The BEST Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake (Vegan, 1 Bowl!)

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Fork cutting into a slice of the best vegan gluten-free chocolate cake

Friends, we’ve heard your pleas to release our secret gluten-free chocolate cake recipe, and today is your lucky day! It’s based off the baking mix we released last year after almost a year of development and countless taste tests. And it’s now ready to make from scratch in your kitchen!

This cake is FLUFFY, moist, perfectly chocolaty, and undetectably vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, and naturally sweetened. PLUS, it comes together in just 1 bowl! Bakers, start your ovens…let’s make one EPIC chocolate cake!

Cake batter dripping from a whisk into a glass mixing bowl

How to Make the BEST Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

Making this 1-BOWL gluten-free chocolate cake is about as simple as it gets: Just mix together the dry ingredients, whisk in the wet, pour into your cake pan, and bake!

Now, let’s talk about the ingredients that make it all possible, starting with the secret gluten-free flour blend! Almond flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch are the all-star trio that makes this cake light and fluffy with the perfect crumb texture! You can learn about what each of these flours does here.

Pouring batter from a mixing bowl into a cake pan

The other dry ingredients include coconut sugar to keep it naturally sweetened, flaxseed meal and xanthan gum for binding, and chocolate cake classics including cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt.

For the wet ingredients, you’ll need just three: water, a neutral-flavored oil (we like avocado oil), and vanilla extract. Cake batter awaits!

Using an offset spatula to frost a cake with vegan chocolate ganache frosting

After baking and cooling to let the texture reach its peak potential, we enter frosting land! Your options are endless, but our top pick? Vegan Chocolate Ganache Frosting! It’s super chocolaty, elegant, and luxurious yet surprisingly simple to make!

Vegan gluten-free chocolate cake with vegan chocolate ganache frosting and flowers

This chocolate cake is a total WINNER! It’s:

Fluffy
Moist
Decadent
Chocolaty
Perfectly sweet
& Undetectably vegan + gluten-free!

It’s a crowd-pleasing dessert perfect for all kinds of celebrations including birthdays, weddings, baby showers, Mother’s Day, New Year’s, and more.

More Vegan Gluten-Free Cake Recipes

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Bite of gluten-free chocolate cake resting on a fork next to a slice of cake

The BEST Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake (Vegan, 1 Bowl!)

Fluffy, moist, decadent gluten-free chocolate cake made in 1 bowl! It’s also undetectably vegan, grain-free, and naturally sweetened!
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Bite of gluten-free chocolate cake on a fork next to a tall slice
5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 8 (Slices)
Course Dessert
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 2-3 Days

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almond flour (we like Wellbee’s)
  • 1 cup coconut sugar, sifted if clumpy (we like Supernatural)
  • 1/2 cup potato starch (NOT potato flour)
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted if clumpy
  • 1/4 cup tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)
  • 3 Tbsp flaxseed meal (ground flax seeds)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp xanthan gum*
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil (or other neutral-flavored oil such as refined coconut oil)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan with oil or line a standard-size muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
  • To a medium mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients (almond flour, coconut sugar, potato starch, cocoa powder, tapioca starch, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and xanthan gum). Whisk well to combine.
  • Next, add the water, oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk thoroughly until no flour streaks remain. Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan.
  • Place in the preheated oven and bake for 28-32 minutes (for an 8-inch cake) or 18-20 minutes (for cupcakes), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (with only a few crumbs).
  • Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. To remove from the cake pan, run a dull knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Then place a plate or cooling rack on top and quickly invert. Allow to cool completely (~1 hour) before frosting and serving!
  • Store leftovers lightly covered at room temperature for up to 2-3 days*, in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or in the freezer for 1 month. Cake can be baked ahead and frozen unfrosted. Let thaw completely at room temperature before serving.

Video

Notes

*If you choose to omit the xanthan gum, the cake won’t be as moist and will be more crumbly.
*Recipe as written makes one 8-inch cake. For the photos, we used three 6-inch cake pans. If using three 6-inch pans, reduce bake time to 20-25 minutes.
*We found the texture of this cake to be best when consumed within 24-48 hours. The nature of potato starch is a bit drying, so keep this in mind if making days in advance for an event or special occasion. You can reduce the amount of potato starch to 1/3 cup to keep it more moist, but it becomes a little more fragile and less fluffy.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.

Nutrition (1 of 8 servings)

Serving: 1 slice Calories: 293 Carbohydrates: 39.3 g Protein: 4.2 g Fat: 15.2 g Saturated Fat: 1.6 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.2 g Monounsaturated Fat: 9.6 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 356 mg Potassium: 321 mg Fiber: 3.5 g Sugar: 17.2 g Vitamin A: 0 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 79 mg Iron: 1.2 mg

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  1. September says

    Hello! I am fairly new to GF baking, and have rarely had things work out for me. Just fyi, I am not good at baking and usually have issues that no one else has. I tried making this, and it was good except it was a little chewy/gummy similar to how some cassava products can turn out (at least how it is for me). I didn’t make any substitutions, tried to follow everthing to a T, and used super fine almond flour. I would definitely like to have one cake turn out for me so if anyone has any suggestions on where I am going wrong, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks everyone! :)

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Sorry to hear it didn’t turn out right! We wonder if perhaps you’re baking at altitude? We don’t have much experience baking at altitude, but know it can change the result.

      • September says

        Thanks for responding! I’m actually far from being at high altitude, but thanks for thinking of it! If anyone has any ideas, please share them with me. Thanks! :)

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Another idea would be if perhaps your oven temperature runs cold? You could try baking it for longer!

  2. Alison says

    This recipe was fabulous! I made cupcakes using your German Chocolate Cake recipe for my husband’s birthday party and, to hedge my bet after so many failed GF recipes, I baked a Betty Crocker as emergency backup. After tasting one of the cupcakes, I gave the cake away!

    I didn’t frost a few of them because some family members don’t like coconut, so I just dusted them with powdered coconut sugar. They cake is so rich-tasting it stands alone. But what I really love is that it doesn’t have that sickly-sweet taste that traditionally sweetened cakes have.

    I made one change, because I couldn’t find potato or tapioca starch: I used 1/2c Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer for both the potato starch and the tapioca starch (since it contains both), and the results were perfect.

    The cake is easy to make once you’ve got the ingredients in your pantry.

    Thank you for the only chocolate cake recipe I will use from now on!

  3. Sara says

    I used all the ingredients and measurements, but the cake turned out all crumbly and fell apart. It tasted amazing though. Should I cook it less next time?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Oh no! Sorry to hear that, Sara. It does sound like it was too dry for some reason. Would you mind sharing if you were using the metric or US measurements? Or is it possible you are located at high altitude? Adding a little more water and/or baking less time should help!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Agnieszka, almond flour is pretty key for the right texture in this one. The next best option would be cashew flour, but we haven’t tested it and can’t guarantee the result!

  4. Carina says

    What an easy and delicious cake! I am not vegan and didn’t have flaxseed meal on hand, so I made a daringmodification: I replaced it with two eggs. Turned out incredible. I was also a little short on potato starch, so I subbed in about 30g of Arrowroot starch. My expectations were extremely low given how much tinkering I did, yet the recipe withstood my pantry’s failings! A+++

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Amazing! We’re so glad to hear it, Carina. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Trish, possibly in place of the flax if you also used less water, but we think it would be very fragile and crumbly. The potato starch is key and we wouldn’t recommend subbing it out!

  5. Pierre Hennen says

    AMAZING ! This cake reminds me of my childhood. So moist and tasty. Thanks for the recipe <3 I replaced the xanthan gum with 3g of psyllium (1/2 teaspoon)

  6. Dr. Beyoncè says

    You are my go-to vegan recipe guru! And your recipes and instructions are so easy to visually follow, so I have to thank you tremendously for turning complex concepts to digestible, novice-friendly steps! You are positively changing my life!!!

    Having said that, I’m struggling to understand step #5. Could you please show me a video of what you are describing with that whole cooling process?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re so glad our recipes are helpful. You can see that step in action in this recipe video (check the video around the 35 second mark). Hope that helps!

  7. Tina says

    LOVE all your recipes! I will be making this today but I don’t like using xanthum gum. Can you recommend a substitute?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Tina, we don’t have a great alternative, unfortunately, and think you’d be better off leaving it out. Let us know how it goes!

      • Tina says

        I omitted the xantham gum and t was a bit crumbly like you said but still DELICIOUS! I am going to try it with cornstarch in place of the xantham gum and see how that works to help it hold its shape better. I love experiments and your recipes!

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Thank you for sharing your experience, Tina! We think cornstarch might actually make it more crumbly, but let us know if you try it! Another reader reported using psyllium with success.

  8. Lisa says

    OMG! First time making a vegan cake (and for a gathering). I seriously did not have high expectations for this cake, especially after I finished mixing the batter and it seemed so thick. I smeared the thick batter into the baking dish thinking this cake was not going to turn out, at all. BOY WAS I WRONG. Finished it off with an avacado frosting. It was super moist, chocolaty and so delicious. It was a hit at the gathering. Thanks MB. You are my go to for vegan dishes and you do not disappoint.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Tisha, we haven’t tried with other sweeteners, but think brown sugar would be the next best option. It isn’t quite as moist though, so you might want to add slightly more water. Hope that helps!

  9. Donna says

    Your chocolate cake looks amazing! We have an ALL nuts/most seeds anaphylactic allergy – along with gluten & eggs in our house so I was super excited about this cake recipe till I saw the almond flour ingredient. Would sorghum flour or a commercial gluten free flour blend work instead?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thank you for your kind words, Donna! A nut-free, gluten-free, and egg-free version is really tricky when it comes to a light and fluffy cake! Almond flour adds a nice crumb texture and there’s not a great nut-free option that’s easy to swap 1-1. Sorghum flour is more absorbent and crumbly, so if you wanted to play around with it, we’d recommend using less of it. It’s hard to say without testing it, but perhaps some combination of tiger nut and/or cassava flour could work? Let us know if you do some experimenting!

  10. Anne S says

    Hello! I saw your comment that the recipe is for an 8-inch cake pan, but in the photos 3 6-inch pans were used. Did you have to increase the amount of ingredients to use the 3 6-inch pans? I love a layered cake and would like to try it this way😊

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi! If using three 6-inch pans, reduce the bake time to 20-25 minutes. No need to adjust the amount of ingredients!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Lindsey, possibly, though we think the cake might be a bit drier. We’d suggest starting with less water and adding until the consistency looks like the photos and video.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Yes! It should keep for about 1 month (well sealed) without getting freezer burn. Enjoy!

  11. Paddy Kamen says

    Thanks for answering my question about subing in eggs. I like your site very much. I often avoid the vegan recipies though because I prefer to use eggs. Thanks for all you do!

  12. Marylees Castillo says

    Just made it! It’s absolutely delicious. Thank you for such a great recipe. It’s really easy to make too!
    Another hit.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Paddy, it’s hard to say without testing it! You would probably need to use ~3 eggs and reduce the amount of water by about half. We’re not sure if it would be too dry or be fine! Let us know if you do some experimenting!

  13. Mariela Doyle says

    Do you have a suggestion for Treenut-free flour? My 8 yr old is celiac and allergic to Treenuts. Thanks! The cake looks awesome.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Mariela, it’s hard to say without testing it, but perhaps some combination of tiger nut and/or cassava flour. Hope that helps!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Toni, we don’t have any good subs for potato starch as its key to the light and fluffy texture. The next best option would be corn starch, but it won’t be the same!