You need to try this Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake! It’s decadent, fluffy, and sweet – you won’t even notice it’s gluten free AND vegan. Easy to make in 1 bowl.
My Gluten Free Vegan Vanilla Cake is just as easy to make as this recipe, and perfect for anyone who may not be a huge fan of chocolate.
Life is too short for dry and bland gluten free desserts. Luckily, this Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake is just like your favorite classic cake recipe – fluffy, sweet, and moist. In fact, you may not even notice that it’s gluten free and vegan!
Just like my Vegan Chocolate Cake, this vegan gluten free cake has a rich chocolate flavor and a fluffy, light crumb. You don’t need any complicated ingredients, either. The batter mixes together in just one bowl and bakes in about 30 minutes. Easy, right?
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Soy milk – Any unsweetened non-dairy milk will work as a substitute, like almond, oat, or coconut milk.
- Apple cider vinegar – It’s mixed with the milk to make a vegan buttermilk substitute. The acid will react with the baking soda, creating air bubbles that help the cake fluff up. Feel free to use lemon juice instead.
- Gluten free flour mix – I like to use a gluten free flour with no added xanthan gum because it’s easier to control when it’s added in ourselves. I always have great results with King Arthur Gluten Free Flour. Bob’s Red Mill is another good option but could make the cake more dense and less fluffy.
- Xanthan gum – Remember to leave this out if your gluten free flour already has xanthan gum added.
- Granulated sugar – Coconut sugar works well too. I don’t recommend replacing the granulated sugar with a liquid sweetener because the structure of the cake may not hold up as well.
- Natural cocoa powder – Don’t replace this with Dutch process cocoa powder.
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Oil – Use a neutral flavored oil, such as canola or grapeseed. I haven’t tried substituting more applesauce for the oil, but it should work well.
- Applesauce – You can replace the applesauce with two flax eggs or another egg replacer.
- Vanilla extract
- Boiling hot water – Or use hot brewed coffee or espresso. All three options will enhance the chocolate flavor in the cake – yum!
How to make gluten free vegan chocolate cake
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Make the vegan buttermilk by adding the soy milk and vinegar to a glass measuring cup. Stir, then set aside for a few minutes while it curdles.
Meanwhile, whisk the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in the bowl of a standing mixer.
Add the oil, applesauce, vanilla, and milk/vinegar mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed until well combined.
Lower the speed and slowly pour in the boiling water (or coffee). Mix until the batter is runny and well combined.
Pour the cake batter into your cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Add the frosting and decorations once the cake is cool. Slice and enjoy!
Vegan gluten free cupcakes
You can easily transform this gluten free chocolate cake recipe into cupcakes. Make the batter as normal, pour the batter into lined muffin tins, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Decorating options
You can keep it simple and decorate the cake with my Vegan Chocolate Frosting or go for a black and white effect with my Vegan Vanilla Frosting. Add a layer of chocolate ganache, berry jam or compote, or salted caramel sauce in the middle layer for a delicious surprise.
As for decorating the top of the cake, the options are endless:
- Shaved chocolate ribbons
- Vegan whipped cream
- Chocolate sprinkles
- Candy-coated chocolate
- Cherries
- Gluten free cookie pieces
- Fresh berries
Frequently asked questions
- What size cake pan can I use? This recipe makes enough cake batter for two 8-inch round cake pans. You could also use two 9-inch round pans, a 10-inch square pan, a jelly roll pan, or an 11×17 rectangular pan.
- Can I make this cake with almond flour? No, sorry! Almond flour (and coconut flour) don’t absorb liquid as well as a gluten free flour mix.
- Can I leave the xanthan out of the cake? You can, but I don’t recommend it. When testing this recipe without xanthan gum, the cake was slightly dense and gummy. It was much lighter and fluffier with it added.
- How long does gluten free chocolate cake last? Keep the frosted cake covered at room temperature for 1 to 2 days, or up to a week in the fridge. The unfrosted cake layers also freeze well for up to 3 months (wrap them individually in plastic to maintain freshness).
Want more gluten free and vegan desserts?
Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 1/4 cups gluten free flour mix* I used King Arthur Flour, NO xanthan gum added
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum if using a flour with this added, omit
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup neutral flavored oil, such as canola or grapeseed
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling hot water or use hot coffee
- 1 Recipe Vegan Chocolate Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 8-inch cake pans. I also line them with parchment rounds for easy removal of the cakes later.
- Measure 1 cup soy milk in a glass measuring cup and add vinegar. Stir slightly and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- To the bowl with the dry ingredients, add the oil, applesauce, vanilla and milk/vinegar mixture. Mix on medium speed with a hand mixer (or stand mixer with the whisk attachment) until well combined.
- Lower the speed and carefully pour in the boiling water, continuing to mix into the cake batter until combined. The batter will be quite runny at this point.
- Divide the batter evenly between your cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. After 10 minutes of cooling in the pan, carefully remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely before frosting.
- Only once the cake is completely cooled, frost with chocolate frosting using an icing spatula or just a butter knife and enjoy!
- It’s fine to store the cake at room temperature for 1-2 days, or you can refrigerate it for 3-4 days. Make sure to cover any cut parts so it doesn't dry out.
Notes
- May substitute any non-dairy milk, such as almond, oat or coconut milk.
- For best results, use King Arthur Gluten Free Flour with no added xanthan gum, so we can control it and add a little on our own. You can use another mix such as Bob’s Red Mill, but the cake will be a bit more dense and less fluffy.
- May use coconut sugar instead of regular sugar, if desired.
- For cupcakes, fill liners half full and bake for 20-25 minutes. You will get about 24 cupcakes.
- May substitute 2 flax eggs (2 tbs ground flax + 5 tbs water) or another egg replacer if needed for the applesauce.
Just love your recipes. The cake turned out beautifully, I was a bit concerned as I used Doves Freeee plain flour and wasn’t sure if the quality would work out but hey it certainly did. I made 12 cupcakes and a traybake covered with the frosting. I do have a question; is the frosting supposed to set or remain a cream consistency? Anyway I certainly will make again.
Thanks Diana! I’m glad it turned out beautifully. The frosting should not be super runny, but it’s not exactly like a regular buttercream frosting either. It shouldn’t just run off the cake, it should be thick enough to spread and stay put. If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar until the consistency is spreadable, not runny. Hope that helps!
My daughter has a friend who needs to eat gluten free so I made this for her on my daughter’s birthday. She loved it and ate two pieces, then took the rest home. We ran into the family at the grocery store later on and they all said it was the best gluten free cake they had ever eaten.
I only have access to the Bob’s Red Mill flour where I live but it was apparently still a big hit!
Thanks for sharing this, Alex. How wonderful the cake was a hit! I appreciate your wonderful review and encouraging feedback!
Hi Nora!
Thank you for all the work you put into these recipes. I made this cake and it tasted so good! We used your “cream cheese” frosting from the carrot cake recipe and your chocolate ganache, and a layer of fresh raspberries in the middle too. We will definitely be making it again.
However, I found it to be a little bit dense, kind of fudgy. They dipped a little in the middle so I’m thinking they just didn’t get the right rise. I used King Arthur’s 1:1 and canola oil. My kids were baking with me so I’m wondering if it could be from over mixing. We used the hand mixer – do you think a little extra mixing could have been the issue?
Hi Jordan! Sorry the cake turned out a bit dense. I think the King Arthur Measure for Measure flour has xanthan gum added. I have found it best to use a gluten free flour without it added, then add in that 1/2 teaspoon yourself. It really works better to get a fluffy cake. Since posting this recipe, I found Better Batter GF flour and I usually have really good success using that brand for cakes and cookies. It could also be a little extra mixing that made it dense. But I love that your kids were baking with you, my 8 year old loves to help me. 🙂
Thank you so much Nora for this recipe! It was a huge success and we had a lot of great compliments. The sweetness and consistency of both the cake and frosting turned out perfect and I shared the recipe with friends. The recipe was simple enough for my 13 year old to bake it.
Hi Ruth. Thanks for sharing your awesome feedback! I hope your 13 year old enjoyed the baking experience! How awesome the cake was a hit!
Made this for a friend’s Birthday – everyone loved it!
I couldn’t find the preferred King Arthur gluten free flour, but used Bob’s Red Mill GF flour mix. On the back they have a little chart of xanthan gum and recommended amounts. Based on the chart I raised the xanathan to 1.25 teaspoons.
The cake was delicious! My friend asked for the recipe and everyone asked to take seconds home. I would make this again in a heartbeat.
Every recipe I’ve tried has been delicious. You are my go-to for delicious vegan recipes. Thank you for all your hard work!
Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed the cake and my other recipes! 🙂
Can I freeze this cake and use at a later time?
Yes, it can be frozen.
I followed this recipe exactly and the cake batter was very thick
Not runny. I used Namaste GF flour. The batter almost became gelatinous. I’m
Not sure what happened.
This happened for me until I added the boiling water then it sorted itself out.
Any suggestions for baking this in a Bundt pan? Thanks!
I haven’t tested it but you can try baking the cake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean.
I’m looking forward to making this recipe this week. Can I sub white vinegar for the apple cider vinegar or do I specifically need apple cider vinegar?
You can use white vinegar or even lemon juice instead. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi Nora. Could I use Cassava flour instead with me adding my own xanthum gum?
I’m honestly not sure as I’ve never tried it. I don’t know that it will turn out the same though, sorry!
I have made the Best Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe twice now, and it is fantastic! I used Cacao Barry Extra Brute for the cocoa powder. Expensive, but so worth it!
I am getting ready to try this recipe and have one comment, and a couple of questions.
1. I am going to be using King Arthur’s Measure for Measure, because that is what I have. A cup this weighs less (about 120 grams a cup) than KA’s Gluten Free All Purpose. Just an FYI, for anyone weighing ingredients.
2. In your Best Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe, it specifies 2/3 cup of apple sauce. This recipe uses 1/2. Is that accurate? Everything I have read says that gluten free usually needs more liquid, not less.
3. The vegan only recipe uses the paddle attachment for the stand mixer, and this recipe uses the whisk attachment. Is that so the whisk adds more air to this recipe?
Thank you so much for these recipes. You are my go to for vegan baking!
This was the best GF cake I’ve made! I used peanut butter frosting and it was delicious.
Peanut butter frosting….yumm! It’s so great you loved the cake! Thanks for your fabulous feedback!
Looking forward to trying this but do you just use the King Arthur all purpose flour or their cake specific flour?
Hi Laura. Use the all purpose flour. Enjoy!
Can I use regular flour for this recipe?
Hi Nicole. If you do not want to use gluten free flour, you may want to try my Best Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe.
Hi Nora,
Can I use the Trader Joes gluten free flour? Will this affect the cakes fluffiness?
Thanks!
Hi Kate. I have not used Trader Joes GF flour, so am not sure. As per the recipe instructions, check for the ingredient Xanthan gum in the flour. Leave this out if the gluten free flour you use already has xanthan gum added. I hope this helps!
Can I use coconut milk instead of soy?
Yes, you can! Enjoy!
Hi Nora,
I replaced a few ingredients (soy milk for almond milk, granulated sugar for coconut sugar and I used refined coconut oil in place of canola oil) and I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour. The consistency of the cake was good but not as fluffy as I was expecting and there was no flavor, or I should say there was not a chocolate flavor, it tasted very bland. I couldn’t taste coconut from the coconut oil (which was good). Which of my replacement items do you think have caused the cake not to be as fluffy or tasteless?
Also, I used a kitchen aid stand mixer, how long should I mix the ingredients, so the cake is fluffy and not dense?
Thank you!
Hi Monica, so I’ve found that coconut oil can lead to more dense cakes than desired. I prefer a different oil. I’m guessing that’s why your cake turned out dense. Also, Bob’s Red Mill flour does work, but I much prefer a different flour, like King Arthur, a flour without xantham gum added so I can add my own. The cake turns out much fluffier this way. I’m also not sure how using coconut sugar affected things, I always use regular sugar. Mix until just combined, you don’t need to keep mixing longer than that. But I think your problem was in the substitutions, especially the brand of flour and oil. Hope that helps!
If I have King Arthur’s flour that has xanthan gum in it do I still need to add the xanthan gum? By the way, I tried your gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe and they were amazing!
Hi Jean. If using a flour with xanthan gum added, omit adding it again. Hope this helps! Glad you loved the cookies! Thank you!
Hi Nora! I was wondering if I can substitute almond flour for this recipe? Could not find the other brands at the store. Thank you so much!
Sorry, almond flour just won’t work here!
Oh my gosh, this IS the most amazing gluten free chocolate cake, ever! I made it for the first time last weekend for my husband’s birthday. You could serve this as a “regular” cake and no one would ever know it was vegan AND gluten-free. I also used Nora’s chocolate frosting recipe. I have had many frosting failures until I tried this recipe. It’s a smashing success! My family agreed that this cake is way better than the vegan, GF cakes from the vegan bakery near us. Thank you, Nora!
You are welcome! I love reading that everyone loved the cake! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
Hello, I made this cake this evening as a trial run for a birthday party this weekend. I followed the recipe exactly, but when I took the cakes out of the tins, they fell apart! They tasted good, but where did I go wrong?
I’m sorry to hear this, Gail! It sounds like there could have been too much flour in the batter (which can happen if you’re scooping the flour out with the measuring cup). Otherwise, I’m not sure why this would have happened. Sorry!
Hi Nora, love all your recipes! Just started to get into the gluten-free side of baking though, is xanthan gum needed for gluten-free baking? I was using King Arthurs’s gluten-free flour without the xantham gum and the cupcakes came out amazing. Just curious about the benefits of xantham gum!
Thank you!
It can help with texture, and is sometimes necessary. I also tried the cake without it, and the texture came out a bit dense and gummy. It was way lighter and fluffier with it added. Hope that helps!
Do you have recommendations on how to make this into a sheet pan? Do I double the recipe?
You shouldn’t need to double the recipe. Just pour the batter into a rimmed, parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 16 to 20 minutes.
Thanks so much for this recipe! You are amazing.
Just one quick question, Can I use Almond flour since I don’t have the one you have mentioned here.
Thank you! I don’t recommend using almond flour because it doesn’t absorb liquid the same way as a regular gluten free flour mix and the cake will be soggy.
How do you keep your cakes from falling apart after they are baked. Having trouble with gluten free baking crumbling and falling apart even cookies
I made this into cupcakes tonight and it was the best vegan gf cake Ive made to date! I used bobs red mill (which I dont love) so next time Im going to try King Arthurs and the xantham gum seperate. It was great with the frosting.
Thank you for sharing your great comments! I’m glad you loved the cupcakes!