Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Moist, tender crumb topped with fluffy, creamy frosting.
Taste: Rich chocolate cake and decadent frosting made with a secret ingredient to take it to the next level!
Ease: Beginner-friendly, reliable sheet cake.
Top Tip: Using hot water blooms the cocoa powder for bakery-quality chocolate cake. You can also use hot coffee!
Recommended GF Flour: Use a high-quality flour that contains xanthan gum. Both King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Flour and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour work well in this one.
Would I make these again? Absolutely! I’ve made this easy gluten-free chocolate cake more times than I can count and nobody ever guesses it’s gluten-free — perfect for any celebration!
xoxo erin
Featured Comment
From Rosalie: “This cake is the BEST!! Haven’t had a chocolate cake in years because I had tried recipes and mixes I wasn’t happy with. I was recently craving good old-fashioned chocolate cake and am so happy I tried this recipe! I looked at many recipes until I chose this one. My non-celiac husband said he couldn’t even tell it was GF.”
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this gluten-free chocolate cake. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: It’s important to use a gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend that contains xanthan gum. I like to use King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill.
- Oil: I prefer to use oil since butter often causes it to clump up. The smoothness of the oil helps to create a light, moist crumb.
- Buttermilk/sour cream: Chocolate cake can easily become dry, but this combo adds extra moisture, stability and lift for a tender cake. Plus they ensure rich, indulgent flavor!
- Hot water: Hot water (or coffee) allows the cocoa powder to absorb and the batter to hydrate. This deepens the flavor and creates a smooth batter for the perfect texture!
- Cocoa powder: You can use any kind of cocoa powder. I usually use Hershey’s, but Dutch-processed or natural cocoa powder can be used for a richer frosting.
- Heavy cream or milk: Both loosen the frosting to make it smooth and spreadable. I recommend heavy cream for a fluffier, more luxurious topping.
- Almond extract: This is the secret ingredient! It elevates the frosting’s flavor and depth creating truly decadent frosting.
How to Make Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
Two bowls are all you need for this simple recipe! In one combine all of the dry ingredients, in the other add all of the wet ingredients (except the hot water). I like to use a stand mixer to beat the wet ingredients, but a hand mixer will work too!
While you have the mixer running, slowly add the dry mix in 3 phases, mixing after each addition. Slowly add the hot water and continue to mix (2-3 minutes), scraping the bowl’s sides along the way.
You’ll know it’s ready to bake when it looks smooth and incorporated. Bake (35-40 minutes) until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Cool before frosting!
Use the stand mixer (or hand mixer) to prep the frosting. Beat the butter on medium-high until creamy (2 minutes), then add 3 cups of powdered sugar, plus the other ingredients. Whip the frosting until fluffy, starting on low (30 seconds), then medium-high (2 minutes).
You want it to be a spreadable consistency. If it seems too thick, you can always add more cream/milk. Too thin? Add a little more powdered sugar. Frost the cooled cake and enjoy!
Easy, Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake (9×13!)
Video
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (300g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- ½ cup (41g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Other
- 1¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120ml) neutral oil
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup (120g) sour cream at room temperature
- ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120ml) hot water
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup (113g) butter at room temperature
- 3-4 cups (360-480g) powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup (27g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream or milk of choice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, beat together sugar, oil, eggs, sour cream, buttermilk and vanilla on medium-high speed until well-combined.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing after each addition.
- Slowly pour in the hot water. Mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides halfway through, until smooth and incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 3 cups powdered sugar along with the cocoa powder, cream/milk, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and whip for a full 2 minutes.
- If the frosting is too thick, add a little more cream/milk. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar to get a spreadable consistency. Frost the cake as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in January 2021. It was updated with new photos and instructions in July 2025.
can you make this into cake pops? or do you have a recipe for cake pops?
Hi Lynn, we haven’t tried making this recipe cake pops before and we currently don’t have a cake pop recipe. If you decide to try it out, we’d love to hear how it goes!
I have a gluten intolerance, so I made a cake with this recipe, and my friends who don’t have celiac also LOVED IT
We’re so happy to hear how much everyone enjoyed the cake! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with us!
This is the best gf choc cake recipe we have ever made!!!
Thank you for the positive feedback, Mandy! We’re so happy to hear you loved the recipe so much!
Can this cake be baked in 8” layer pans?
Hi Kathy, definitely! You can bake it in two 8″ round pans at the same temperature and just adjust the baking time. We find the toothpick test to be the best way to adjust the baking time for the layer cakes. Happy baking!
So good! Light and fluffy. I made cupcakes instead and they were a hit! I actually iced them with a homemade whipped cream which was a good fit with the chocolate.
Hi Janet, thank you for sharing your positive baking experience with us! We’re so pleased to hear the recipe worked well as cupcakes. Happy baking!
Could this cake be made ahead of time and frozen until ready to use?
Hi Pam, yes! Just wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. We hope you enjoy the cake!
Thank you so much!!!
Absolutely love this cake! I have made it several times for my son who recently found out he has celiac disease.
I would like to bake this as a layer cake for a birthday. Would this work out okay?
Thank you
Thank you for the kind feedback, April! We’re so glad you and your son have enjoyed the recipe so much! You can definitely make a layer cake out of this one. You can use either two 8″ or two 9″ round pans and just adjust the baking time accordingly. No other changes needed. We find the toothpick test to be the best way to adjust the baking time for the layer cakes. Happy baking!
I’ve made this a few times now. My son was skeptial because it was gf. He had 2 pieces, guess it tasted okay. 😉 It’s easy to make and delicious! I like it better the second day!
We’re so glad you and your son enjoyed the recipe, Mylinda! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive baking experience with us!
How much sugar does the cake need? It’s not listed.
Hi Tara, the recipe calls for 1 3/4 cup (350g) of granulated sugar. A full list of ingredients and their measurements can be found in the recipe card. We hope you enjoy the cake!
This is one the best GF chocolate cakes I’ve ever made! I use hot coffee instead of the water. I’ve made in 13×9 and 2 8″ rounds. Always a hit and everyone loves it! Thank you so much Erin!
Did you need to adjust any of the measurements to make it in the 2 8″ rounds? Was there enough frosting?
This cake tastes wonderful but I’ve made it twice tonight and it has sunk in the middle both times. Can’t figure out what I’ve done wrong. It is gummy and flat in the middle. I made 2 8” rounds. They are unusable! Help!
Hi Allison, we’re glad you enjoyed the flavor, but we’re sorry you had this experience with the structure. When cakes sink in the middle, it’s usually a sign of underbaking or uneven heat distribution. You may want to try letting it bake a little longer. Or you could even try a different pan (the different material types, like glass and metal, conduct heat differently). We hope these ideas help!
Would this recipe hold up as a layer cake?
Definitely, Andrea! It will make two 8″ round layers. Happy baking!
Thank you for your positive feedback, Rosalie! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Happy baking!
This cake is the BEST!! Haven’t had a chocolate cake in years because I had tried recipes and mixes I wasn’t happy with. I was recently craving good old-fashioned chocolate cake and am so happy I tried this recipe! I looked at many recipes until I chose this one. My non-celiac husband said he couldn’t even tell it was GF.
Hi Rosalie, thank you for your kind feedback! We’re so glad both you and your husband loved the recipe. Happy baking!
I made this cake recipe for my mother’s 95th birthday! She is not gluten-free, but I am and wanted to be able to share it with her.
It was incredible! I decided to pour the batter into 12 mini, square cake pans that I had purchased on Amazon.. Each pan was about 3 and 1/2 in across and came with a little lid.
The cakes rose nicely and easily popped out of the pans.. For my mom’s mini birthday cake, I was able to frost all four sides and top to make it look festive.
For the buttermilk, I decided to use a buttermilk powder and stir up just enough for the cake batter. This way, the rest of the powder can be refrigerated until I make my next cake or recipe with buttermilk.
For the oil, I used avocado oil and its neutral flavor worked out perfectly!
I’m freezing the extra little cakes and it’s nice knowing I will have my own little cake to take to the next social event. (So much nicer than a cupcake..)
This cake recipe is amazing and I highly recommend it!
Hi Erin. This is the second time this week I have made this cake (first was a practice one for a party). So good! My non gf family didn’t think it was gf! I made a few changes for myself. I made buttermilk with soy milk and one and half tsp of apple cider vinegar. I used organic sunflower oil as I don’t use rancid oils in my diet. I used plain Greek yogurt for sour cream. After I put in the pan I let it sit for 10 minutes as I have found that helps the gf flour get properly absorbed, before baking. I also agree with weighing your gf flour for baking. Great Recipe. Can’t wait to test more of your recipes. Thank you!
Hi Cheryl, we’re happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe so much! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us. Happy baking!