Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Gluten-free chocolate cake

You can never go wrong with a satisfying chocolate cake. Whatever the occasion, whether it’s a birthday cake or just for a treat, this gluten-free chocolate cake recipe is an easy to make, delicious bake that will impress friends and family alike.

While gluten-free baking can feel daunting and expensive, here at Love more Foods, we try to keep things simple. We want to make sure that baking your favourite recipes without gluten, like this gluten-free chocolate cake, is easy to make whilst being both enjoyable and affordable.

So if you want to know how to make a super scrumptious gluten-free chocolate cake from scratch, then follow this recipe.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Recipe Method

Firstly you need to preheat the oven to 180 Degrees Celsius. Do this before anything else, so the oven can get to the correct temperature while you are following the rest of the steps.

We will be making a two-layer cake, so next, you need to use a knob of butter or a dash of oil to grease the inside of two cake pans.

Now that the basics are done, it’s time to get mixing all the ingredients in these next steps.

Gluten-Free Cake Directions

1. Mix the dry ingredients together: the gluten-free cake flour blend, Cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda together in one mixing bowl.
2. Sift the flour mixture through a sieve into another bowl. This will ensure that both the mixture is well combined and that there is no clumping, ensuring a consistent bake.
3. Now mix the 2 eggs (which must be at room temperature), buttermilk (or alternative), vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla extract into another mixing bowl until well combined.
4. Combine both mixtures into one and mix the two together. You can do this with an electric mixer to make it easier. You can mix as much as you like with this gluten-free cake as there is no risk of over-mixing in the way you might with a regular flour cake.
5. Once both mixtures are combined, stir in the boiling hot water until well combined.
6. Leave the cake batter stand between 15-45 minutes. The longer you leave it to stand, the better.
7. Now split the mixture between the two cake pans and place in the oven for 28-35 minutes. Keep checking on your cake within this time frame as you don’t want to over bake your cake; if a toothpick or paring knife comes out clean, then you know it’s cooked through.
8. Once baked, place the chocolate sponge on racks to cool. Do this gently, as gluten-free cakes can be more crumbly than their regular counterparts.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

ingredients for the chocolate buttercream frosting:

• 115 g Butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 20 g cocoa powder
• 35 ml cream
• optional: Milk

1. Make sure your butter has been left to adjust to room temperature.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter for one minute, increasing the speed over this time. This will make it light and fluffy.
3. Then add half the cream, icing sugar and cocoa powder and mix well with the mixer for another minute. Then add the remaining cream.
4. If you would like a runnier consistency, add a dash of milk and mix. Keep adding until you get to the required consistency.
5. If your mixture becomes too runny, you can add more cocoa powder or powdered sugar to thicken it up again.

Once you have made the buttercream icing, you can either use it straight away or place it in the fridge if your cake still needs to bake or cool. If you place the mixture into the fridge, just whip it up with a little cream to loosen it when you’re ready to use it. This will allow you to spread it easily and smoothly on the cake, as cooling it in the fridge will make it harder to work with.

Putting it all together

Once both the sponge is baked and the chocolate buttercream frosting has been made, spread the frosting over the top of one sponge and place the other sponge on top. Make sure that the gluten-free cake sponge is completely cool before adding any buttercream frosting, as any heat will cause it to melt. Once you have stacked your two cake layers, you can cover the rest of the cake with the frosting and voila! A moist and scrumptious gluten-free chocolate cake to leave your mouth watering for more.

This really is the best gluten-free chocolate cake recipe. It is one that you can bring out whenever you need a cake to impress, and you can rest assured that anyone who eats gluten-free can enjoy it too. This gluten-free recipe really is the best alternative to a regular chocolate cake. You honestly wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between this gluten-free chocolate cake and a chocolate cake made with regular plain flour. Having cake layers in this recipe with the frosting in the middle also adds to make the cake extra moist and just that bit more irresistible.

Make sure you check out our top tips and FAQ’s below before baking to make sure you get this gluten-free chocolate cake recipe just right.

Top tips and FAQ’s about this chocolate cake recipe:

Where do I find gluten-free flour?

Gluten-free cooking has become more and more popular over time as more people become aware of the benefits of going gluten-free. Therefore, you tend to be able to find these gluten-free flour blends in most supermarkets. If you are struggling to find gluten-free flour in your local store, then amazon and other online retailers will stock them and be able to deliver them to your door.

What ingredients are normally in gluten-free flour blends?

Gluten-free flour blends obviously do not contain any grains that contain gluten, but not all blends will have exactly the same ingredients. However, the most common ingredients in gluten-free plain flour are rice flour, maize flour and corn starch. Many gluten-free flours will also have xanthan gum already added.

Do I really need the xanthan gum if it isn’t already in my chocolate cake mixture?

Yes. Having Xanthan gum will give your cake a similar structure and texture that gluten would in normal baking. It will also help to keep your cake moister as gluten-free baking can run the risk of being drier than traditional baking.

Why do I have to leave the batter to rest?

Gluten-free baking can be known for being difficult to keep moist. By letting the mix stand for a while, you will give the gluten-free flour a chance to absorb oil, leaving the gluten-free chocolate cake more moist.

Can I make this gluten-free chocolate cake dairy and egg-free (basically vegan)?

Yes, this is possible.

To make this gluten-free chocolate cake dairy-free, you can simply replace the milk or cream with any dairy-free alternatives such as coconut milk, almond milk or soya milk. They should all work just fine. You can also use vegan butter for dairy-free chocolate buttercream frosting.

It’s also possible to make this gluten-free chocolate cake egg-free by using an egg substitute. You could either use a gelatin egg, or if you wanted it to be vegan, you could use a flax egg. They can be tricky to work with but work well once you have gotten the hang of using them.

Are baking powder and baking soda gluten-free?

While some baking powders and baking sodas use fillers, they don’t tend to contain gluten. However, unless it states they are gluten-free, they can be processed in factories that contain gluten. So if you want to be sure that this will be a 100 per cent gluten-free chocolate cake, then I would recommend using only baking powder and soda that states it is gluten-free.

Why does this chocolate cake recipe use oil instead of butter, and can I use butter if I wanted to?

You can use butter if you prefer, but you may find this will affect how moist this gluten-free chocolate cake turns out. The gluten-free plain flour tends to absorb the oil much better than butter, helping this gluten-free chocolate cake keep its moisture while it’s cooking.

How long will my cake last once bake?

As this cake is iced, you should be able to keep this cake in the fridge for up to 5 days, and it will still keep its moisture. If you are planning on baking this cake sometime ahead of its use or you want to save some of it, you can freeze this chocolate cake for up to one month.

My cake is cracking on top. Why is this, and how do I stop it?

You may find your cake cracking on top while it cooks if your oven is too hot. There is variability between all ovens, and so if your cake is cracking on top, you may need to adjust your oven temperature just a tad. If your oven is just a little too hot, then the cake will rise too quickly, causing the cracking. You should also make sure that you place the cake in the centre of your oven. This will give your gluten-free cake the most consistent and even bake.

This has been a great gluten-free recipe to share and one that you can hopefully use again and again. We all know chocolate cake never gets old, and this gluten-free chocolate cake is one nearly everyone can tuck in and enjoy.