Ultimate Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake (Simple & Delicious) 🎉
I’m so excited to share this recipe for an amazing gluten-free chocolate cake! I’m not exaggerating, but this is the ultimate gluten-free chocolate cake 🎉
A rich, chocolatey cake that can serve as an easy tea cake, or a fancy layered cake. Where it really shines though, is in the celebration cake department. This is the chocolate cake for birthday parties. Where you need to serve a crowd, but you also need a gluten-free cake that will be good enough and say ‘yeah I’m gluten-free, but you can’t tell that I am‘.
What’s not to love?:
- Made from simple, gluten-free ingredients,
- No fancy baking skills required,
- All made in the one bowl,
- Rises just like ‘normal’ gluten cakes,
- Stays fresh for 3 days,
- Suitable for freezing and making ahead of time, and
- Absolutely delicious!
Ingredients To Make An Ultimate GF Chocolate Cake
I wasn’t joking when I said the ingredients are simple. You will need:
- Gluten-free flour: a standard gf plain flour/all-purpose flour works well here. I would just recommend a gf flour that has xanthum gum in it already.
- Cocoa powder: again, a standard cocoa powder works well here. I’ve actually just used a generic brand today which still works perfectly, of course making sure that it is gf!
- Baking powder & baking soda (bicarb soda): Using both baking powder and baking soda ensures that the cake has enough lift and structure to prevent it from being dense or ‘gummy’. Both are required here.
- Castor sugar, also known as superfine sugar, has a fine texture, which allows it to dissolve more quickly and evenly than regular granulated sugar. This is particularly important in recipes like this, where a smooth texture is desired.
- Eggs
- Instant coffee granules: a tiny bit of coffee gives chocolate cakes a more intense ‘chocolate’ taste. The amount used is negligible for any impact on caffeine levels and doesn’t leave a ‘coffee’ taste to the cake either.
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
- A neutral tasting oil, such as canola or vegetable oil.
Ultimate Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
This is the gluten-free chocolate cake for celebrations. Where you need to serve a crowd, but you also need a gluten-free cake that will stand up and say 'yeah I'm gluten-free, but you won't be able to tell that I am'.
Ingredients
- 1+3/4 cups gluten-free plain/all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1.5 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- 1.5 cups castor/white sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil, or other neutral oil of choice
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp instant coffee granules
- 3/4 cup boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C/360F. Grease a 33 x 22cm (13 x 9 inch) cake tin with butter, and line with baking paper.
- Mix together the 1 tsp instant coffee granules with 3/4 cup boiling water and set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together 1+3/4 cups gluten-free plain/all purpose flour, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 2 tsp baking powder, 1.5 tsp baking soda.
- Add the 1.5 cups castor/white sugar, 3 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 1 tbsp vanilla extract. Mix to combine until the batter is lump free.
- Add the coffee mixture to the cake batter and mix to combine. You will now have a glossy, smooth chocolate batter that is quite thin.
- Pour your cake batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. I also do a quick light press on the top, and if it springs back, it's usually ready!
- Allow the cake to cool for about 5 minutes, then turn it upside down onto a wire rack to cool. By turning it upside down, you can flatten out any 'doming' that may have occurred.
- Let the cake cool completely before you begin cutting, and/or decorating it.
Notes
- Cake tin sizes and cooking times: I tend to use my trusty rectangle tin for this cake recipe. It creates one large cake that can easily be cut into squared pieces, or creates a ‘slab’ of cake to create assorted birthday cake creations. Â
- Coffee: A very old cake-baking hack, is to add a small amount of instant coffee. The bitterness of the coffee complements the chocolate, making the overall taste more intense and full-bodied. It really does bring out the richness of chocolate in a cake! Plus, being such a small amount (I always keep it to a teaspoon), it doesn’t jack up the caffeine levels, or even leave the slightest coffee taste. If you must leave it out though, still add the hot water in the recipe.Â
- Freezing: this cake freezes really well! If you know you are freezing a portion of it, don’t add any icing/frosting to it. Just freeze the cake as is, and decorate it once it has defrosted. If you’re making it ahead for an upcoming celebration, you can freeze it as soon as it has completely cooled. Wrap in cling wrap at least 2 times, then an aluminium foil layer, then a sealed container.Â
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
hi
I am making your chocolate cake tomorrow for my granddaughters birthday I am wanting to use a round baking tin. but am unsure of the size to use.
I have two different sizes one is 24.5cm x 6.5cm the other is slightly smaller 23cm x 6.5cm.
would really appreciate your help with this.
thanks Charmaine
Hi Charmaine, I would recommend using the 24.5 as it is a big cake. I hope you all enjoy your celebrations! Thanks, Gemma
thanks Gemma