Go Back
–+ servings
close up of a piece of chocolate cake on a white plate
Print Recipe
4.82 stars (27 ratings)

Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake

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.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 500kcal
Author: Nora Taylor

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
US Customary - Metric

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

  1. May substitute any non-dairy milk, such as almond, oat or coconut milk.
  2. 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.
  3. May use coconut sugar instead of regular sugar, if desired.
  4. For cupcakes, fill liners half full and bake for 20-25 minutes. You will get about 24 cupcakes.
  5. May substitute 2 flax eggs (2 tbs ground flax + 5 tbs water) or another egg replacer if needed for the applesauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 16 servings | Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 408mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg