If you have a celebration coming up, try this rich chocolate cake covered in vanilla buttercream. This is the easiest chocolate layer cake to make, and it’s so delicious! You won’t believe this dessert is gluten free and vegan.
If you have children in your life, you know how wonderful it is to prepare a special cake for them on their birthday. But if you have food allergies, you may not know where to begin.
If you’re hearing things like, “I want a three-dimensional Thomas the train cake!” or, “I want a cake that’s shaped like a unicorn and covered in sprinkles!” you might be feeling overwhelmed. It’s tricky enough to make an allergy friendly cake that tastes good, let alone something that looks like it came from a professional cake decorator.
That’s where this recipe comes in. No, this isn’t a tutorial for making a life-size superhero cake, but it is a guide to making a double layer chocolate cake that will taste delicious, hold together, and stand up to whatever decorations you want to put on it.
This cake is a starting place. It’s two layers of rich chocolate cake topped with dairy free vanilla buttercream frosting, and it’s like a blank canvas for you.
Top Tip
One way to make sure your cake layers are moist is to brush a sugar syrup on them. This is a good trick to use if it seems like the gluten free blend resulted in a dry cake, or you slightly overbaked your cake layers.
Frosting Ideas
There are so many ways you can change this cake! You can frost this with any flavor of icing you desire – chocolate frosting, peppermint, orange, berry flavored. Use natural or artificial dye to make any color frosting you wish. You can even use a fancy tip and do an ombre cake like this one.
Decoration Ideas
- If you want to make a simple cake that fits in with your child’s birthday theme, this is a great place to start. Get a fancy cake topper and some special candles (affiliate links) and call it a day, or spend time piping on your child’s favorite design.
- You could even press sprinkles all over the entire cake for an extra festive appearance, like this. There are so many possibilities! Use different colored sprinkles for different occasions – red and green for Christmas, rainbow for birthdays, etc.
Special Equipment
You do need 8 inch cake pans to make this cake. The depth of the layers helps this cake hold together. 9 inch pans will make thinner layers.
Substitutions
- You can use all-purpose flour or spelt flour if you are not gluten free. I don’t think coconut flour will work in this recipe.
- I have used a mix of King Arthur GF Flour and Namaste Perfect Flour in this layer cake recipe in the past and that worked well, too. I also think Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour would work well. Please call any company before you use their products to find out if they are safe for you. Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur are no longer safe for our family’s specific allergies.
- You can use any type of yogurt and any type of oil that works for your dietary needs. If you cannot do any kind of yogurt, pureed bananas or applesauce will work.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe
The Easiest Chocolate Layer Cake (Gluten Free, Vegan).
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 cups gluten free flour or all purpose flour if you are not gluten free
- 2 cups organic cane sugar
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup coconut oil measured solid, then melted, or melted vegan buttery spread, or organic canola oil
- ¼ cup vanilla coconut milk yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 ⅞ cups cold water
For the frosting:
- ½ cup vegan buttery spread
- 7 cups powdered sugar
- 3-5 Tablespoons non-dairy milk
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the sides and bottoms of two 8-inch cake pans, then place a circle of parchment paper on the bottom of each pan. Dust a little cocoa powder into the pans to help prevent sticking.
- Place the gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
- Measure the ⅔ cup of coconut oil into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 20 seconds until melted. Put the melted coconut oil into a mixing bowl along with the cane sugar and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients, coconut milk yogurt, water, and vinegar to the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until smooth and combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 33-36 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pan, then once they are cool, run a knife around the edge and invert the pans over a cookie sheet or a tray to gently release the cakes.
Make the Frosting:
- Place ½ cup of vegan buttery spread in a mixing bowl and beat until fluffy. Sift in the powdered sugar a little at a time, alternating with the non-dairy milk.
- Keep adding the powdered sugar and non-dairy milk until all the sugar is used up and the frosting is thick and spreadable. (If the frosting is too wet, the cake layers will possibly slide around).
Assemble the Cake:
- Place one cake on a cake stand that has been lined with parchment paper on the edges (for easy cleanup). Frost the top of this cake, then place the second layer on top. To help stabilize the cake, take a drinking straw that has been cut down to about 4 inches and insert into the center of the cake.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake. Remove the parchment paper pieces from the edges of the cake.
- Decorate the cake as desired. If you wish to pipe on frosting in a contrasting color, you will need to make a bit more frosting. You can also melt dairy free chocolate chips and pipe those on in the design of your choice. Or just keep it simple and put a cake topper on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Yvon
Hi what is 1 7/8 cups of water in ml? Does that convert to 214mls? And 350 degrees is in Fahrenheit I assume? Sorry just not used to Us metrics,
patricia
Looks delicious. Do your flour nixes have xanthan gum or do I have to add that?
Kelly Roenicke
This recipe works with and with out xanthan gum. I’ve done it both ways!
Sarah
Hi Kelly! This recipe sounds wonderful! My son is not a fan of chocolate. Have you ever made this omitting chocolate to make a white cake?
Trisha
Do you by chance have any experience with cup4cup gf all purpose flour? Wondering if I should try and use it for this recipe. Thanks!
Kelly Roenicke
I haven’t tried that one, let me know how you like it!
Kim @ The Baking ChocolaTess
Your cake looks super moist, decadent and amazing!! Looks like a winner and pinning for later! :)
Kelly Roenicke
Thank you!
Kayte @ Allergy Bites
This looks scrumptious and so moist! You are right on… it’s hard to know where to start with food allergies. Truth be told, we ate a lot of bad food – birthday cakes included – in the early days. Thank you for your recipes!
Kelly Roenicke
Thank you, Kayte!
Bethany @ athletic avocado
YAY for easy, healthier chocolate cake! This looks amazing! I’m sure it taste just as amazing as a non-vegan version!
Nancy
Hello Kelly ~
Your recipe sounds delicious !! …cannot remember when I’ve made a lovely chocolate cake…
Thank You for your time, and recipes !!
Two Elder Vegans
Julia
This is gooorgeous! I love chocolate cake and am loving the recipe. Definitely up for some layered deliciousness and your tips are all super helpful!