This easy gluten free chocolate cake is rich, dense and fudgy, and it's all made in just one bowl. Make a double layer or single, with the simplest chocolate ganache frosting.
It's perfect for those days when you just want to indulge or when you're in need of a fast gluten free birthday cake! Say hello to your new favorite chocolate cake recipe!
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What makes this gluten free chocolate cake special?
There are so many reasons I consider this the best chocolate cake recipe ever, and once you try it, I'm sure you'll agree.
It's made in one bowl
Sometimes, you just need a rich, dark gluten free chocolate cake that you make in 1 bowl, without even melting any chocolate. Usually, to get a really rich chocolate cake or cupcake, your best bet is to use both melted dark chocolate and cocoa powder.
But this one bowl gluten free chocolate cake gets the job done with just the right mix of cocoa, sour cream, and oil instead of butter. It’s also dense, but never heavy.
It's so rich and tender
This cake is tender enough that you can make it days ahead of time. You can store it in the freezer like most cakes, but you can even store it in the refrigerator without it drying out too much.
Celebrate birthdays, holidays, and more with this perfect, simple chocolate cake
Need a gluten free birthday cake in a hurry? Seriously — this delicious cake is so easy to make, but your loved ones will think you spent hours. (And don't worry: Your gluten eating friends won't have a clue!)
How do you make this gluten free chocolate cake?
There are many ways to make chocolate cake from scratch, and most of them aren't any harder than making it from a mix. All the mix does is provide you with already-measured dry ingredients like flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt.
When you're using a mix, you still have to add eggs, oil, and often water. As long as you're adding eggs, oil, and water, you may as well add some sour cream, too, and make it into this cake.
That's really all it takes. You have to provide the pan either way, right? And bake it in your oven.
Just whisk the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and sugar) and you have your chocolate cake mix. Make a well in the center, and add the wet ingredients and mix. Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and bake.
Choosing the right gluten free flour blend
If I had to pick my number one rule when it comes to baking, it would be: Always follow the recipe!
Even though I offer suggestions for substituting allergens below, it's always my preference that you follow my recipes exactly as written. It's the only way I can guarantee you'll enjoy results as wonderful as mine.
That said, there are a lot of gluten free flour options out there. Some might work fine for this gluten free chocolate cake recipe, others might result in less than stellar results.
Better Batter is my personal recommendation when it comes to the right gluten free flour blend for baking and more. It's what I used when perfecting this delicious chocolate cake, and it's what I use in a lot of my gluten free recipes that call for flour.
You can try other gluten free flour brands if you'd like, but I'd highly recommend that you stick with Better Batter if you can.
While we're on the topic, here's a pro tip for measuring gluten free flour: Whenever possible, weigh it rather than go by the volume measurement.
Weighing ingredients on a simple digital kitchen scale really is the best way to ensure you're following my recipe as closely as possible. There's no standardization of volume measuring cups, and human error makes consistency impossible—for all of us!
How to make it into a chocolate layer cake
This is the gluten free chocolate cake you make when it’s someone’s birthday, and you don’t want to disappoint — but you haven’t planned ahead. But if you’re making it as a celebration cake, you may want to make a layer cake.
No problem. Simply double each ingredient of the recipe to make two layers. Use a large bowl, or measure everything out into two bowls.
Place half of the batter into each of two prepared 9-inch cake pans. Smooth the top, and place them in a 350°F oven.
If the oven isn’t really large (like mine isn’t), after about 20 minutes rotate the pans with one another so everything bakes evenly.
How to make the easiest chocolate frosting
Chocolate ganache sounds fancy, but it's deceptively simple. When you make just chocolate ganache, it's not really a frosting. But if you whip it, you've got the easiest rich chocolate frosting.
Make the ganache by heating heavy whipping cream (or coconut cream, if you're dairy free) until simmering. Then, pour the simmering cream over chopped chocolate.
Allow the two ingredients to sit for a bit, until the chocolate begins to melt. Stir until the chocolate is melted, the liquid is fully incorporated, and the mixture is smooth. That's chocolate ganache.
How to make whipped chocolate ganache
To make it from simple chocolate ganache, use the proportions specified in the recipe below. Once the ganache has cooled to room temperature, place it in the refrigerator to chill until it can be scooped with a spoon. That should take a couple of hours.
Remove the chilled ganache from the refrigerator. Whip it with a hand mixer until it's thick, light and fluffy, and add a bit of confectioners' sugar if you'd like it a bit sweeter, and a bit thicker.
How to store this gluten free chocolate cake
I really can't stop mentioning how easy this gluten free chocolate cake is to make, and now you're going to hear me rave about how easy it is to store!
Storing a chocolate cake on the counter
In my house, chocolate cake doesn't tend to last long. But when there are leftovers, we've safely stored them in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.
One of the biggest risks of storing cake is that it may dry out before you can fully enjoy it. That's not a problem with this one.
First, it's so incredibly tender. And then that frosting? It does an awesome job of locking in the moisture.
Storing a chocolate cake in the fridge
Seriously, I cannot understate how soft and moist this cake is. For that reason, you can even store it in the fridge without worrying about it drying out.
I suggest using this storage method if you don't think you can finish your chocolate cake within two or three days.
Storing a chocolate cake in the freezer
Even though this gluten free chocolate cake is easy to prepare, I can see there being instances when you just do want to go through the effort. Or maybe you've got big plans coming up and need the cake made and out of the way, so you can concentrate on other things.
Whatever the reason, freezing this gf chocolate cake is a great way to have it on hand whenever you need it. Just prepare it as instructed, and then allow it to cool completely.
From there, you'll wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and pop it into the freezer. When you're ready to defrost, place it on the kitchen counter to thaw for 6 to 8 hours.
Ingredients and substitutions suggestions
Not only is this one bowl gluten free chocolate cake easy, it also doesn't have a lot of other potential allergens in it. No wonder it's one of my very best gluten free chocolate cakes.
Dairy free cake
There isn’t as much dairy in this cake as you might expect. Since cocoa powder works well to create chocolate richness with oil, there isn’t any butter in this recipe. Just be sure the chocolate you use in your ganache is dairy-free.
The only dairy in the cake itself is the sour cream. Sour cream can be replaced in baking with plain Greek-style yogurt. If you’re dairy-free, use nondairy yogurt.
If you only have plain regular yogurt, try straining out enough liquid until it’s looks like sour cream. Then measure and use that. If you’re dairy-free, again just use nondairy plain yogurt.
The dairy in the ganache is heavy whipping cream. That can be replaced with coconut cream, if you’re dairy-free.
Just be sure not to use canned light coconut milk, which has added water. Your coconut cream must be from a can, not from a carton of milk which is nearly all liquid.
Egg free cake
There are 2 eggs in this recipe, and they’re important. But since there are only 2 in a rather substantial cake, you might be able to replace each of them with one “chia egg.”
A “chia egg” is made with 1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds and 1 tablespoon lukewarm water. Just mix them together in a small bowl (times 2, here, for 2 eggs), and allow them to sit until they gel. Then add them when you would add the eggs.
Using cocoa powder
Dutch-processed cocoa powder tends to be richer than natural cocoa powder, which is why I prefer it in this recipe. If you only have natural cocoa powder, you can use that without changing anything else.
Natural cocoa powder is not processed with alkali, like Dutch-processed, so it requires a bit of baking soda to offset its acidity. But this recipe already calls for some baking soda.
Customizing your cake
Honestly, I don't think this yummy cake needs anything else — just slice it up and enjoy with a cold glass of milk or almond milk!
But if you're looking for a way to make yours a little bit more unique, you can't go wrong with sprinkles. Choose chocolate ones or rainbow-colored ones; they all work just fine.
For an even more chocolate-y cake, you could even use chocolate chips in place of sprinkles!
Note that many sprinkles and chocolate chips are gluten free, but you'll still want to carefully check food labels to be sure.
FAQs about this chocolate cake
It can, but it shouldn't! How it tastes depends on the ingredients you use and the recipe you follow. But if you use quality gluten free flours and follow a tried and tested recipe like this one, no one will ever know that they're eating a gluten free cake unless you tell them. And you should tell them after they try it!
When a cake cracks during or after baking, it's usually because your oven's heat too high.
When your oven is too hot, two things happen: A crust prematurely forms on the outside of the cake and the baking soda activates too soon and too quickly. This causes the cake to rapidly expand, cracking the crust that's already formed.
When baked goods rise and then fall as they cool, your oven is usually too hot. Most ovens run hot, and even when they're properly calibrated tend to drift out of calibration. That's why I always recommend using a standalone oven thermometer that can be replaced often, and using the doneness test that is specified in the recipe. Baking times are always approximate.
Yep! If you're aiming for a dairy free dessert, you can use nondairy yogurt in place of the sour cream for the gluten free cake and coconut cream in place of the heavy whipping cream for the frosting.
No! Sometimes, gluten free cake is confused with “flourless cake.” Traditional gluten free baked goods are made with an all purpose gluten free flour blend, like conventional ones are made with all purpose wheat flour.
You can make a gluten free chocolate cake entirely without flour, though. Please click over to our incredibly rich, totally flourless cake recipe, made simply with chocolate, butter, eggs, cocoa powder, and sugar.
If you're following a traditional cake recipe using wheat-based flour, the answer is no — that cake won't be gluten free.
Instead, you need to follow a gluten free cake recipe that avoids ingredients that include gluten. The biggest offender is flour, but gluten can also be hiding in other things, like frosting, so it's important to carefully check product labels.
Yes, pure, unadulterated cocoa powder is gluten free.
However, be careful of cocoa blends or even hot cocoa mixes. These may contain starches that have gluten.
The Best Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe | Just One Bowl!
Equipment
- Electric mixer (handheld or stand)
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake
- 1 ½ cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; please click thru for full info on appropriate blends)
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- 14 tablespoons (70) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (168 g) sour cream at room temperature
- ½ cup (112 g) neutral oil (vegetable, grapeseed, peanut, canola all work)
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (6 fluid ounces) warm water (about 80°F)
For the chocolate ganache topping
- ¾ cup (6 fluid ounces) heavy whipping cream
- 8 ounces dark chocolate chopped (See Recipe Notes for whipped chocolate ganache)
- 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar (for whipped ganache)
Instructions
To make the cake.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round or square baking pan and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and sugar, and whisk to combine well.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla, and water, and mix to combine well. The batter should be very thickly pourable.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth into an even layer and place in the center of the preheated oven.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out mostly clean or with a few moist crumbs attached (about 30 minutes). Do not overbake.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the ganache topping.
- In a small, heavy-bottom saucepan, heat the heavy whipping cream until it just begins to simmer. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-size bowl, and pour the hot cream over the chocolate.
- Allow the cream to sit on the chocolate for about a minute, until the chocolate begins to melt, and mix until the chocolate is melted, and the mixture is smooth and glossy.*
- Pour the warm ganache over the top of the cooled cake, and gently spread toward the edges so the ganache begins to drip down the sides of the cake. Allow to set at room temperature before serving.
- *To make whipped ganache frosting, use 10 ounces of chopped chocolate with the 6 fluid ounces cream and follow the same instructions. Allow the ganache to cool at room temperature until no longer hot to the touch.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator until firm enough to scoop with a spoon. Transfer the cooled ganache to a large bowl and beat with a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until thickened and fluffy.
- The ganache will also lighten in color. Add the optional confectioners’ sugar and beat until well-combined. Frost as desired.
Notes
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
sheridan says
Such a lovely and simple cake. Thanks for giving us my husband’s favorite birthday treat, along with the whipped ganache topping. No one ever realizes the cake that they are raving about is gluten free.
Nicole Hunn says
I love that, Sheridan. It’s our go-to chocolate cake, and that’s an important thing to have. It sounds like your family agrees! Thanks so much for the nice note.
Louise says
Sorry I couldn’t seem to get the reply button to work but thank you so much for your advice, super helpful!
Nicole Hunn says
You’re very welcome, Louise. I’m afraid it does get harder as they get older. My son is now 16 and it’s just … hard. But hopefully I’ll have more advice for you when your son gets older. :)
Louise says
This was absolutely delicious and easy to make, thank you so much. I made this for my son’s 9th birthday today, his first as a coeliac. I am NOT a baker and had purchased all of his previous cakes but I just couldn’t find any suitable options right now. I wasn’t brave enough to try whipping the ganache so kept this as standard. I found it took longer to cook (maybe 10 plus minutes) than the 30 minutes indicated. I am in the UK and so used Doves Gluten-free Plain flour. Despite my lack of experience, it turned out perfectly and I am so grateful, thank you!
I think your son was a similar age when he was diagnosed, so out of interest what did you do about other children’s birthday parties? We haven’t faced this situation yet due to Covid but wondering whether to just expect him to go without cake or stash some plain cupcakes in the freezer. I appreciate any suggestions on this(particularly any freezable recipes if applicable!) if you have any. Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Louise, I’m so glad you were able to bake your son’s birthday cake. That way, you can make it just as he likes it—and it’s a way to pamper him. At least that’s always how I saw it for my son. Your question about birthday parties is a good one. It was something I struggled with, since my son has always hated being singled out. I would quietly speak to the other child’s mom when I dropped my son off (or call ahead of time to see what they were planning to serve and explain what I needed). Then, I would make some pizza right before the party, wrap it well on a disposable plate (to hopefully make it mimic what they were eating at the party), and bring it to the party warm, if possible. I would also bring cupcakes (my funfetti cupcakes recipe is ideal because they’re “fancy” even without frosting if that’s hard to transport). The cupcakes I would ensure were fully cooled ahead of time. If you want to make that days ahead, just cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze. Then allow to defrost still wrapped tightly at room temperature before bringing it to the party. Hope that helps!
Cynthia says
Hi Nicole, I just read your comment and I smiled. I have done the same for my son several time in school events, birthday parties, etc., and he’s 16 now. He just had a prom dance where they served dinner. So I called who was in charge in advance and asked what they were serving. I cooked the same dish and brought it for him, and they served him his GF dinner. It has worked so far. I’m just nervous about college, etc. But I know he will be old enough to take care of himself. Meanwhile, I try to do the best I can to make sure he’s not singled out.
Nicole Hunn says
I feel every word of that, Cynthia! My son is now a sophomore in college, and I have had to let go entirely, of course. He isn’t nearly as strict as I would be with potential cross-contamination, but he is mindful and luckily risk averse by nature, and it’s his life. It’s been hard, and being singled out is the absolute worst, but he’s learning to stand up for himself. I wish you all the best.
Kate says
Made this cake for my family and it was delicious and didn’t take very long. It literally cooled while we ate dinner and iced right before serving.
Nicole Hunn says
So glad, Kate! It’s really a super easy cake, and well worth the small effort.
Viola says
I just made this cake & it’s reeeeally delish! (: Perfect texture! Firm but still moist! (: Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
“Firm but still moist” is a perfect description of this cake, Viola. So glad you loved it!
Celeste says
Thank you Tiffany for mentioning you used Robin Hood flour and it worked out! I was going to do this recipe but they don’t sell these specific things where I live so not exactly easy to follow. I love comments that show flexibility in baking <3
Angela says
Am I able to make these into cupcakes? If so how long would the bake time be? Thanks so much
Nicole Hunn says
I don’t recommend that, no, Angela. Please use my recipe for gluten free chocolate cupcakes. You can always just use the search function for whatever other recipes you’re seeking!
Tiffany says
I just baked this recipe. I used the Robin hood gluten free flour. It has xanthan gum in it as well. It turned out fairly well. I doubled the recipe and split between four 6″ pans. It baked up in about 35min :)
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid that’s not one of my recommended flour blends, Tiffany. If you use one of the proper blends, I think you’ll find that the recipes turn out better than “fairly well.”
Mira says
this came out great!! I’ve made several GF cakes before with questionable success, and I read something recently about sour cream (or Greek yogurt which is what I used here) being the trick to making sure a gluten free cake doesn’t come out too gummy. I’m glad I searched for that specifically this time because it was delicious! Still a pretty dense cake, but in a good, fudgy kind of way, and not gummy or weird at all. I used bob’s red mill baking flour.
Nicole Hunn says
You will have significantly better results if you use a better quality, better-balanced flour blend, Mira. Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour blend is not either of those things, and it’s the reason you are getting gummy results. Please see my gluten free flour blends page for a full explanation. The key is the right recipe, and the right flour blend. Not sour cream or Greek yogurt!
Helen C says
Hi Nicole, thank you for this recipe! As a busy mum of three little ones a one bowl cake is the best! I’ve made this today (just the cake without the ganache) (Thursday) for my sister’s birthday on Saturday afternoon – any thoughts on whether it will last ok until then or should I freeze it tonight and take out and add the topping on Saturday morning? Many thanks, Helen
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Helen, Definitely freeze it! Not that it won’t last, but wrap it tightly and freeze it, then defrost at room temperature and it will be good as new when you serve it!
Beverley says
Your cake looks delicious! I’m out of gf flour. Could I substitute the same amount, 1 1/2 cups, of regular regular flour? Thx!
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid that baking with conventional flour is not at all the same as baking with gluten free flour. I really recommend that you find a recipe that is developed for conventional flour, Beverly.
Amanda Cantrell says
Do you think the cake would hold up well enough to triple the recipe for a 3 layer cake in 8 inch cake pans? I’m trying to put together a hodgepodge of recipes to create a chocolate covered strawberry cake for my husband’s birthday, and the simplicity of this recipe looks promising plus I just love that you list your ingredients by weight!
Nicole Hunn says
Since you’ll be measuring by weight, Amanda (the only way to bake successfully!), I think you could triple the recipe. Depending upon the size of your oven, though, you may have to bake in batches. Lucky birthday man!
Elyse says
Thanks so much for the wonderful information and recipes you provide! I’d like to make this cake, but I’m out of sour cream – any chance of replacing with Greek yogurt? I have a bunch of that in hand now because we love your pizza and monkey bread recipes!!
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Elyse, You should be able to use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, yes. I wouldn’t recommend using nonfat yogurt, though, for this cake. It needs the fat!
Annie says
The best gluten free chocolate cake I have made. Really lovely moist texture. Fab! Thank you
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad you loved it, Annie. It’s a “back pocket” recipe!
Priya says
Hi Nicole. This looks amazing and I’m actually making it now for my brother’s birthday! Just a query-the video shows you adding vanilla, but it’s not in the ingredient list. I’m adding it anyway but thought I would ask for future reference. :) thank you!
Nicole Hunn says
Thank you for pointing that out, Priya. I don’t always add it, to be honest, but it certainly doesn’t hurt! I added it to the ingredients list. Oh, and happy birthday to your brother. This is my family’s go-to chocolate birthday cake. :)
CarolM says
This was my 1st time making any form of ganache. I used unsweetened bakers chocolate, and learned the hard way that you meant a semi sweet or bittersweet type dark chocolate, like a bar of 70 or 85%. I’ve added the confectioners sugar and given it a bit of a beat, and it’s edible, but I’ll read up more on ganache before I try it again. Would semi-sweet baking chips work?
Nicole Hunn says
Oh no, Carol, never use unsweetened chocolate unless a recipe calls for it! You can’t use chocolate chips to make ganache properly, since they have a fair amount of wax in them. That’s what helps them hold their shape even in the oven.