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.
I followed your directions, used same ingredients and it turned out to be delicious. I’m so happy, thought I’d never have vegan gluten free cake again. Thank you !!
Any chance you’d have a gluten free vegan donut recipe?
Thanks Lyn! I don’t specifically have a gluten free vegan donut recipe, but you can use gluten free flour with any of my donut recipes and it will work well.
Best so far! Thank you yes it sinked in the middle but that is because I used an 8” for the whole batter 😬 I’m pretty sure it won’t sink in the future if I divide batter in 2 8”. Nevertheless made an ermine chocolate frosting cause I’m team mild sweet frostings and it was a hit!
Turned out great. I baked it in a 9×13 inch pan for 35 minutes, which may have been a few minutes too long. Flavor is great and it’s not gummy at all. I followed the recipe exactly and used hot coffee instead of water. Frosted with penuche/caramel frosting for a gluten-free coworker. Thanks, Nora!
You are welcome, Emily! I’m so glad your cake turned out wonderful for your friend! Thank you for taking time to share your recipe experience and terrific review! Happy cooking!
First time making a gluten free cake and this one came out wonderfully! Very moist and quite fluffy for a GF cake. I used Nora’s linked frosting recipe, and that really elevated it I think—so rich and chocolatey!
I will definitely return to this recipe next time I need a GF chocolate cake!
I’m so glad you had a fantastic outcome with the gluten-free chocolate cake! Thank you for taking time to share your stellar review and comments! Wishing you happy cooking!
This was incredible!! I used King Arthur’s measure for measure flour (with xanthan gum, so I didn’t add any) and boiling water (not coffee). It’s a pretty dense, very rich cake—exactly what I wanted!!
I made two 8” cakes and did a layer of the frosting and of raspberry jam in the middle. Topped with a healthy amount of the frosting and it was great!!
Thank you for taking time to share your recipe experience and terrific review! I am thrilled that you loved the chocolate cake! I love the idea of adding raspberry jam in the middle! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Holy moly! I made this cake for my birthday party because one guest was gluten free, and then that guest couldn’t come after all. None of the rest of us missed the gluten! Probably the best homemade cake I’ve ever made.
Hi Miranda. Happy birthday! I’m glad the cake was a hit at your party! Thank you for sharing your glowing review and comments! Wishing you happy cooking!
Would this recipe work with agave instead of granulated sugar? Trying to stop using refined sugar if I can
Using a liquid sweetener is tricky when swapping with granulated, as it is adding liquid to the cake and taking away a dry ingredient. I’m not sure how it will turn out. It would be better to use a more natural granulated sweetener, such as date sugar or coconut sugar.
I tried using monkfruit with a little but of yogurt and my recipe came out gummy and spongy..any advice?
Delicious!!! I used coffee instead of water. Yummm!!
I’m so glad you loved the cake, Denise! A lot of people love to use coffee for my chocolate cakes! Thank you for sharing your stellar review!
Yay! It’s me, I commented on your vegan chocolate cake recipe asking about GF. Just tried this one tonight! The middles sank a bit still, but looks more promising. I used King Arthur GF 1:1 since that’s what I had on hand and Milkadamia unsweetened macadamia milk. Would either of those make the middles still sink instead of fluff up? What’s the expectation on this recipe? Thanksss!! You’re a life saver.
Hi Rachel! I’m not sure why they still sank, but a little sink in the middle is really okay if the cake texture is good. You can try adding a little more flour, or less hot water if you really want them taller, that might help. So if it’s just a little and the cake tastes great, I wouldn’t worry about it. Hope you enjoy it!
I forgot to mention in my comment above, since she can’t have wheat I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour. This may have affected the rising, I guess – I’m new to GF as well — but again, the taste was very good.
I made this for the birthday of my daughter, who’s on the six-food elimination program for an EGID disorder. I used boiling Starbucks instant decaf coffee instead of boiling water, and used oat milk, and substituted some orange juice for some of the oat milk. The cake didn’t rise as much as I was expecting – I’m new to dairy-free, egg-free baking- but it tasted moist and chocolate-y with a nice crumb. The frosting was great too. The family liked it. My daughter, who’s in her twenties and a pretty accomplished baker – she loves to bake and hasn’t let the EGID stop her — said she thought it was professional quality 🙂 I plan to try more of your recipes for upcoming Thanksgiving.
Hi! I am hoping to make a smash cake for my baby’s first birthday (she has egg, soy, diary, and wheat allergies). How would I adjust the recipe to do a 6inch? (I plan to make cupcakes for guests too, but curious about oven temp and cook time on the 6inch pans.) thank you!
Hi! A smash cake for your baby sounds so sweet and lovely. 🙂 That should work – this cake as written would really make 3 6-inch layers. You could make it as written and make 2 layers plus some cupcakes, baking the cakes for around 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle. Cupcakes will take 18-20 minutes to bake. Hope everyone enjoys!
Thank you! It turned out perfect!! The 6 inches were level and popped out cleanly. The cupcakes are so yummy too!! I cannot wait to give my daughter her first cake now – it’s my favorite food group and this one lives up to the hype.
I’m so glad! Thank you!
Holy guacamole 😭 I made this for my son’s 2nd birthday party today and was literally in tears after trying one. He’s allergic to all the traditional ingredients in cake and this was a life saver. I served it to a bunch of party guests with rave reviews and none of them have diet restrictions, win-win! I used flour that already contained xanthan gum but added it after reading another comment that recommended it. I also baked these as cupcakes and mini cupcakes. Thank you so much for the recipe!
You are welcome, Emily! I loved reading your uplifting feedback! Thank you for taking time to share your glowing review! Makes my heart so happy to hear that your son had a birthday cake he was able to eat and enjoy! I’m glad that the cake was a hit at the party! Wishing you happy cooking!
It really is THAT good! I have made GF disasters in the past and I really wanted to get this right for a birthday party. This was the PERFECT recipe. I was able to find KA flour without xanthan gum and added that separately. The cake was moist and fluffy with a nice deep chocolate flavor. I topped it with your peanut butter frosting. It was a hit at the party, everyone said it tasted like a PB cup only better! Thank you!!
Hi Julia. Your cake sounds absolutely amazing! Thank you for sharing your recipe experience and your stellar review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I’ve made this several times and it’s excellent. I’m wondering if I can sub vegan butter for the oil?
You probably could, melted of course, but I haven’t tried it personally. Glad you have enjoyed it many times!
This turned out great! I made it for the first time and used Bob’s Red Mill flour (with no xanthum gum – added according to recipe). It was for a family gathering with some who are GF and/or dairy free. I am plant based and GF. It was great to make a cake that checked all these boxes and was delicious and enjoyed by all. I also felt it wasn’t hard to make. This is a winner! Thanks so much. I used a bundt pan and it needed just about the same cook time. And I made the chocolate frosting.
Hi Dana. Thank you for sharing your recipe experience! I’m thrilled that the cake was a winner! I appreciate your stellar review, and am so glad everyone enjoyed the cake! Happy cooking!
I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1:1 baking flour, and it turned out great! paired it with chocolate ganache, and all my non-vegan friends (and especially the gluten free friend) loved it. also appreciate how simple and quick the recipe was. Thanks again for amazing recipes Nora!
You are welcome, Daria! Your cake sounds delicious! I’m so glad it was a hit with your friends. Thank you for sharing your glowing review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Tried it with red mill gluten free flour. The main ingredient is chickpeas. YUCK. I am calling red mill tomorrow to get My money back.
I used 8”x3” pans. Great height. I used oatly barista milk. The frosting is da bomb. I used Droste chocolate powder.
Will try again with King Arthur flour.
Made this for my birthday, so delicious. It also tastes good with some fresh strawberries
That sounds amazing, with fresh strawberries! I’m thrilled you loved the cake! Thanks for your awesome review. Also, Happy Birthday, Misty!
Please clarify if I use all purpose gluten free flour for the Vegan Gluton free cake.
Thanks for another great recipe, Nora! I thought it may be worth sharing that I use the King Arthur GF Measure for Measure Flour (which is the only King Arthur GF flour I’ve found in my area), and it does contain xanthan gum so I made this without adding any additional xanthan gum. And, the center fell in and the cake was crumbly. I then immediately remade it (with all of the other ingredients exactly the same), with the addition of xanthan gum and it turned out perfectly. Thought this may be worth clarifying for anyone using the KA Measure for Measure Flour.
I am not GF but several of my family members are so I really appreciate your GF recipes and insights as GF baking is hard! Thank you!
I’d love to make this exact cake in vanilla. How do I accomplish this? I tried the gf vegan vanilla, but it’s too dense compared to this one. How do I get the vanilla flavor/change dimensions for vanilla?
Unfortunately I’ve tried and it doesn’t work the same at all. You can try using a quality gluten free flour in my Vegan Vanilla Cake.
Hi there,
I just baked my cakes and both pans fell in the middle and took longer to bake than the recipe said. I used King Arthur flour (that has the xanthum gum as I couldn’t find it without) and was meticulous about measuring ingredients and setting oven temperature (I have a manual read thermometer to make sure). The only thing I did differently was using oat milk instead of soy milk. Any thoughts as to why the middles sunk ?
It was likely the flour, unfortunately it really works better to use an all purpose gf flour without xanthan gum and add your own. Otherwise I’ve found the texture is off and not fluffy. Oat milk should be fine.
I’ve made your vegan chocolate cake which was gorgeous and I’ve been asked for the recipe many times. Now been asked to make the Gluten free/vegan version. Do I use plain gluten free flour as I see there is baking powder and baking soda added. Many thanks for you fantastic recipes.
Hi Mary. 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. I hope this helps!
I’ve made this cake with K A all purpose flour and added the xanthum gum as the recipie said as well as with the1-1 flour and they both sunk in the middle. Also made just your vegan cake which also sunk. The flavor is great and everyone that has tasted it loves it, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Any ideas?
Cannot rave about this cake enough! I am GF/DF and made this expecting no on else would really go for it. WOW- everyone said it was the best chocolate cake they ever had. So moist and fudgy- I made your homemade buttercream to top it. Will be making again very soon!
Amazing! I’ve been vegan/gf for many years. My family has not. I got tired of making cakes that I couldn’t eat so now that I’ve found Noracooks, I am good to go! I went big the first time for a crowd of 50 and got rave reviews of both the yellow cake (w/ a pretty blackberry frosting) and chocolate cake with German chocolate frosting. Pretty sure the fam thought I would “pull a Monica” as they ordered cupcakes but mine sold out. Ha! Thank you!! 🙂
You are welcome, Janel! I’m thrilled you are enjoying my cake recipes! Thanks for your wonderful review and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
About to try this recipe for a vegan friend. Would oat flour work or would that make the cake too dense?
Unfortunately, oat flour will likely make the cake very gummy and dense. I would not recommend it here.