The BEST Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake (Vegan, 1 Bowl!)
Fluffy, moist, decadent gluten-free chocolate cake made in 1 bowl! It’s also undetectably vegan, grain-free, and naturally sweetened!
Servings 8 (Slices)
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour (we like Wellbee’s)
- 1 cup coconut sugar, sifted if clumpy (we like Supernatural)
- 1/2 cup potato starch (NOT potato flour)
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted if clumpy
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)
- 3 Tbsp flaxseed meal (ground flax seeds)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum*
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (or other neutral-flavored oil such as refined coconut oil)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
FROSTING IDEAS optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan with oil or line a standard-size muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- To a medium mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients (almond flour, coconut sugar, potato starch, cocoa powder, tapioca starch, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and xanthan gum). Whisk well to combine.
- Next, add the water, oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk thoroughly until no flour streaks remain. Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 28-32 minutes (for an 8-inch cake) or 18-20 minutes (for cupcakes), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (with only a few crumbs).
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. To remove from the cake pan, run a dull knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Then place a plate or cooling rack on top and quickly invert. Allow to cool completely (~1 hour) before frosting and serving!
- This cake pairs well with our Vegan Chocolate Ganache Frosting, Coconut Whipped Cream, Fluffy Vegan Peanut Butter Frosting, Vegan Strawberry Frosting, or Chocolate Avocado Frosting.
- Store leftovers lightly covered at room temperature for up to 2-3 days*, in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or in the freezer for 1 month. Cake can be baked ahead and frozen unfrosted. Let thaw completely at room temperature before serving.
Video
Notes
*If you choose to omit the xanthan gum, the cake won’t be as moist and will be more crumbly.
*Recipe as written makes one 8-inch cake. For the photos, we used three 6-inch cake pans. If using three 6-inch pans, reduce bake time to 20-25 minutes.
*We found the texture of this cake to be best when consumed within 24-48 hours. The nature of potato starch is a bit drying, so keep this in mind if making days in advance for an event or special occasion. You can reduce the amount of potato starch to 1/3 cup to keep it more moist, but it becomes a little more fragile and less fluffy.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
*Recipe as written makes one 8-inch cake. For the photos, we used three 6-inch cake pans. If using three 6-inch pans, reduce bake time to 20-25 minutes.
*We found the texture of this cake to be best when consumed within 24-48 hours. The nature of potato starch is a bit drying, so keep this in mind if making days in advance for an event or special occasion. You can reduce the amount of potato starch to 1/3 cup to keep it more moist, but it becomes a little more fragile and less fluffy.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Nutrition (1 of 8 servings)
Serving: 1 slice Calories: 293 Carbohydrates: 39.3 g Protein: 4.2 g Fat: 15.2 g Saturated Fat: 1.6 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.2 g Monounsaturated Fat: 9.6 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 356 mg Potassium: 321 mg Fiber: 3.5 g Sugar: 17.2 g Vitamin A: 0 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 79 mg Iron: 1.2 mg