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.
What would be your recommended bake time if I split this between two rounds? Twins birthday! Your vanilla cake was amazing but the kids specifically requested chocolate this time.
Hi Abigail, we’re so pleased the vanilla cake was a success! For this recipe, we’d guess 28-32 minutes for 8″ pans or 24-28 minutes for 9″ pans. Our top pick would be the 8″ pans and then using the toothpick test to be safe. We hope your twins have the best birthday!
I was wondering if I could use this recipe for mini cupcakes? They’re for 2 little girls’ birthday party. I would have to go buy espresso powder for your gf chocolate cupcake recipe……
Loving ALL your recipes!!!
Hi Kris! We’re so pleased your loving Erin’s recipes. Thank you! Yes, this recipe should work well for mini cupcakes. We’d guess they’d only need about 10 minute at 350°F. The frosting should be more than enough to frost them all too. We’d love to hear how it goes!
Can I make this in Victoria sponge tins as I would like to make it for a birthday cake.
Hi Nancy, yes that should work!
Hi!! My family loves this recipe! It tastes identical to the chocolate cake recipe I used before having to go gluten free. My only issue is that it always bakes unevenly. I’m an experienced baker and don’t have this issue with anything else. Any ideas what could be causing this to happen? Thanks for a delicious recipe!
Hi Jessalyn, so glad you enjoy this cake recipe! Here are some potential fixes for the uneven baking: use a light-colored aluminum pan, rotate the pan once at the 25-minute mark, and try reducing the oven to 325°F and baking slightly longer (40–45 min) for a more even set. If it still domes or sinks unevenly, try whisking the hot water into the liquids before adding dry ingredients. Hope that helps!
Could I use oat flour instead of the ones suggested, my household is sensitive to xanthan gum.
Hi Emilia, we don’t recommend subbing oat flour for this recipe. However, Erin has a great collection of oat flour recipes you can check out as an alternative!