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    Home / Recipes / Desserts

    Fudgy Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

    4 Comments

    Fudgy Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

    The only gluten-free chocolate cake Alison Needham needs, thanks to Hershey's Cocoa and a little tweaking on her part. And you get to reap the yummy rewards!

    Baked GoodsDessertsRecipes & Techniques by Cooks We Love

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    The only gluten-free chocolate cake A Girl Defloured needs, thanks to Hershey's Cocoa and a little tweaking on her part. And you get to reap the yummy rewards!

    Often, our search for the one turns out to be fruitless. We dabble here and there, but end up settling for second (or third) best. We spend our lives with a muted version of the one we really want. Sure, it’s good enough. But is it really what we have been longing for? Are we really satisfied? Are our needs really being met?

    Friends, there is no need to settle, because I can introduce you to the one. The one who will restore your faith and hope. The one who will give you comfort in times of need. The one who will be the hit at the party. The one who will steal your heart.

    I met the one quite a few years back, before I was gluten-free. I too, had settled for something that was inferior, thinking that my needs would really never be met. But I decided to set out again, in an effort to find the happiness I deserved. And it took some time, but I did find true love. On the back of the Hershey’s Cocoa Powder box. It was love at first bite.

    IMG_5480

    I’ll be the first to admit our love became a bit obsessive. I wanted it all the time. It was so easy to be passionate about a gluten-free chocolate cake I could make from scratch in less than five minutes. I took it everywhere. It played a starring role at all of our birthday celebrations.

    But then I found out I had celiac disease. I was terrified that the one I loved so much would leave me. That I would never be able to experience another love, another relationship, like I had shared with the one. But after I made the cake for the first time, using Cup4Cup flour, I realized that ours was a love that would stand the test of time. In sickness and in health. With regular flour or gluten-free flour. ‘Til death shall us part.

    IMG_5484
    In time, I experimented with using other gluten-free flour blends (like mine). They work well…but admittedly not quite as well as Cup4Cup, which lends such a moist and tender crumb to the cake. Though the recipe is perfect as it is on the box (as my friend Tamar pointed out, box recipes are usually the best tested recipes in the world), sometimes I like to mix it up a little. Usually I add hot coffee in place of the boiling water. Sometimes I add a little cinnamon and cayenne to make a Mexican chocolate cake. But however you make it, even if you have never had success with a homemade cake recipe, you can have success with this one. Because it truly is the one.

    gluten-free chocolate cake recipe

    The Best Fudgy Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

    Alison Needham, A Girl Defloured
    The only gluten-free chocolate cake Alison Needham needs, thanks to Hershey's Cocoa and a little tweaking on her part. And you get to reap the yummy rewards!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 35 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American

    Ingredients
      

    For the cake:

    • 2 cups sugar
    • 1 ¾ cups  Cup4Cup (235 grams) or other light gluten-free flour blend
    • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend has it)
    • ¾ cup good quality cocoa powder, unsweetened
    • 1 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoons baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • 3 eggs, lightly beaten (room temperature)
    • 1 cup whole milk, or milk substitute of your choice
    • ½ cup vegetable oil
    • 2 teaspoons gluten-free pure vanilla extract
    • 1 cup hot coffee

    For the frosting:

    • ½ cup butter or dairy free stick butter substitute of your choice, melted and cooled slightly
    • ⅔ cup good quality cocoa powder, unsweetened
    • 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
    • ⅓ cup whole milk or milk substitute of your choice
    • 1 teaspoon gluten-free pure vanilla extract
    • pinch of salt

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8-inch cake pans with gluten-free cooking spray. Set aside.
    • Combine the sugar, flour, xanthan (if using), cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Carefully whisk in the hot coffee. The batter will be runny.
    • Evenly distribute the cake batter between the two prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let it cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling completely.
    • Make the frosting. Whisk the melted butter into the cocoa powder until thoroughly combined. Alternate adding the sugar with the milk while beating until the frosting is smooth and glossy and a spreadable consistency. If the frosting seems too thick, add a splash of additional milk. If it seems too thin, add additional powdered sugar. Beat in the vanilla extract and salt.
    • Frost the cooled cakes as desired.
    Keyword A Girl Defloured, gluten-free baking, gluten-free cake recipe, gluten-free chocolate cake, gluten-free chocolate recipes, gluten-free dessert recipes

    Courtesy:  Alison Needham, A Girl Defloured

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    Comments

    1. Madison says

      April 20, 2024 at 6:40 pm

      5 stars
      I made this cake for Galentines this year and it was an absolute hit. Only one person was gluten free, but everyone loved it. Definitely doesn’t taste gluten free at all. It was very fudgy and chocolatey. I already had one of my friends reach out for the recipe to make again!

      Reply
      • K.C. Cornwell says

        September 07, 2024 at 7:26 pm

        So happy you love it!

        Reply
    2. Shauna says

      March 13, 2025 at 5:00 pm

      Hi there! Celiac too here!
      I’m making it for my son’s birthday, could I just add the hot water, not coffee?

      Reply
      • K.C. Cornwell says

        April 17, 2025 at 4:08 pm

        Absolutely!

        Reply
    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    K.C. is a farm-grown foodie, born and raised in the fertile fields of California’s San Joaquin Valley. After being diagnosed with Celiac Disease following years of unexplained illness, she has infused her gluten-free life with flavor, fork in hand. Learn more about K.C.

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