spoonacular API, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators. While this information can be helpful in estimating the nutritional information of a recipe, it is by no means accurate or official and is not evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
     
    All images and content are copyright protected. Do not use our images without prior permission.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 620kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 411mg | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 1151IU | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it Today!Mention @SerenaLissy or tag #serenalissy!

    As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. What that means is if you click on one of our affiliate links, they may toss a few pennies our way for a commission.

    Completed Gluten Free Chocolate Cake on Cake Stand

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Joni says

      April 08, 2023 at 3:21 pm

      5 stars
      This was my first from scratch gluten free cake- and it was amazing! Even my very picky and skeptical mother thought it was very good. I used KAF measure for measure gf flour and dutch process cocoa for a darker cake and it paired wonderfully with seven minute icing. I also used 9x13 pan baked for 27 minutes. Tasted almost like a hostess cupcake! Thank you

      Reply
    2. Ramona says

      June 11, 2021 at 4:23 pm

      5 stars
      This looked like the perfect gluten-free cake I was looking for to make for my daughter's birthday so I have given it a go. Everyone was so happy and did not stop saying how good it was. I will make it again.

      Reply
      • serena says

        June 11, 2021 at 5:10 pm

        Thanks so much Ramona, glad you enjoyed 🙂

        Reply
    3. Colleen says

      June 11, 2021 at 11:32 am

      5 stars
      Nobody will care if it's gluten-free when the cake is as rich and chocolate-y as this one! The buttercream frosting is so decadent and looks delicious.

      Reply
      • serena says

        June 11, 2021 at 5:09 pm

        Thanks Colleen! I totally agree 🙂

        Reply
    4. Oscar says

      June 09, 2021 at 5:51 pm

      5 stars
      I loved this gluten free cake. It was super moist and tasty. Saving this one to make again.

      Reply
      • serena says

        June 10, 2021 at 8:17 am

        Thanks Oscar!

        Reply
    5. Jeri says

      June 09, 2021 at 5:08 pm

      5 stars
      What a beautiful-looking cake! It looks absolutely delicious! I am going to make it this weekend with my daughter!

      Reply
      • serena says

        June 10, 2021 at 8:15 am

        Enjoy 🙂

        Reply
    6. Marysa says

      June 09, 2021 at 4:29 pm

      This looks like a decadent cake. It is nice to have some gluten-free recipes for when we are entertaining guests who are gluten-free.

      Reply
      • serena says

        June 10, 2021 at 8:17 am

        I agree, that's what sparked this GF cake.

        Reply
    7. Mairead says

      May 21, 2021 at 4:47 pm

      5 stars
      I love Italian buttercream frosting, so this cake is perfect in my book. Thank you for sharing a tasty gluten free cake recipe.

      Reply
      • serena says

        May 22, 2021 at 7:41 am

        Thanks Mairead 🙂

        Reply
    8. Anjali says

      May 21, 2021 at 3:54 pm

      5 stars
      This really is the best gluten free chocolate cake I've ever made!! It turned out to be light and moist and super chocolatey - the perfect sweet treat!!

      Reply
      • serena says

        May 22, 2021 at 7:40 am

        Thanks so much Anjali!

        Reply
    9. Beth says

      May 21, 2021 at 11:47 am

      5 stars
      Yummy! This cake is such a crowd pleaser and so delicious! Perfect for my family and I will be making this again soon!

      Reply
      • serena says

        May 21, 2021 at 12:06 pm

        Thanks Beth 🙂

        Reply
    10. Biana says

      May 21, 2021 at 11:31 am

      5 stars
      This chocolate cake looks amazing! A slice of it will be great with a cup of coffee.

      Reply
      • serena says

        May 21, 2021 at 11:43 am

        Thanks so much Biana! Yes, it's definitely great with a coffee 🙂

        Reply
    11. kushigalu says

      May 21, 2021 at 10:50 am

      5 stars
      This cake looks gorgeous plus I love that it's gluten free. Thanks for the recipe. I will try this soon

      Reply
      • serena says

        May 21, 2021 at 10:54 am

        Thanks so much! Enjoy 🙂

        Reply

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