Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

This gluten free chocolate cake is one of those recipes I come back to over and over again. It’s rich, moist, and honestly tastes just as good as any regular chocolate cake out there.

If you’ve been gluten free for a while, you probably know how hard it can be to find a cake that doesn’t taste dry or crumbly. This one doesn’t have that problem at all. The texture is soft and the chocolate flavor is deep and satisfying.

The recipe uses a gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour, which makes it really simple. No need to mix together different specialty flours or add extra binders. Just swap and bake.

One little trick here is the hot coffee in the batter. It doesn’t make the cake taste like coffee, it just brings out the chocolate flavor and keeps everything super moist.

Top it off with a creamy homemade chocolate frosting and you’ve got a cake that nobody will believe is gluten free. It’s perfect for birthdays, holidays, or just because you want cake.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It Tastes Like Regular Chocolate Cake – This gluten free chocolate cake is so rich and moist that nobody will ever guess it’s gluten free. It tastes just like the classic chocolate cake you grew up loving, so everyone at the table can enjoy it without feeling like they’re missing out.

The Coffee Makes It Extra Chocolatey – The hot coffee in the batter doesn’t make the cake taste like coffee at all. Instead, it deepens the chocolate flavor and makes every bite taste richer and more intense, which is a trick even professional bakers use.

Super Moist Every Single Time – Between the buttermilk, vegetable oil, and hot coffee, this cake comes out incredibly moist and tender. You’ll never have to worry about that dry, crumbly texture that some gluten free baked goods are known for.

The Frosting Is Unbelievably Good – The homemade chocolate buttercream frosting is creamy, fluffy, and packed with real cocoa flavor. It pairs perfectly with the cake layers, and honestly, you might catch yourself eating spoonfuls of it straight from the bowl.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• 2 cups Granulated Sugar
• 3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 large Eggs
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1 cup Hot Coffee
• 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Frosting

• 1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/3 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Pinch of Salt

How to Make

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350F and grease two 9-inch round cake pans, then line bottoms with parchment paper. Whisk together gluten free flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Step 2

Add eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Slowly pour in hot coffee and stir until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thin, and that is expected.

Step 3

Divide batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Step 4

For the frosting, beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and cocoa powder, alternating with heavy cream, beating on medium-high until fluffy. Mix in vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.

Step 5

Place one cake layer on a serving plate, spread a generous layer of frosting on top, then place the second layer on top. Frost the top and sides of the cake.

Step 6

Slice and serve at room temperature. Store covered for up to 3 days.

Helpful Tips

Use the Right Gluten Free Flour

This recipe calls for a 1-to-1 gluten free baking flour, and that part matters a lot. These blends are made to replace regular flour at an equal ratio, so the cake rises properly and holds together the way it should.

If you use a different type of gluten free flour like almond flour or coconut flour, the texture will be completely off. Stick with a 1-to-1 blend like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur.

Also, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife instead of scooping directly from the bag. Scooping packs the flour down and you end up with too much, which makes the cake dense and dry.

Make the Coffee Extra Hot

The coffee needs to be genuinely hot when you pour it into the batter. Hot coffee blooms the cocoa powder, which brings out a much deeper and richer chocolate flavor in the finished cake.

Brew it fresh right before you start mixing, or heat water and dissolve a couple teaspoons of instant coffee in it. Either way works perfectly fine.

If you don’t drink coffee or want to skip the caffeine, just use boiling water instead. The cake won’t taste like coffee either way, but the hot liquid is what really makes the chocolate flavor stand out.

Don’t Worry About Thin Batter

When you pour in the hot coffee at the end, the batter is going to look way too thin and runny. That is totally normal for this recipe, so don’t panic and don’t try to add more flour to thicken it up.

That thin consistency is actually what gives this cake its soft, moist crumb. Gluten free cakes can sometimes turn out dry and crumbly, but the extra liquid in this batter prevents that from happening.

Just pour it into the pans and trust the process. It bakes up perfectly.

You Might Also Like

• Gluten Free Molten Lava Cakes
• Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Swiss Roll

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this cake without coffee?

Yes, you can replace the hot coffee with hot water if you prefer. The coffee doesn’t make the cake taste like coffee at all – it just deepens the chocolate flavor and makes it richer.

That said, if you want the most intensely chocolatey result, hot coffee is the way to go. Most people can’t even tell it’s in there.