This gluten-free chocolate cake is moist and fluffy with a tender crumb. It tastes wonderful and is perfect for layer cakes, cupcakes, or a sheet cake! Serve it to everyone; they won't know it's gluten-free unless you tell them!
I love that we gluten-free people can have our chocolate cake and eat it, too! This recipe has been specifically developed and tested as a gluten-free recipe with the particular combination of flours listed and the right amount of fat (butter) and eggs for a gluten-free cake.
For a simpler, streamlined process, use Cathy's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend, which I created since developing this gluten-free chocolate cake recipe. I have tested the recipe extensively, and it's great either way!
Frost it with the simple frosting recipe included, chocolate ganache, whipped or not, or decorate with any frosting you like.
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If you're a fan of chocolate cake, you might also like my rich, dark chocolate cheesecake or gluten-free molten chocolate lava cake!
Ingredients for Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Recipe
IMPORTANT UPDATE NOTE: Since developing this recipe, I have created my own step-saving gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. I have tested this recipe multiple times, and it's great either way. If you would like to use the premixed blend instead of measuring out the individual flours listed here, use:
2 cups (300 g) Cathy's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend,
instead of:
- Potato Starch
- Rice Flour
- Tapioca Flour,
- Sorghum Flour, and
- Xanthan Gum
and proceed to follow the instructions as they're written.
- Potato starch is different from potato flour. The two are not interchangeable.
- Tapioca starch and tapioca flour are interchangeable.
- Raw sugar is sometimes called turbinado sugar.
- Xanthan gum is used to replace the gluten that's in wheat flour. It helps to hold the batter together as it bakes.
Optional Chocolate Frosting
- Chocolate Chips should be pure chocolate chips rather than baking chips. You want the kind that will melt.
- Nut butter can be peanut, almond, cashew, or any other kind of nut butter. I have not tested the recipe with sunflower seed butter. Peanut butter gives you a nice chocolate-and-peanut butter combination.
How do You Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake from Scratch?
- Melt chopped chocolate over low heat. I set this bowl over simmering water.
2. Whisk the dry, flour ingredients together.
3. Beat soft butter in another bowl. Then beat in the sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, and melted chocolate.
5. In a clean bowl with clean beater, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
4. Add the dry flour mixture mixture and the water to the chocolate batter, alternately, until it's all mixed in.
6. Gently "fold" the beaten egg whites into the chocolate batter.
To "fold" in egg whites, stir a large scoop of them into the batter. Add the remaining beaten whites and proceed to stir them in by gently drawing a spoon through the batter down one side, across the bottom, and up the opposite side. Turn the bowl a little at a time and repeat this motion until the egg whites have been completely, but gently, incorporated. This should make your batter lighter and fluffier overall.
7. Spread the batter into a prepared sheet pan, layer pans, or cupcake pan.
8. Bake the cake until reaches an internal temperature of 200°F (93°C) or a fork inserted into the centre comes out clean.
9. While the cake is cooling, melt the chocolate chips over very low heat, stirring occasionally. When they have melted, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the nut butter.
10. Once the cake has cooled completely, spread the chocolate-nut butter frosting over it. Serve and enjoy!
Whipped chocolate ganache makes a great frosting for cupcakes or a filling between cake layers.
Recipe Tips and FAQ's
Gluten-free cakes can be dry if you make them with a recipe intended for wheat flour. Generally a gluten-free cake needs more oil or butter and more liquid to keep it moist.
Other than following a good recipe designed to be gluten-free, be sure that you don't overbake your cake. Baking too long will dry it out. Remove the cake from the oven just as soon as it reaches 200°F (93°C) in the centre. An instant read thermometer is an invaluable tool for excellent baking results.
Don't beat the batter longer than necessary, and make sure to bake it thoroughly. Be careful to add the egg yolks one at a time and beat only until they are blended in. Then, bake the cake right away as soon as you have beaten the batter and spread it into the prepared pan.
If you follow the recipe instructions closely, your gluten-free cake shouldn't sink.
Craving More Chocolate? Try these...
- Molten Chocolate Lava Cake
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- Sweet Potato Brownies
- Peanut Butter Energy Balls with Chocolate Chips
- Chocolate Avocado Pudding
- Chocolate Almond Bark
- Chocolate Ganache Icing
Recipe
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate roughly chopped
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup sorghum flour
- ½ cup white rice flour
- ½ cup tapioca flour
- ½ cup potato starch
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (1 stick) at room temperature
- 1 cup raw sugar
- 2 eggs separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Liquid
- 1¼ cup water
Frosting
- 1 cup pure chocolate chips
- ¾ cup nut butter
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottoms of two 9-inch layer cake pans or one rectangular 9- X 13-inch pan with parchment paper. If you're making cupcakes, line a tin with cupcake liners. Don't grease the sides of your cake pan; the batter will rise higher around the edges when it can hold on.
- Melt the chocolate over very low heat until it's almost melted, stirring occasionally. Remove it from the heat and stir it until it's completely smooth.3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum together in a medium mixing bowl.*If you're using Cathy's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend, whisk 2 cups (300 g) of it with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.½ cup sorghum flour½ cup white rice flour½ cup tapioca flour½ cup potato starch1 teaspoon xanthan gum2 teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon sea salt
- With an electric mixer, beat the softened butter in a large mixing bowl until it's smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until it's light and fluffy. One at a time, beat in the egg yolks, vanilla, and melted chocolate, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternately with the water in two parts, and stir just until smooth.½ cup butter1 cup raw sugar2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract1¼ cup water
- With a clean beater in a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form when you lift out the beaters. Gently but thoroughly, fold them into the batter. Spread out the batter into prepared pans. *See note below.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes for small cupcakes, 20 to 25 minutes for a layer cake, and up to 35 minutes for a sheet cake. The internal temperature needs to reach 200°F (93°C) when tested with an instant-read thermometer. Set on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
Frosting
- Melt chocolate chips over very low heat until just melted, stirring occasionally. Stir in the nut butter, and frost the cooled cake.1 cup pure chocolate chips¾ cup nut butter
Notes
- FLOUR BLEND INSTRUCTIONS: You can use Cathy's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend in this recipe. Use 2 cups of it (300 g) to replace the sorghum flour, white rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, and xanthan gum.
- This recipe makes a 9- X 13-inch (23 cm X 33 cm) sheet cake, 12 small cupcakes, or two 9-inch (23 cm) layers.
- To "fold" in beaten egg whites, stir a large scoop of them into the batter. Add the remaining beaten whites and proceed to stir them in by gently drawing a spoon through the batter down one side, across the bottom, and up the opposite side. Turn the bowl a little at a time and repeat this motion until the egg whites have been completely, but gently, incorporated.
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