rich chocolate cake with a slice missing to show the texture inside. two layers of dark chocolate cake, separated by a thick light brown chocolate buttercream frosting. the cake texture is spongey and looks like it will melt in your mouth. the frosting is thick on the outside of the cake. white and pink sprinkles line the outside top edge of the cake adding a pop of color.

Mom’s Famous Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

Written by on in Gluten Free, Recipes, Sweets, Treats

This Chocolate Cake is my mom’s FAMOUS recipe and one of my all-time favorite desserts!

It’s gluten-free, super easy to make dairy-free, and the perfect amount of chocolate (there’s no such thing as too much, right??). This cake is light, airy, and has just the right amount of sweetness that makes it so drool-worthy!

Watch my full video tutorial HERE.

rich chocolate cake with a slice missing to show the texture inside. two layers of dark chocolate cake, separated by a thick light brown chocolate buttercream frosting. the cake texture is spongey and looks like it will melt in your mouth. the frosting is thick on the outside of the cake. white and pink sprinkles line the outside top edge of the cake adding a pop of color.

I’ve had requests for YEARS to share this cake recipe and I’m finally doing just that. This is seriously one of my absolute favorite cakes I have EVER had! There’s a reason it’s one of my mom’s famous recipes… you’ll be hooked from the first bite.

You really can’t go wrong with chocolate cake, it’s a classic. Whether you’re making it to celebrate someone, show off to your friends and family, or want to impress at a party, this is the only recipe you’ll need!

This recipe makes enough for two 8-inch cake pans for a layered cake. If you want to make only one layer, divide the recipe. If you’re feeling ambitious and want to make more than two layers, just double it up!

I love adding organic sprinkles to mine to add a pop of color and a bit of crunch. Some other fun add-ons you can try could be chocolate chunks, sea salt, fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries), etc. Make it as simple or as fun as you want!

rich chocolate cake with a slice missing to show the texture inside. two layers of dark chocolate cake, separated by a thick light brown chocolate buttercream frosting. the cake texture is spongey and looks like it will melt in your mouth. the frosting is thick on the outside of the cake. white and pink sprinkles line the outside top edge of the cake adding a pop of color.

What you’ll need for THE best chocolate cake:

  • 1:1 gluten-free flour – Bob’s Red Mill blue bag is our favorite!
  • Unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
  • Sugar
  • Oil – we use avocado oil.
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla
  • Milk – I use homemade cashew milk. For a dairy-free option, use any milk alternative!
  • Coffee – cooled.
  • Baking powder & baking soda
  • Salt

More cake recipes you’ll love:

rich chocolate cake with a slice missing to show the texture inside. two layers of dark chocolate cake, separated by a thick light brown chocolate buttercream frosting. the cake texture is spongey and looks like it will melt in your mouth. the frosting is thick on the outside of the cake. white and pink sprinkles line the outside top edge of the cake adding a pop of color.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Famous Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Course: Dessert
Keyword: cake, chocolate, chocolate cake, dairy free, dessert, gluten free, gluten free flour, healthier, healthy, healthy dessert, low sugar

Ingredients

  • 2 cups 1:1 gluten-free flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup coffee

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 and generously spray 2 round cake pans.
  • In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder.
  • In another large bowl, mix together sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
  • Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients (be careful not to over-mix).
  • Add milk and coffee and mix again (batter will be quite watery!)
  • Pour batter into pans and bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out relatively clean. Let cool completely before removing from pans

For frosting, I used a chocolate buttercream!

    10 Comments

      • Hi Lulu! Sadly I don’t think almond flour will work in this recipe in an exact 1:1 ratio because it is so different from regular GF flour. I’m sorry! 🙁

        Reply

      • Hi Lindsey! I used a classic chocolate buttercream frosting— 1 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 5 cups powdered sugar, and a few splashes of milk (you can use regular or dairy-free milk). I know it’s not the “healthier version” but in this case, I wanted a classic chocolate cake 🙂

        Reply

        • 5 stars
          I made this yesterday for my husband’s birthday. The recipe was easy to follow, and it tasted so good. I used the basic buttercream recipe you included above too. It was delicious! Excited to eat more today.

          Reply

          • I am so honored this recipe was a part of you husband’s birthday celebration! So happy you loved 🙂 thank you for the comment!

            Reply

    3. Hi there! I made this cake last night for Mother’s Day today and when taking the cakes out of the cake pans they were falling apart and the bottoms stuck to the pan. I am not sure if I will be able to stack them because they are so delicate and cracking/crumbling apart, Any ideas why ? I greased my pans and followed everything to a tea besides for using regular milk and regular coffee. Thank you <3

      Reply

      • Hi Amanda! Oh no, I am so sorry you were having issues 🙁 hmmmm, I’m not sure why this would have happened! What kind of pans did you use?

        Reply

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