The easiest gluten free and vegan chocolate cake recipe. This delicious and simple cake is perfect for a birthday party, holiday, or any day that you want a sweet treat!
If you’re new to gluten free and allergy friendly baking, one of the first things you need is a great cake recipe. Chocolate cake, to be exact. Because you may have a birthday coming up, or you might just want to bake one afternoon. You need an easy recipe that’s no-fail and delicious. This is that chocolate cake recipe.
This gluten free and vegan chocolate cake uses basic ingredients and it is so easy to throw together. Mix it up and pop it in the oven, and 30 minutes later you have a fresh-baked chocolate cake ready to go. It can’t get any easier than that.
Don’t be afraid of this cake, non-vegan friends. The vinegar and the baking soda combine so nicely to give it a nice lift, you would never guess that this cake does not contain eggs. It is really, really marvelous. It is possible to bake a delicious chocolate cake without eggs or gluten.
And if don’t need to be gluten free, go right ahead and use all-purpose flour! It works very well in this recipe – the cake will be a little lighter and less dense. Whatever flour you choose to use, this vegan chocolate cake will be a big hit.
You can use coconut oil or another oil if you prefer – you can even use melted vegan buttery spread. You can also make this in a round pan, or use this recipe to bake cupcakes. If you need to make a two-layer cake, just double the recipe.
FAQ about this gluten free and vegan chocolate cake:
Can I use coconut flour instead of gluten free flour?
No, that won’t work – you generally need eggs in order for coconut flour to be light and fluffy. If you use it in this recipe, you will have a dense, flat cake.
How about using almond meal?
If you want to use some almond meal, you can try using half almond meal and half gluten free flour blend. The cake will be a bit denser, and possibly more moist. I would not recommend using ONLY almond meal.
Can I use maple syrup instead of sugar?
I haven’t tried that. I would expect that the texture of the cake may change, and you would also need to use less water.
What can I use instead of vinegar?
Try a little lemon juice, that should work just as well as vinegar.
Where can I find gluten free baking powder?
Featherweight Baking Powder is gluten free and you can find it at Whole Foods, in some health food stores, and on Amazon (affiliate link).
My gluten free cakes usually sink in the middle? What am I doing wrong?
If your cakes sink in the middle, it’s likely because the middle wasn’t quite done baking. Stick a toothpick in the middle of the cake to see if it’s done – it should come out clean or with just a few crumbs. It should not have wet batter on it.
My cakes always take less/more time to bake than the recipe suggests – why is this?
If you use a different gluten free flour blend, it could change the amount of time required for baking. You may also want to check your oven temperature to make sure that it’s accurate.
The Easiest Gluten Free and Vegan Chocolate Cake.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend regular flour works in this recipe, if you are not GF
- 1 cups organic cane sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup organic canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 cup cold water
- 3/4 cup mini dairy free chocolate chips
- confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift together the dry ingredients. (This step is important, especially with gluten free flour. Otherwise you’ll have lumps!)
- Add the organic canola oil, vanilla, vinegar and water. Mix together by hand, and don’t overmix. Stir in the dairy free chocolate chips.
Pour into an 8 inch square Pyrex dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 26-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Dust the top with confectioner’s sugar once cool.
Recipe Notes
I have tried this with Namaste Perfect Flour Blend, King Arthur Gluten Free Multi Purpose Flour, and Enjoy Life Foods All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour.
You can use this to make cupcakes - reduce the baking time to about 13-15 minutes. Makes about 12 cupcakes.
adapted slightly from All Recipes.
Find tips, tricks, and easy recipes to help you with your allergy friendly and gluten free baking in my ebook:
This gluten free and vegan chocolate cake is:
- light and fluffy
- perfect for a party
- delicious with frosting or without
Hi there,
I just baked this for my son – we recently found out he has a egg and gluten intolerance so I’m new to this. It was really gooey – almost like a gooey brownie – did I do something wrong or is this the right consistency? the flavor really good – just want to make sure I got the consistency right :)
Hi,
Just wondering whether to use baking powder or baking soda. You mention both, and they’re different products here in Australia.
Thanks, looks yum. Hoping to make it very soon.
Trish
Hi! What would you suggest for baking time for a bundt pan? Thanks!!
Try 25 minutes and then check regularly! It will probably take between 25 and 40 minutes.
I can’t wait to try this! We make a similar cake recipe that used cold coffee instead of water… my dad is now GF and I was hopping to make this soon for a upcoming birthday party… I’ll just have to get the chocolate chips! Thank you for the measurements!
Hi there,
I am based in UK and I don’t work in cups… What would be the equivalent in grams or ounces?
Can I leave out the sugar all together and just use the chocolate chips?
No, you need some kind of sweetener.
This looks great!! Do you think you could freeze the cupcakes?
I don’t have chocolate chips, can I just omit? Would that change anything?
Looks like a good chocolate cake recipe! I would suggest using a different oil than canola as canola is a rancid inflammatory oil. It doesn’t matter if it’s organic. Because it’s inflammation inducing, it’ll end up making someone’s body more prone to allergies and illness. I wonder if avocado oil or coconut oil can be used instead of canola?
Can I use Xylitol? Instead of sugar?
I haven’t tried that, so I don’t know.
hi! Love the recipe. Just to put here that i used half the sugar and 5 or 6 stevia packs. Also the oil was cut to 1/4 cup and replace with 2 tablespoons of milk. Came out amazing! And i used bobs red mill gf mix.
I made cupcakes from this recipe yesterday. They are absolutely delicious and moist. I think I prefer this recipe over my regular chocolate cake recipes!
Yay! Thank you for letting me know!
Hi! this cake seems delicious and I’m planning to bake it tomorrow. But I have a question: I don’t see baking powder in the ingredients. But you even clarify in the Q&A where it can be bought. Do I need baking powder for this recipe or no? Thank you!
Tania
Hello.
Can i use cacao instead of cocoa?
Thank you
I haven’t tried that, but it should be fine I think!
Hi Kelly!
This recipe looks yummy. Can i replace white vinegar with apple cider vingegar?
Yes, you sure can!
Hi. Thank you for a easy recipe! I just tried doing, the batter was not of pouring consistency. So a little worried if I did something wrong.
Some gf flour blends really soak up the liquid. If this happens again, just add a little more liquid until the consistency seems better.
Hi,can I use almond flour and coconut flour both in this recipe . If yes in what proportion. Thanks.
Would this recipe be ok and sturdy enough to use for a layer cake?
Thanks!
WOW, Just WOW, so good! It disappeared in a minute at my house. Thanks!
So happy you loved it! Thank you for letting me know!
Can I use a 9” round glass cake pan instead?
My second time baking this cake and it does not cook inside
What type of flour did you use? What size pan? I’m sorry you are having trouble!
The flavor was SPOT ON. My husband who hates cake is demolishing a plain piece in the kitchen right now. The crumb was really off though. Does the gf flour need to have xantham gum in it? I also cut it while it was still warm (I couldn’t wait anymore!). If I cut it cold, would that help with the crumb? I’m trying again tomorrow!
I have made it without xanthan gum and it has been fine, but I’m sorry you had that issue! What type of flour did you use? I do find that letting it cool does help it to stay together better.
Fab recipe my boys have allergies and this was delicious. I made some amends and added almond milk and dairy free spread. Perfect!
Thank you so much.
I just made this cake and I must say it is THEE best gf vegan cake I have ever made or tried. I did use coconut sugar and coconut oil as substitutes. I also toasted some unsweetened coconut flakes for the top after baking and it added the perfect touch for a little crunch texture. It was sooo moist and fluffy! very impressed with this one and it will be my go to foe parties for sure since I have several gf and vegan family members
So happy to hear that, thank you for letting me know!
is it ok to use brown rice flour? I can’t seem to find any decent gluten free flour in Ireland
You can try it, but if you only use brown rice flour, it may be a bit heavy. Can you make your own blend? https://theprettybee.com/make-your-own-all-purpose-gluten-free-flour-mix/
Can I use coconut oil instead of canola oil?
Yes you can!
Made this today. Everyone loved the flavour, but the cake was too soft and fell apart very easily , also didnt rise too much.
I didnt have an 8 inch tin, so used my 12 inch one. I’m assuming I need bigger quantities for a bigger time. Can you suggest the right quantities for a 12 inch tin?
Also, any idea why it was so soft? What might I have done wrong?
I would adjust the recipe to be 1.5 times the amounts so that it fits in a 12 inch pan. What type of flour did you use?
Hi, could coconut oil replace canola?
thanks!
Yes it can!
I tried this recipe with Bobs GF but the smell of chickpea flour really puts me off, so I tried Bobs 1:1 but it turned out so gummy :( Am I using the wrong GF flour? Or maybe my technique?
Try a lighter flour, like bob’s 1-to-1 flour, or King Arthur Multi Purpose Flour if those are available to you.
We have been gluten, dairy and egg free for 4 years and this is by far THE BEST recipe I’ve made. I used large dark chocolate (dairy free) chips (instead of the mini ones) and they gave it just a little “crunch”. amazing.
So happy you love this recipe! Thanks for letting me know!
Does the recipe require baking soda or baking powder? The article talks about gluten free baking powder but I don’t see that in the recipe?
Hi there,
For the gluten free and vegan chocolate cake:
What could I use to substitute 1/3 cup of canola oil in this recipe. Trying to make it plant based vegan for family member….no oil allowed…could I use applesauce?
how much? Thank you.
Awesome!! My grandchildren loved it. They took home the leftovers leaving me no chance to get a picture. This recipe will definitely be a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
So happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know!
This came out great…I have had almost no luck with gluten free + vegan baking but this was so easy and it just worked. Thank you!!! I topped mine with the powdered sugar, some roasted and chopped hazelnuts and a small bit of raspberry jam.
So glad you liked it! THanks for letting me know!
What you would recommend to make this in two 10-inch round cake pans?
If you were going to do two 8 inch rounds, I would say double the recipe. For two 10 inch rounds, maybe do this recipe times 2 1/2. That’s what I would do.
Hi. I live in Australia and can’t get that flour you had a link to. Do you have any idea how i could mix a flour that would work similar as the flours here are too gummy and don’t give a good result. Thank you.
You don’t mention to prepare the pyrex pan. Should I or is it not necessary?
I just made this the other day, with melted vegan buttery spread and I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour. The batter tasted great, the cake rose beautifully and smelled awesome, but it has such a funky aftertaste. I’ve baked with Bob’s Red Mill a few times and never had that issue. Any ideas? Maybe I just got a bad bag of flour?? I’m going to have to try this again with different flour, because everything else seemed so perfect, with the perfect dairy free peanut butter frosting on top! (I’m fairly new at the gf/vegan baking…it’s like learning to bake all over again!)
I have never had an issue with an aftertaste with this cake, but it could be the flour I guess! Or what oil did you use? Could the oil be old?
Can I use coconut oil or olive instead of the canola oil?
Yes you can!
Hey Kelly,
Quick question for you. I live in Portugal, where chocolate chips are hard to come by and expensive. I normally just substitute chips for some chopped up baking chocolate, however, I’d like to make two really large trays of this cake for a party, which means this recipe x8, and being a bit short on time I’d rather not chop that much chocolate by hand. Do you think it would affect the texture very much if I melted the same amount of chocolate and incorporated it into the batter, instead of using chips? Have you ever tried it? Thank you! :)
I haven’t tried that, but I feel like it may make the cake too dense. You can leave the chocolate chips out if you like!
Hi! I was looking at this recipe for my friend who is dairy and gluten free but not vegan. Would using regular white sugar work just as well with this recipe?
Thank you!
Yes!
Very good. I made this recipe (with AP flour/not GF) and made the chocolate cake recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking and ate them side by side (don’t judge ). Yours was my favorite. Are you on Instagram? I couldn’t find you so I used #theprettybee.
So glad you loved it, thanks for letting me know!
can i use gf all perpose baking flour?
Yes you can!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and recipes. I am a new vegan due to health reasons. I made this for my birthday cake being a chocolate person and missing a slice of cake. I made substitutions for my diet I used unsweetened applesauce for the oil and maple syrup for the cane sugar. This is a wonderful recipe anyone should be able to enjoy.
So glad this worked for you! Thank you for letting me know!
Hi!
A friend is allergic to many things, including gluten and eggs, and I was happy to have found this recipe.
So I tried this recipe for making cupcakes, except they taste absolutely horrible. What kind of cacao did you use? Because I think the horrible taste comes from the huge amount of cacao in this recipe. I’m in The Netherlands and so I’m able to get the very high quality Dutch processed cacao that has an incredibly strong taste.
Also, I used a organic glutenfree flour blend that’s specifically of baking and it smelled of nothing, so I don’t think the taste could have come from the flour…
It also was pretty dense, though that may be because I switched the vinegar to lemon juice and needed a bit more of that then of vinegar (I personally detest the taste of vinegar and can taste even if there’s a tiny amount there so that’s why I used lemon juice). I might try this again with less cacao and hopefully it’ll taste better…
I used unsweetened cocoa powder, so maybe that’s the difference. I’m sorry you had trouble! What type of flour did you use?
Just made this cake. It was really delicious! Followed the recipe exactly with 1-1 flour mix. Only issue I had was it was extremely crumbly. Like, when I put a fork into it the cake started to crumble apart and was hard to eat.
Do you think this was an issue of over baking? Any suggestions so I can get a more moist texture would be appreciated as I will definitely try making this again in the future. So easy and good! Thanks!
It could have been overbaked. What brand of flour did you use? What type of oil?
Hi Kelly
I have made this recipe twice now and followed the ingredients and amounts exactly. Unfortunately my cake doesn’t rise a super amount it’s not flat but certainly doesn’t look as risen as in your pictures.
Any idea’s the flour blend I use is:
brown rice flour.
potato starch.
white rice flour.
tapioca flour.
1 tsp guar gum
Any thoughts would be great
Thanks
KT :)
It could be the flour blend or it could be your oven – could the temperature be off slightly? What size pan are you using?
Kelly, this was awesome! I used 1 cup of 1to1 Bob’s and 1/2 cup of Bob’s almond flour. I also replaced the water with coconut milk.
Came out very moist like brownies. I am slowly moving to GF and trying to find recipes my family will buy into.
Thank you!
I have this in the oven baking now! Can’t wait to try it! I used Bob’s Red Mill GF 1 to 1 Baking Flour.
I hope it turned out for you!
If I wanted to make a 6″ round cake to be covered in fondant/sugar paste would it stand up ok as a 5″ deep wedding cake top tier (also do you have a buttercream recipe that is suitable for under said sugar paste/fondant.
I have never been asked to make a GF/vegan cake before and am nervous as it is for a wedding cake of a colleague!
Thank you
I think it would stand up, but I’m not totally sure! I have a buttercream recipe here: https://theprettybee.com/first-birthday-smash-cake-gluten-free-allergy-friendly/