The Best Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
This gluten-free chocolate cake recipe continues to impress, even after almost 20 years. I adapted it from the Chocolate Cake recipe by Carol Fenster, Ph.D in her book "Special Diet Solutions" just before I went to culinary school in 2007. Carol was an early contributor to the gluten-free recipe world and I learned a lot from her books when I was just starting out.
I missed baked goods so much that I set out to try and make some cakes and muffins that were something like the wheat versions I couldn't have anymore. I have made a couple of small changes to the recipe since I first created it and added a creaming method for the butter and sugar which I think helps with keeping the cake from being too moist. Yes, I said too moist. That is usually not a description you use when talking about gluten-free baked goods. Most of them are dry and gritty. The combination of flours and cocoa powder make this cake spongy and moist.
I have made this cake for just about every friend's birthday, special event, health fair, and anniversary. It was even the top layer of MY wedding cake so that my husband and I could cut into it for our ceremony.
Most of the people I make it for are NOT gluten-free. But that doesn't seem to matter, everyone just loves the way it tastes! It is so moist that the texture is almost fudge-like, but still springy and light. It is sweet enough that it does not have to be frosted too.
Gluten Free Flours
Part of what makes this cake perfect is the combination of flours. If you do not have all of these flours at home or don't want to store them all, you can try an already made flour mix like Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur. Just check that is is a "flour mix" not a "baking mix." Baking mixes will contain the xanthan gum and baking soda, which you don't want to duplicate.
I prefer to make my own mix of flours so that I can tailor it to the recipe I am making. In gluten free baking, not all flours work the same. In order to replace wheat, you need to use a blend of heavier flours plus some starch which helps to replace the action of the missing gluten. This recipe contains these four flours:
Brown Rice Flour
Sorghum Flour
Potato Starch
Tapioca Starch
Make this Recipe Dairy Free
The recipe calls for ⅓ cup butter, non-dairy margarine or melted coconut oil. I have used all kinds of regular dairy butters, dairy free margarines and butters and even coconut oil. They all work well.
You Can Change up the Sugars In This Recipe
I have tried all different kinds of sugars in this cake and it always comes out fine. So if you need to substitute another sugar go ahead. This recipe calls for a blend of white sugar and brown sugar. I have frequently replaced the white sugar with coconut sugar when I want this recipe to be a little less processed. Coconut sugar will make this cake a little less sweet.
When I use sucanat instead of the brown sugar, I put it through a coffee grinder first to make it finer, as I find the sugar crystals are a little large, and I want to make sure they dissolve with the rest of the ingredients.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Cake
Noone will know it’s gluten free. That’s the best part. And you won’t miss out anymore on enjoying a moist and tender cake. So many of the gluten free products out there are dry, crumbly and tasteless. Like I said above, I make this for everyone, no matter whether they are gluten free or not.
I just love how the cupcake version gets these cracks on the surface while they bake. They are just beautiful. It looks like a fudgy molten lava cake.
Making mini-cupcakes is also a perfect use of this recipe. That way people can take "just a bite" and not feel bad for eating an entire slice of cake. This is usually what I make when I need samples or just a small bite for a crowd. The only problem is when you forget just how many you have eaten.
This recipe makes one 8 or 9 inch cake layer. So double or triple the recipe depending on how many layers you want in the final cake.
This recipe makes 12 cupcakes - reduce the baking time to 20 minutes.
This cake will stay moist in the refrigerator for 1 ½ weeks.
Printer-Friendly Recipe
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
A cake so good that you can make it for everyone, gluten free eaters or not.
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown rice flour
- ¼ cup sorghum flour
- ¼ cup potato starch
- ¼ cup tapioca flour
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (see note)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup butter, non-dairy margarine or melted coconut oil
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup almond, soy or rice milk, unsweetened
- ¾ cup brewed coffee, slightly warm or room temp (I use decaf)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 inch round cake pan with margarine or coconut oil and line with parchment paper.
- Measure all dry ingredients (rice flour to salt) into a large bowl and stir to mix with a fork or whisk.
- Place butter, both sugars and egg in a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Blend on medium-low until creamy. Add dry ingredients, vanilla and milk to the bowl and mix on low speed scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Batter will be thick like brownie batter. Add warm coffee and blend again until mixed. Batter will still be thick but smooth.
- Pour batter into cake pan and smooth out the top. Place in oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, turning pan halfway through baking time. Remove from oven when a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then remove and set on a cooling rack.
Notes
- *If your cocoa powder tends to have a lot of lumps, sift the cocoa into the dry mix when measuring. This will help the final batter to be smoother.
- Cupcakes: makes 12 cupcakes, reduce baking time to 20 minutes
- Coffee note: If brewing fresh coffee, measure amount needed and leave in measuring cup on counter for half an hour. The coffee should now be cool enough to use.
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