This is such an easy recipe for gluten free and vegan chocolate cake, and it has a great texture and a rich, fudgy flavor. 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. 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 recipe checks all those boxes and more.
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 – and it’s a recipe that I have made again and again over the past 10 years.
Be sure to read all my tips if you’re new to gluten free baking. I know it can be really different to bake with gluten free flours and no eggs. But you can still make an amazing cake even without wheat, dairy, or eggs.
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 dessert is sure to be a big hit.
Jump to:
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – This recipe should work well with different gluten free flour blends. I like to use Namaste Perfect Flour Blend, which results in a rich, moist cake with a great texture.
- Cocoa Powder – We use Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, and it works well in this recipe.
- Oil – This works well with organic canola oil, but I have made it with other oils as well. You can use coconut oil or another oil if you prefer – you can even use melted vegan buttery spread.
- Dairy Free Mini Chocolate Chips – I like adding some mini chocolate chips to the batter for a little more richness.
Special Equipment
- I recommend making this in an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish or cake pan.
- If you’re worried about the cake sticking to the pan, lining it with parchment paper can help prevent any sticking. If you’re using a round pan, line the bottom with a circle of parchment, then grease and flour the bottom and sides of the pan as well.
- You can also make this in a round pan, or use this recipe to bake cupcakes. I recommend parchment paper liners for baking gluten free cupcakes.
Step by Step Instructions
- Sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients and the chocolate chips and stir well.
- Smooth the batter into a cake pan or baking dish. If you want to remove the cake from the pan, line it with a piece of parchment paper that hangs over two sides of the pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30-33 minutes.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, dust with powdered sugar and slice into squares.
Tips for Success
- Sift the dry ingredients so that the batter doesn’t have any lumps.
- Line your cake pan with parchment paper if you’d like to remove the cake from the pan. That way you can easily pull the cake out using the parchment.
- It’s okay to use a different gluten free flour blend, but it could change the amount of time required for baking. Test the center of the cake with a toothpick to see if it’s done before you remove it from the oven.
- If you use a different flour blend and find that your batter seems unusually thick or dry, try adding a little more water until the batter is easier to stir. Different gluten free flours react differently to liquid.
- If you find that your baking time is consistently shorter or longer than the time suggested in recipes, you may want to check your oven temperature to make sure that it’s accurate.
FAQs
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.
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.
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. If you’d like to avoid refined sugar, you could use coconut sugar, that would work just fine.
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.
Storage/Freezing
Store leftover cake tightly wrapped or in an airtight container. It should stay fresh for about 3 days.
If you’d like to freeze this cake, wrap it well in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag. It should stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.
👩🏻🍳 Are you ready to learn more about gluten free and vegan baking? Join my community today and get emails with delicious recipes that really work!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe
The Easiest Gluten Free and Vegan Chocolate Cake.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend if you're not gluten free, all-purpose flour is just fine
- 1 cups organic cane sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup organic canola oil or melted coconut oil, or melted vegan buttery spread
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 cup cold water
- ¾ cup dairy free mini chocolate chips
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If you'd like to remove the cake from the pan once it's baked, I recommend lining the baking dish with parchment paper so that it hangs over two sides of the pan.
- Sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. (This step is important, especially with gluten free flour. Otherwise you’ll have lumps!)
- Add the organic canola oil (or melted coconut oil), vanilla, vinegar and water. Mix together by hand, and don’t over mix. Stir in the dairy free chocolate chips.
- Pour into an 8 inch square baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for about 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Dust the top with confectioner’s sugar once the cake is cool.
Notes
Nutrition
This post is part of my series, 31 Days of Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Egg Free Comfort Food.
Katia
My second time baking this cake and it does not cook inside
Kelly Roenicke
What type of flour did you use? What size pan? I’m sorry you are having trouble!
Chelsea
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!
Kelly Roenicke
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.
Kris
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.
Colette
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
Kelly Roenicke
So happy to hear that, thank you for letting me know!
rp
is it ok to use brown rice flour? I can’t seem to find any decent gluten free flour in Ireland
Kelly Roenicke
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/
ruchi
Can I use coconut oil instead of canola oil?
Kelly Roenicke
Yes you can!
Meera
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?
Kelly Roenicke
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?
Anna Wiig
Hi, could coconut oil replace canola?
thanks!
Kelly Roenicke
Yes it can!
Jasmin
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?
Kelly Roenicke
Try a lighter flour, like bob’s 1-to-1 flour, or King Arthur Multi Purpose Flour if those are available to you.
Kristi
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.
Kelly Roenicke
So happy you love this recipe! Thanks for letting me know!
Meg
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?
Larissa
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.
Donna
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.
Kelly Roenicke
So happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know!
ama
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.
Kelly Roenicke
So glad you liked it! THanks for letting me know!
Sam
What you would recommend to make this in two 10-inch round cake pans?
Kelly Roenicke
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.
Emily
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.
Nancy
You don’t mention to prepare the pyrex pan. Should I or is it not necessary?
Courtney
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!)
Kelly Roenicke
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?
Kathryn
Can I use coconut oil or olive instead of the canola oil?
Kelly Roenicke
Yes you can!
E.
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! :)
Kelly Roenicke
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!