This vegan gluten free chocolate cake recipe is an adaption of Gregg Wallace and Chris Bavin's recipe 'Gluten Free Chocolate Sponge Cake' from their book Family Feasts on a Budget (2017). Gregg and Chris present the BBC Television show Eat Well For Less.
The original recipe is not vegan so I have adapted the recipe so that vegans and plant-based eaters can enjoy this divine chocolate cake.
The cake is so moist and rich in chocolate flavour with hints of vanilla. And the chocolate frosting is just a fudgy-chocolatey heaven with a light, mousse-like, silky texture.
Perfect for an easy and quick birthday or celebration cake. Although a slice is particularly divine with a nice cup of tea or coffee for an everyday treat.
Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
For this recipe I use the Doves Farm brand of gluten-free self-raising flour.
Everything I have baked with the Doves farm gluten-free flour range has turned out well with a good texture and consistency.
The rest of the ingredients for this gluten-free chocolate cake is mostly everyday store-cupboard ingredients and the usual chocolate cake suspects including margarine, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, vanilla, plant milk (mixed with a little vinegar to create vegan buttermilk), and dark vegan-friendly chocolate.
Although xanthum gum is required as this holds the gluten-free cake crumbs together and baking the cake without this ingredient would result in a crumbly mess! I have included an Amazon link to xanthum gum within the recipe card. This ingredient is just a few pounds and a tub will last for many, many bakes.
Preparing this recipe is simply a case of mixing the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients before baking for 25 minutes. Followed by cooling the cakes before preparing the chocolate frosting.
The frosting is easy as well and is just a case of whisking the margarine, icing sugar and cocoa powder before melting the chocolate and whipping to combine. That's it.
And even better no hand or stand mixer is required as everything can be achieved with a wooden spoon. Although if you have a hand mixer it does make the job of whisking the frosting a little quicker.
You can have a vegan gluten-free chocolate cake that will provide at least 12 good sized slices in less than a few hours. Not bad for a birthday cake. Although I am usually able to get more than 12 slices as I find that a smaller slice is just as satisfying.
I love this cake as it is strong and sturdy and stands up well with being embellished. It also slices so good so it's easy to cut the exact size of slice you need.
If you prepare this delicious gluten-free chocolate cake do pop back and let us know how you got on.
All feedback very much appreciated.
Thanks so much.
Jacq x
Recipe Notes And FAQS
This chocolate cake is best stored in the fridge in a covered container for 1-3 days. Keeping this cake in the fridge will help prevent the sponge from drying out.
Additionally covering the cake with a food-safe wrap can help prevent drying out.
Gluten-free cakes do tend to dry out a lot faster than cakes baked with regular flour.
However, the cake can also be stored in a covered container on your countertop for up to 2 days but it may dry out a little so its best to enjoy within 2 days if left out the fridge.
Also try to keep the cake in a cooler area of your kitchen to maintain the frosting.
Yes. Freeze soon after the sponge has baked and cooled completely.
The unfrosted cake can be wrapped well with a suitable material such as a freezer-safe wrap, and frozen for up to 3 months.
After 3 months the quality may start to deteriorate but likely the cake will be fine for a little while after the 3 months. Prepping birthday cake in advance is a great time saver.
To defrost the cake remove the wrap and defrost in the fridge. Decorate as soon as possible after defrosting.
Absolutely!
Decorate or garnish your cake with anything you like. For birthday or celebration cakes use this recipe as the base and decorate to suit your theme.
Ideas include:
*strawberries, raspberries, cherries, blueberries
*vegan sweets such as jelly tots, chocolate drops, skittles
*little cake ornaments/signs
*edible vegan sugar paper/wafer with images
*candles
*vegan sprinkles, hundreds and thousands, etc.
*vegan biscuits (cookies) such as Oreos, bourbons, custard creams, biscoff
*grated or shavings of vegan white, milk or dark chocolate
*chopped/whole/crushed nuts
*desiccated coconut/coconut shavings
*edible flowers/dried sugar flowers
*candied fruit peel
For fancy icing swirls, stars, flower, and cone shapes use an icing bag to apply the chocolate frosting.
HOW TO PREPARE VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE
Pour the vinegar into the plant milk and leave for at least 10 minutes.
Divide into baking pans.
More Vegan Gluten-Free Bakes:
Gluten-free Fruit Loaf Cake (this recipe is also fat and sugar free!)
Traditional Fruit Loaf Cake (check out the recipe card notes for guidance on creating this recipe gluten-free)
Traditional British Rock Cakes (check out the recipe notes and FAQ section for an easy gluten-free version)
📖 Recipe
Easy Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- two cake pans with a diameter of roughly 20cm/ 8 inch. Plus greaseproof paper to line the pans.
- Mixing bowls
- sieve
- Hand or stand whisk for whipping the chocolate icing but this is optional as the frosting can be prepared by hand with a wooden or spatula spoon.
Ingredients
Chocolate cake:
- 300 grams caster sugar or granulated
- 300 grams gluten-free self-raising flour sieved, or gluten-free plain flour blend
- 100 grams cocoa powder sieved
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 160 millilitres vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Vegan buttermilk:
- 450 ml plant milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar Alternatively use white distilled vinegar or lemon juice.
Chocolate frosting:
- 225 grams vegan margarine If using vegan butter remove from the fridge a short while before using so it can come to room temperature. It will be easier to whisk.
- 225 grams icing sugar sieved
- 50 grams cocoa powder sieved
- 100 grams vegan-friendly dark chocolate Chopped into squares or use chocolate drops/buttons.
Instructions
Prepare vegan buttermilk:
- To prepare the vegan buttermilk add the apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to the plant milk and stir. Leave for at least 10 minutes to start curdling.
- The original recipe states to preheat your oven to 220 Celsius/200 Fan/425 Fahrenheit/Gas 7. However I recommend turning the temperature down to 200 Celsius/180 Fan/ 400 Fahrenheit/Gas 6. It does seem a little hot but the cake will be fine.(Also if you want to turn your oven down another notch then just increase the cakes baking time a little)
Prepare the cake:
- Grease your cake pans with a little margarine and line the pans with parchment paper.
- Add all the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir.
- Mix all the wet ingredients together.
- Add the wet mix to the dry ingredients.Give it all a good mix to make sure its all combined.
- Divide the mix evenly between your cake pans. If you want to be precise use a measuring scale and ensure each pan weighs roughly the same.
- Smooth out the surfaces of each cake with the back of a spoon.
- Bake on the middle rung of your oven for around 25 minutes. If possible place both cake pans side by side on the same rung so that they cook evenly at the same time.
- Check your cakes after 25 minutes. Cakes are baked when a skewer poked in the middle comes out mostly clean.
- Cool the cakes in the pans for 20 minutes. Carefully tip cakes out of the pans and peel the parchment off. Leave on a wire rack to cool or even just on the parchment paper.
To prepare the frosting:
- Once cakes are completely cool they can be frosted.
- Add the margarine, icing sugar and cocoa powder to a mixing bowl and whip either with a wooden/metal spoon or with a hand/stand mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Melt the dark chocolate:Using a microwave: Place the chopped chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and turn on your microwave for 20-30 seconds, switch off, stir the chocolate, and then heat another 20-30 seconds. Stir. Repeat until nearly melted. Chocolate may still look solid but once stirred quickly will melt.I have a 700 watt microwave and on high setting it only took about 3 repeats until it was soft enough to mix smooth with a spoon.Stovetop method: Place the chocolate into a little heatproof bowl. Place the bowl into a saucepan of water. Gently heat the water to a low simmer. Switch off heat. Stir the chocolate until melted. Don't let the water rapidly boil as if you get a splash of water in the bowl the chocolate could seize up.
- Quickly mix the melted chocolate through the chocolate frosting. Its necessary to work quickly as the chocolate will cool fast and little bits of hard chocolate will be evident in the frosting. However, this doesn't affect eating enjoyment so don't worry.
- Whip the frosting until it starts to get thicker. It may look thin at first but it will thicken up as the chocolate is blended in.
- Place the frosting in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to thicken up some more.
- Apply the frosting to one of your cake layers and sit the other layer on top. Cover the cake with the frosting.
- The cake can be placed in the fridge to speed up setting of the frosting or enjoyed immediately if desired.
Notes
- Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
- For baking in general but especially for gluten-free bakes its highly recommended to weigh out ingredients for better accuracy and outcomes.
- Bake this gluten-free chocolate cake on the middle shelf and side-by-side if possible. Keep the baking cakes away from the top shelf as they will brown too quickly.
- Prep the cake in advance, up to 2-3 months, prior to being required. Freeze the cakes individually and well wrapped. Defrost with the wrapping removed and when cakes are at room temperature add the frosting. Prepping your birthday cakes saves valuable time.
- Store the gluten-free cake in the fridge, wrapped if possible, and in a covered container. As doing so will help prevent the cake drying out too quickly.
- This cake is best enjoyed within 1-3 days.
Nutrition
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Robin says
Yum! Your cake was the first gluten free attempt at baking a cake that is not from a packet mix. So, it wasn't perfect, but that was from my end. I put in extra xanthan gum, because my bread takes 2&1/2t so I thought that a quarter would not be enough. But for gluten free, my cake came out 'firm'. Also, they didn't sell any vanilla in stock, but of course after I baked your cake, I found an unopened packet in my cupboard. But I would just like to say that I really love your cake. I'm going to explore another one of your recipes in the future. I can't wait!
Jacq says
Thanks so much for your comment. Really happy you loved the cake. Yes just 1/4 a tsp of xanthium gum is all this cake needs, and I do recommend the vanilla for extra flavour the next time you bake the cake. I am frequently doing that thinking I have run out of something and when I finish my cook I discover the ingredient right in front of my eyes! Lol 🙂
Biana says
Wow, looks so chocolate-y and delicious!
Jacq says
Thanks, This cake certainly is full of chocolate and tastiness!
Julie says
Appreciate the step by step pictures and directions for making this irresistible chocolate cake.
Jacq says
Thanks! Glad you like the chocolate cake recipe. Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
Nathan says
I just got SO hungry looking at this recipe, and I love that it's vegan! My roommates are vegan so this will be the perfect chocolate cake recipe to pull out next time we're craving something sweet 🙂
Jacq says
Awesome! You'll soon have happy roommates if you bake them this easy chocolate cake! 🙂
Tara says
Oh yum! This cake looks incredible! I love that moist texture. Definitely perfect for chocolate lovers.
Jacq says
Thanks! 🙂
Kristina says
This cake was amazing! We are moving to vegan/dairy free recipes because my 2 year old is lactose intolerant, but she loves chocolate! And she really enjoyed this.
Jacq says
So glad you all enjoyed the chocolate cake. That's great your daughter can have a slice to 🙂