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This incredible Gluten Free Chocolate Cake is rich with chocolate and will become your new go-to special occasion cake. It boasts moist and tender cake layers filled with a luxuriously silky chocolate buttercream frosting for the ultimate indulgence. No xanthan gum is needed for this ultimate crowd pleaser of a cake.
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Watch The Video
- Which Gluten-Free Flour Blends Work Best For Chocolate Cake?
- Is Xanthan Gum Needed?
- Full List Of Ingredients
- How To Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Layer Cake
- Expert Tips
- Assembling The Cake
- Flavour Variations
- FAQs
- More Gluten-Free Chocolate Cakes You’ll Love!
- Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
- Make Ahead
- Freeze
If you are in need of an incredible rich chocolate cake to become your go-to chocolate cake for birthdays and all kinds of special occasions then this is the cake of your dreams. It is everything that a proper chocolate cake should be with bags of intense chocolate flavour, a gorgeously moist yet light texture and a velvety buttercream. Prepare to meet your new favourite gluten-free chocolate layer cake.
Just check out all the 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reviews:
"I just made this cake for a birthday party for my daughter who has celiac disease, and it is incredible! Everyone loved it! I followed the recipe exactly as written and couldn't be happier with the taste, appearance, and texture. " Becky.
"Fabulous cake recipe! I made this for my daughter's birthday as she wanted a super chocolatey cake. This delivered!" Talia
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A perfect choice for your next gluten-free chocolate birthday cake.
- Deep chocolate flavour.
- The sponge is on the right side of sweet.
- Perfectly moist, light and fluffy sponge.
- Layers of chocolate cake are sandwiched and covered with a creamy rich and intensely chocolatey buttercream.
- Easy to make, the sponge comes together in one large bowl without the need for a stand mixer or electric hand mixer.
- It makes an extra special gluten-free dessert for Valentine's Day, especially if served with vanilla ice cream.
- No xanthan gum is needed.
Watch The Video
Which Gluten-Free Flour Blends Work Best For Chocolate Cake?
This delicious cake uses a homemade gluten-free flour blend using 3 flours to create the perfect texture:
Teff flour. A whole grain flour. It has a fluffy texture and the caramel flavour undertones pair excellently with chocolate. READ MORE >>> Guide to using teff flour in your baking. Substitution. Instead of teff flour you can use oat flour or sorghum flour.
Sweet rice flour. A starchy flour which helps bind the ingredients and lends a little fudginess to the sponge. This is not the same ingredient as regular rice flour. READ MORE >>> Guide to using sweet rice flour in your baking. Substitution. You can substitute for tapioca flour (but not if you are also substituting the almond flour for tapioca flour – see below - as it would make the sponge too tapioca heavy).
Almond flour. You are looking for blanched ground almonds. There is a bit of labelling confusion over almond flour which is sold as ‘ground almonds’ in most major UK supermarkets and found in the baking aisle. If you want to know what exactly you are looking for then check out this post >>>Is Almond Flour The Same As Ground Almonds.
I don't recommend using a branded all-purpose gluten-free flour in this recipe as the results won't be the same. However, if you only want to reach for 1 flour every time you bake a cake then this Homemade Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour will suit you perfectly. It's ideal for every kind of sponge cake (and works well in other simple recipes too). You can swap the above 3 flours for the same amount of this homemade blend to produce a perfect chocolate cake.
💫My gluten-free recipes use simple blends for the best results to enhance all your sweet treats. If you want to know more about choosing the right gluten-free flours for your recipes then join our facebook community where we completely nerd out on alternative flours and gluten free baking.
Is Xanthan Gum Needed?
If you have been following a gluten-free diet for some time then you will be aware that a small amount of xanthan gum is used to mimic the job of gluten in gluten-free baking. It helps bind the ingredients together and can make the crumb a little lighter and softer. This amazing recipe doesn’t need xanthan gum as the right blend of wholegrain and starchy flours give this delicious gluten free cake an excellent structure which is light and moist. Plus the stickiness of the melted chocolate in the batter also helps bind the cake ingredients.
Full List Of Ingredients
Chocolate Sponge
Sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour). This is a delicate white starchy flour which is useful in gluten-free baking because of its ability to create soft and elastic baked goods. It gives good results within the flour blend because it helps bind the mix together so the buns have a little bounce and are not dry and crumbly.
Teff flour. A whole grain flour. It has a fluffy texture and the caramel flavour undertones pair excellently with chocolate.
Almond flour. This flour is protein packed so it gives the chocolate cake a deep moist texture and great stability so it isn't crumbly. You are looking for blanched ground almonds (labelled as 'ground almonds' in UK supermarkets and found in the baking aisle).
Dark chocolate. This cake uses 70% dark chocolate. However, you can use 50-60% chocolate for a softer chocolate flavour.
Cocoa powder. Choose a high quality organic brand if possible. This recipe was tested with Dutch-processed cocoa powder (which is the more common type in the UK – but do check the labels).
Espresso powder. Brings out the chocolate flavour rather than giving a coffee flavour. It can be omitted.
Bicarbonate of soda. Also known as baking soda, this is a white crystalline powder that is commonly used as a leavening agent in baking.
Milk. Use whole milk or a plant based milk (coconut milk / almond milk / oat milk) if you are making a dairy-free option.
Apple cider vinegar. Reacts with the milk to give a lovely tanginess which adds complexity of flavour.
Caster sugar. It’s a fine white baking sugar available in the UK. If you can only get hold of granulated sugar you can grind more finely in the food processor before you use it in the recipe.
Brown sugar. Adds a gentle flavour and lends a fudgy texture.
Olive oil. Use a flavourless mild and light olive oil. You can swap for vegetable oil or coconut oil.
Eggs. This cake uses a medium size. Burford Browns give a lovely rich flavour if you can get them.
Vanilla extract. Use a good quality extract, I like Nielsen Massey.
Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Using salt in your baked goods lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.
Chocolate Buttercream
Dark chocolate. 70% dark chocolate for an intense chocolate flavour. You can use chocolate chips or a roughly chopped good quality bar.
Butter. It's best to use unsalted butter and do make sure it’s at room temperature.
Icing sugar. (powdered sugar) Sift before using for an even blend.
Cocoa powder. Choose a high quality organic brand if possible.
Salt. A really essential ingredient, without it the buttercream can be quite bland.
How To Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Layer Cake
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Dry ingredients. Whisk the flours together with cocoa powder, espresso powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
2. Homemade 'buttermilk'. Mix the milk with the vinegar and let stand for a couple of minutes.
3. Wet ingredients. Mix the homemade 'buttermilk' with the sugars, olive oil, eggs and vanilla.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Beat together until smooth.
5. Chocolate. Melt the chocolate then pour into the rest of the cake batter and mix until completely incorporated.
6. Bake. Pour the batter into 2 cake tins and bake for 30-35 minutes.
7. Buttercream. Beat butter and icing sugar until very light and creamy. Add cocoa powder, melted chocolate and salt and beat until smooth and creamy.
8. Cool. Turn the cakes onto wire racks and cool completely before filling with buttercream.
Expert Tips
Homemade buttermilk. Since actual buttermilk is often difficult to buy this milk/vinegar trick works just as well. It looks like it has curdled once you have let it rest. That's correct and how it should look. You can substitute the milk/vinegar with actual buttermilk if you prefer.
No stand mixer. It isn't necessary to use a stand mixer for the cake batter but if you do then make sure to sift the dry ingredients and the sugars to avoid clumping and to achieve a smooth batter.
Melted chocolate. Make sure the melted chocolate has cooled for at least 10 minutes before adding to the buttercream.
Cover the bowl. If you cover the bowl with a tea towel when beating the butter and sugar then you won’t get a sugar snowstorm in your kitchen.
Baked. Your chocolate cake is ready when an inserted toothpick or skewer is removed from the baked cake without any moist crumbs attached.
Buttercream. For the lightest creamiest chocolate frosting then mix the butter and sugar for at least 6 minutes in the stand mixer, scraping down the sides every so often.
Serving. For neat clean slices, place the cake in the freezer for 20 minutes. It will firm up the cake to make it easier to cut. In between cuts wipe your knife with a warm damp cloth for clean slices.
Assembling The Cake
Place one cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. If you have a cake board then decorate your cake on top of the cake board as it makes it easier to move the cake around.
Use an offset spatula to spread about a quarter of the icing evenly over the top of the first layer.
Add the second cake layer on top and press it gently to ensure it's level.
Apply the rest of the buttercream around the sides of the cake and the top of the cake. Use the offset spatula to swirl the buttercream around to make the cake pretty.
Flavour Variations
This cake is a great base for making all different variations on chocolate cake.
- Chocolate Orange. Use 1½ teaspoons orange extract in the cake batter, ½ teaspoon orange extract in the buttercream and decorate the cake with Terry’s Chocolate Orange segments.
- Mint Chocolate. Use 1 teaspoon peppermint extract in the cake batter and ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract in the buttercream for a delicious Mint Chocolate Cake.
- Berries. Decorate your cake in seasonal raspberries, strawberries or blueberries or add a layer of crushed berries in between the layers of the cake.
FAQs
There is no big secret except to use the right flour blend. So many branded gluten-free flours do not contain enough protein or starch within the blend so the cake ends up dry and crumbly or with a weird taste. Use flours which complement the chocolate flavour and add moisture to the bake. This recipe uses teff flour, sweet rice flour and almond flour which balance out perfectly to give great texture and flavour.
For the sponge you just need to substitute the milk for a plant based milk and make sure you use dairy-free chocolate.
For the buttercream you can swap the butter for a plant based spread and make sure you use dairy-free chocolate.
This cake keeps really well due to its moist texture. You can make this cake up to 3 days in advance.
This cake keeps best in the refrigerator but is best eaten at room temperature so remove from the fridge at least 2 hours before serving. If you are keeping in the fridge then chill completely uncovered on a plate. Once the cake is cold the buttercream will firm up enough that you can then cover it with plastic wrap without spoiling the look of the buttercream.
You can freeze the whole cake with the buttercream. It is best to chill the cake completely overnight in the fridge so that the buttercream firms up. Then wrap well in plastic wrap and aluminium foil before freezing. Defrost the cake overnight in the fridge before removing the plastic wrap then bring to room temperature before serving.
You can also freeze the cake in slices. Chill completely before slicing then store the cake slices layered up in airtight containers with a piece of baking parchment in between layers. The cake slices take a couple of hours to defrost on the kitchen counter.
More Gluten-Free Chocolate Cakes You’ll Love!
✨Have you tried this Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake? If you liked it, please leave a 5-star ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your recipe turned out and your feedback also helps other readers✨
Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 125 g 70% dark chocolate
- 100 g teff flour
- 80 g sweet rice flour - glutinous rice flour
- 50 g almond flour - ground almonds in UK
- 90 g cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder
- 1¾ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 400 g whole milk
- 1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 160 g caster sugar
- 100 g soft light brown sugar
- 170 g olive oil
- 3 eggs - *medium
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Buttercream
- 300 g 70% dark chocolate
- 500 g unsalted butter - room temperature
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 500 g icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted /gas mark 4 / 350°F and line and grease 2 x 8 inch (20cm) round 4 inch (10cm) deep cake tins.
- Melt the chocolate in a bain marie, or a glass bowl set over a pan of boiling water, then set aside.
- Pour the milk into a jug and stir in the apple cider vinegar. Let stand for 5-10 minutes to curdle slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, or stand mixer, whisk together the flours and starches, cocoa powder, espresso powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt until well mixed.
- In a separate bowl mix together the vinegar milk, sugars, olive oil, eggs and vanilla then beat into the flour mixture.
- Finally mix in the melted chocolate until completely incorporated.
- Divide the mixture between the 2 cake tins and bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until an inserted skewer is removed without a wet crumb.
- Turn out the cakes and cool on wire racks before filling with buttercream.
Chocolate Buttercream
- Melt the chocolate in a bain marie or a glass bowl set over a pan of boiling water, then set aside to cool.
- Beat butter together with the icing sugar in a stand mixer for at least 6 minutes until light and creamy, scraping down the sides every so often.
- Add the cocoa powder, melted chocolate and salt then beat until smooth and incredibly creamy.
Video
Notes
Flour
I do not recommend using a branded all-purpose gluten-free flour as the results will not be the same. But you can swap the whole amount of teff flour, sweet rice flour and almond flour for my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend which has been developed specifically to support the texture and structure of sponge cakes. No xanthan gum is needed with this flour blend either. This recipe calls for almond flour which is blanched and ground whole almonds (without their skin). In the UK this kind of flour is sold in most major UK supermarkets labelled 'ground almonds' in the baking aisle. To make sure you know which almond flour you are choosing then check against this article The Difference Between The Almond Flours.- Teff flour. You can swap for sorghum flour or oat flour.
- Sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour). You can swap for cassava flour.
- Almond flour. You can swap for chickpea flour (gram flour).
Dairy Free Substitutions
- Make sure the chocolate is dairy-free.
- Whole milk. Swap for plant milk for dairy-free version.
- Butter. Swap for a plant based butter for dairy-free version.
Baking Tips
- Chocolate. Make sure the melted chocolate has cooled for at least 10 minutes before adding to the cake batter and the buttercream.
- No stand mixer. You don't need to use a stand mixer for making the cake batter. However if you are not then make sure to sift the dry ingredients and the sugars as they have a tendency to clump and it will mix better.
- Buttercream. If you cover the mixer with a tea towel when beating the butter and sugar then you won’t get a sugar snowstorm in your kitchen. For the lightest creamiest result then mix the butter and sugar for at least 6 minutes in the stand mixer, scraping down the sides every so often.
- Slicing the cake. If you are serving straight away then place the cake in the freezer for 20 minutes, it will make it easier to cut. In between cuts wipe your knife with a warm damp cloth for clean slices.
Make Ahead
You can make this cake up to 3 days in advance. Store in the fridge.Freeze
You can freeze the cake whole with the buttercream. It's best to chill the cake completely before wrapping up well in cling film and aluminium foil. The cake will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost the cake overnight in the fridge before removing the plastic wrap then bring to room temperature before serving. You could also freeze the cake in slices.Ingredient measurements
- Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.
Danielle says
I was worried about this cake being TOO "chocolatey" but it was great! I omitted the coffee as I don't like the flavor. I used Vanilla Buttercream frosting instead of chocolate frosting. I will make this again.
Georgina Hartley says
I'm so happy you enjoyed the chocolate cake - thank you for leaving your feedback!
Mary Salyers says
Was wondering if I could substitute the almond flour with oat flour, some of my customers are allergic to almonds/nuts?
Georgina Hartley says
No, I don't recommend swapping with oat flour as the structure of the cake will change. The high protein content of the almond flour means the cake won't crumble. The best substitution is to swap all the flours listed for the same amount of my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend which is designed to be used in cakes so they don't need almond flour or gums to work.
Becky Heath says
I just made this cake for a birthday party for my daughter who has celiac disease, and it is incredible! Everyone loved it! I followed the recipe exactly as written and couldn't be happier with the taste, appearance, and texture. Thank you Georgina for such a great recipe!!
Georgina Hartley says
You are welcome! I'm happy you enjoyed the chocolate cake!
Talia says
Fabulous cake recipe! I made this for my daughter's birthday as she wanted a super chocolatey cake. This delivered!
I used sorghum flour as I didn't have teff flour to hand. Otherwise, I followed the recipe to the letter without any issues.
I piped the icing on and this worked fine. A guest commented that most icing is too sweet for her but this was good. (I did not explain how much butter it contained in proportion to the sugar!)
***Reposted with star rating
Georgina Hartley says
Thank you so much Talia for giving your feedback on the recipe and I'm so happy your daughter was happy with it too.
Louise says
Very excited to have found a supply of sweet rice flour. This cake turned out beautifully. Needed 10 mins extra in my oven. Cake was moist and tasted wonderful. Have also bought a thermometer after reading another review on here, but did not know what to aim for here and just did usual test with a knife. Thank you for this lovely recipe.
Georgina Hartley says
You are very welcome - I'm happy you enjoyed the cake!
Jamaica says
Another spectacular cake from Georgina! I made this today for my wonderful community as we help each other bail out from these crazy floods we’ve had in Vermont this week. With more rain on the way, we needed a little bit of a treat, and this was it! I made these into cupcakes (baking time was about 30 minutes) and had extra frosting from previous cakes I’ve been making, so I’ll have to try the frosting in this recipe another time. Everyone was wild about them, including gluten eaters. Thank you!
Rita Storrow says
Why can’t I get my butter icing to desolve
Georgina Hartley says
Do you mean that your icing is still gritty? It shouldn't be gritty at all if you use icing sugar (powdered sugar). Is that the problem?
Lizzie G says
I am so pleased with this cake! I didn't have teff flour but I googled alternatives and I had a bag of buckwheat so used that instead. I also used ground almonds as couldn't find almond flour. It was fabulous! I was very worried when I poured the mix into loose bottomed cake tins but nothing leaked out! (I did line them but that doesn't always work) I will try this with teff flour another time but buckwheat works very well. I substituted the caster sugar for coconut sugar too. My guests were impressed with the height of the cake and it held together perfectly when cut without going into the freezer first either.
Georgina Hartley says
I'm so happy you enjoyed the cake. Buckwheat flour is an excellent substitution and gives the cake a lovely flavour too. Thank you so much for leaving your feedback!