Recipe
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Recipe
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This gluten-free chocolate cake is deeply moist, tender, and rich enough that no one at the table will guess it is gluten-free. The secret is blooming the cocoa in hot coffee, which deepens the chocolate flavor, plus a careful hand with the flour so the crumb stays soft instead of dense or gritty. It mixes in one bowl and works beautifully as layers, a sheet cake, cupcakes, or a Bundt.
Because pan size changes how the cake bakes, use the recipe card first and then check the chart below to match your oven temperature and time to the pan you own. Every ingredient here is naturally gluten-free, but the flour blend does the heavy lifting, so start with a reliable cup-for-cup blend.
Moist Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) gluten-free all-purpose flour blend with xanthan gum
- 3/4 cup (65 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) neutral oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 ml) hot brewed coffee or hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your pan or pans and line the bottoms with parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth.
- Stir in the hot coffee last. The batter will be quite thin, which is correct for a moist cake.
- Divide the batter among your pans and bake according to the chart below, until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Baking Tips for a Moist Crumb
| Pan | Oven temp | Bake time | Doneness cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two 8-inch rounds | 350°F (175°C) | 28-32 min | Center springs back; toothpick has moist crumbs |
| Two 9-inch rounds | 350°F (175°C) | 24-28 min | Edges just pull from the pan |
| 9x13-inch sheet | 350°F (175°C) | 33-38 min | Top is set and springs back |
| 12-cup Bundt | 325°F (163°C) | 45-55 min | Deep crackle on top; skewer comes out clean |
| 24 cupcakes | 350°F (175°C) | 18-22 min | Tops dome and spring back |
- Weigh your flour blend if you can; scooping packs in too much and dries out the crumb.
- Choose a 1-to-1 gluten-free blend that already contains xanthan gum, or the cake can crumble.
- Use room-temperature eggs and buttermilk so the batter emulsifies evenly.
- Hot coffee blooms the cocoa for a richer flavor; it will not make the cake taste like coffee.
- Do not overbake. Gluten-free cakes dry out fast, so start checking a few minutes early.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting, or the frosting will slide off.
- For a dairy-free cake, swap the buttermilk for plant milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar.
Can I make this cake dairy-free?
Yes. Use a plant-based milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in place of the buttermilk, and frost with a dairy-free option. The oil-based batter is already butter-free.
Why did my gluten-free cake turn out dry or gritty?
The two usual causes are too much flour and overbaking. Weigh the flour, use a fine blend, and pull the cake as soon as a toothpick shows moist crumbs. Letting the batter rest 10 minutes before baking can also soften grittier blends.
Which gluten-free flour blend works best?
A cup-for-cup all-purpose blend that contains xanthan gum, typically rice-and-starch based, is the most reliable. Avoid using single flours like coconut or almond on their own, since they behave very differently.
Can I freeze the cake?
Yes. Wrap unfrosted layers tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature while still wrapped, then frost. Frosted slices also freeze well if you chill them on a tray first, then wrap.
Do I need to add xanthan gum?
If your blend already contains it, no. If your blend does not, add about 1/2 teaspoon (roughly 1/4 teaspoon per cup of flour). That is the standard amount for a cake; adding much more can make the crumb gummy or rubbery.
Labels and cross-contamination: a gluten-free statement on the packaging is a regulated claim, permitted in both the EU and the US only where the food holds no more than 20 mg of gluten per kilogram. A flour blend, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, or vanilla without that statement has no checked gluten level. Gluten also reaches food outside the ingredient list, through bowls, utensils, and bakeware that have held wheat flour. This recipe is for general information only and is not medical or dietary advice. What applies to you with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity is a question for a doctor or dietitian.
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