The best vegan gluten-free chocolate cake! Rich and decadent and made with simple ingredients. No one will ever guess it’s both vegan and gluten-free!
If you’re a regular reader of this blog then you’ll know that I don’t eat gluten-free. My mom and sister, however, do. So I love making them cakes and cupcakes when there’s a birthday or special occasion.
And honestly this cake is so good that there will never be a reason to make a gluten-free vegan cake and a ‘regular’ vegan cake for everyone else. If you have a gluten-free guest coming over for a special occasion then this is the cake to make for them and for everyone! There won’t be a single complaint I promise.
Of course if you love the look of this cake but only have regular all purpose flour on hand and you don’t need it to be gluten free then no problem. You can simply switch the gluten free flour for all purpose flour and get the same fantastic results. Or make our most amazing vegan chocolate cake instead.
How To Make Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Sift gluten free flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and add white sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and instant espresso powder and mix together.
- Prepare vegan buttermilk by adding 1 Tbsp lemon juice to a measuring jug and adding soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Let it curdle.
- Prepare flax eggs by adding 2 Tbsp of ground flaxseed meal to a bowl and then adding 6 Tbsp hot water. Let it sit for a minute to become gloopy.
- Add the vegan buttermilk to the mixing bowl along with flax eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Stir into a thick batter.
- Now add in a cup of boiling hot water and whisk it in. The batter will be thin.
- Divide the batter between two 9-inch cake pans (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with circles of parchment paper on the bottom).
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the cake pans for a few minutes before transferring them to wire cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.
Ingredient Notes
Gluten-free all purpose flour. It’s essential that you use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend. I don’t recommend trying this recipe with any single type of gluten-free flour such as rice flour or almond flour or coconut flour. I would not expect this recipe to work in that case. It must be a blend that is meant to replace regular wheat flour.
Instant espresso powder. We use just a little instant espresso powder in this recipe which really helps to enhance the chocolate flavor. You don’t notice any coffee flavor at all in the cake, it’s just really chocolatey. You can use any espresso powder or instant coffee. Alternatively you can omit it altogether.
Vegan buttermilk. We made the vegan buttermilk using soy milk. But you can also make it using almond milk if you prefer.
Flax eggs. This recipe uses two flax eggs which is just a mix of ground flaxseed with hot water. You can make a chia egg the exact same way as a flax egg and use that instead. Or you can replace the flax eggs with 6 Tbsp of applesauce.
The Frosting
The frosting on this cake (as pictured) is the whipped version of our vegan chocolate ganache. It’s just 2-ingredients: vegan chocolate and coconut cream.
It’s not a very sweet frosting and so it’s ideal for those who prefer their frostings to be less sweet.
If you want a more traditional buttercream frosting then our vegan chocolate buttercream frosting will work great for this cake.
Recipe Q&A
What brand of gluten-free flour works best in baking?
We have tried this recipe with different brands of gluten-free flour blends and it has worked great with all. There can be some variety between brands but the main thing you want to look out for is that it must be a blend and it must be designed to replace regular flour in baking. That being said one of our favorite brands for consistent results is Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour (not sponsored, we just like the flour).
What size cake pans does this recipe adapt to?
You can make this cake in two 9-inch cake pans or three 8-inch cake pans. For a fatter cake you can also do it in two 8-inch cake pans, but increase the baking time to 35 minutes. For a 9×13 sheet cake bake for 35-40 minutes.
Can I make cupcakes from this recipe?
Sure! This recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes. If you want a perfect 12 cupcakes then check out our recipe for gluten free chocolate cupcakes.
Can this cake be made with regular all purpose flour?
Sure. Just replace the 2 cups of gluten-free flour with 2 cups of regular all purpose flour.
Storing and Freezing
Keep it stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Or you can keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
It is also freezer friendly for up to a month if you want to freeze it.
More Gluten-Free Baking Recipes
- Vegan Gluten Free Carrot Cake
- Vegan Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vegan Gluten-Free Brownies
- Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread
- Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Blend (272g)
- ¾ cup Cocoa Powder (63g) Unsweetened
- 2 cups White Granulated Sugar (400g)
- 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Instant Espresso Powder Optional*
- 1 cup Vegan Buttermilk (240ml) 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice + Soy Milk up to the 1 cup line*
- 2 Flax Eggs 2 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed + 6 Tbsp Hot Water*
- ½ cup Canola Oil (120ml) or Vegetable Oil
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Hot Water (240ml)
Frosting Options:
- 1 Recipe Vegan Chocolate Ganache Whipped*
- 1 Recipe Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and spray two 9-inch cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.
- Sift the gluten free flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and add the white sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and instant espresso powder and mix together.
- Prepare the vegan buttermilk by adding 1 Tbsp lemon juice to a measuring jug and adding soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Let it curdle.
- Prepare the flax eggs by adding 2 Tbsp of ground flaxseed meal to a bowl and then adding 6 Tbsp hot water. Let it sit for a minute to become gloopy.
- Add the vegan buttermilk to the mixing bowl along with the flax eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Stir into a thick batter.
- Add the hot water and whisk it in. The batter will be thin.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared 9-inch cake pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the cake pans for a few minutes before transferring them to wire cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost with whipped vegan chocolate ganache or vegan chocolate buttercream frosting.
Notes
- Gluten-free all purpose flour. It’s essential that you use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend. I don’t recommend trying this recipe with any single type of gluten-free flour such as rice flour or almond flour or coconut flour. I would not expect this recipe to work in that case. It must be a blend that is meant to replace regular wheat flour.
- Instant espresso powder. We use just a little instant espresso powder in this recipe which really helps to enhance the chocolate flavor. You don’t notice any coffee flavor at all in the cake, it’s just really chocolatey. You can use any espresso powder or instant coffee. Alternatively you can omit it altogether.
- Vegan buttermilk. We made the vegan buttermilk using soy milk. But you can also make it using almond milk if you prefer.
- Flax eggs. This recipe uses two flax eggs. If you don’t have ground flaxseeds you can replace the flax eggs with 6 Tablespoons of applesauce.
- The Frosting. The frosting on this cake (as pictured) is the whipped version of our vegan chocolate ganache recipe. It’s made with just 2-ingredients: vegan chocolate and coconut cream. It’s not a very sweet frosting and so it’s ideal for those who prefer their frostings to be less sweet. If you want a more traditional buttercream frosting then our vegan chocolate buttercream frosting will also work great for this cake.
- Cake Sizes. You can make this cake in two 9-inch cake pans or three 8-inch cake pans. For fatter cake layers you can also do it in two 8-inch cake pans, increase the baking time to 35 minutes. For a 9×13 sheet cake bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Cupcakes: This recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes. If you want a perfect 12 cupcakes then check out our recipe for gluten free chocolate cupcakes.
- Make it with regular all purpose flour instead. If you don’t want this cake to be gluten-free then you can just replace the 2 cups of gluten-free flour with 2 cups (250g) of regular all purpose flour.
- Storage: Keep it stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Or you can keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: It is also freezer friendly for up to a month if you want to freeze it.
- Nutritional information is for cake only and does not include frosting. Nutritional information for the chocolate ganache or chocolate buttercream can be found on those separate linked recipes.
Awesome recipe. I made it for my sister’s 50th…she’s gluten and dairy intolerant and my brother in law has egg allergies. This recipe was so perfect and it tasted absolutely delicious! Thank you
So happy to hear that! Thanks for the amazing review!
That way WAY too sweet for my taste but the texture and moisture was perfect. Not sure if I should reduce the sugar by 1/2 cup or a 1/4 cup though. Perhaps with the instant espresso it would have been less so, but there was nothing said about adjusting for it.
It should be fine to reduce by half cup. The espresso powder wouldn’t impact the sweetness, if you don’t like cakes to be sweet, then reducing the sugar would work well. 🙂
Can you use aquafaba instead of flax eggs?
Thank you.
You may be able to but I haven’t tried it myself.
Hey…tried this recipe and it turned out just perfect! Everyone loved it 🙂
Wanted a suggestion on how can I make a 2 layer 6 inch cake modifying this recipe? How much to cutdown the recipe? Pls suggest 🙂
So glad you liked it! I think if you halved the recipe it would work, even if the layers may be a bit thick, it might be quite complicated to reduce the recipe further.
also could I make cake balls out of this recipe?
No idea, I have not tried that.
Can I use eggs instead of the flax seed egg?
Yes you can.
Made this for a birthday and it was the best! For next time, could I make the batter (and refrigerate it) and bake the cake the next day?
Hi Heather, so glad you enjoyed it! I’m not entirely sure with a gluten-free batter, but usually vegan batters don’t do well if they sit. They should be mixed and baked right away. I’m not sure if being gluten-free changes anything there, but I would generally think it wouldn’t be a good idea.
Followed recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly! Will be making this one again.
So happy to hear that Karen! Thanks so much!
Could i make this cake in 3x8inch pans? Need to make a gf vegan black forest gateaux and need 3 layers! I love all your recipes ????
Yes that will work! And that cake sounds amazing! All the best.
Hello! Which gluten free blend brand would you suggest for this recipe?
You can use any blend, but we have always liked Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour. 🙂
Hi, I am curious about your GF flour. Should I add xantham gum? The flour blend you suggest doesn’t have it in there.
Hi Karen, as long as you’re using a blend there is no need to add xantham gum. If your blend already has it then fine but if not then no need to add it in.
Thank you so much! I regularly make your lemon cupcakes (which are to die for) and I substitute Bobs 1:1 baking flour in them and they turn out perfect. I bought your suggested flour for this recipe and am anxious to try it out
Awesome, hope it turns out wonderfully!
I made this cake for vegans and non vegans and it was a huge hit! I bake all the time and have never received so many compliments.
This cake is moist, almost like a lava cake.
I made the whipped frosting in the recipe.
10 stars!
Thanks so much Mel! 🙂
Best gluten free vegan chocolate cake I have tried! Thank you! I topped mine with chocolate ganache.
Awesome! Thanks so much Evie!
Hi Alison! I’ve made your other gluten-free chocolate cake a couple of times and I really like it… but which recipe do you think is better? I’m willing to start making this one instead- it’s more like my regular vegan chocolate cake recipe. Thanks in advance!
Hi Emily, they are both good recipes, but for different pan sizes so it depends which one suits you better. If you haven’t tried this one though then I do highly recommend you try it. You may like it better than the other one, but I love them both. 🙂
I’m so impressed with this cake! It looks and tastes sooo good and being vegan and gluten free, this is extra special!
Thanks Anna!