This Gluten & Dairy Free Chocolate Cake is a delicious allergy friendly alternative! It has a great flavor and structure for your layer cakes and cupcakes. And it would be hard to guess that it is gluten free and dairy free if you didn’t tell anyone!
Baking gluten free and dairy free recipes can be a challenge, but this chocolate cake has been a hit. As with most chocolate recipes, a key ingredient is the chocolate. A high-quality chocolate is going to give you the best flavor. I prefer an organic Dutch processed cocoa powder but try a few out and see which one is your favorite! To make sure the cake is nut free as well, I check the cocoa powder to see if it was processed in a facility with nuts.
Coconut cream is also an ingredient in this recipe. Coconut cream comes separated in the can, so I heat it before adding it to the mixture. The high altitude recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of coconut cream, which is about two 5.4 oz. cans or a little less than a 15 oz. can of coconut cream.
If you are looking for a dairy free frosting to go with this cake recipe, check out my Dairy Free Chocolate Frosting recipe here! It is one of my favorite frostings even though it is dairy free. And you are able to decorate with it! A lot of dairy free frostings are too thin to hold its shape, however this recipe allows for simple decorations!
Below you will find the recipes for the Gluten & Dairy Free Chocolate Cake. The first one is the high altitude recipe, and the second one is the sea level recipe. I hope you enjoy the recipe! Be sure to leave a comment if you try it out or have any questions!
High Altitude Gluten & Dairy Free Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- Cake Pans (three 6inch or two 8 inch)
- parchment paper
- Small Saucepan
- Whisk
- Cake Strips (optional)
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar minus 2 tbsp
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 2 cups brown rice flour plus 2 tbsp
- 1/3 cup tapioca starch
- 1/3 cup potato starch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 360F.
- If you are using cake strips, place them in a small bowl of water to soak.
- Crack your eggs into a small bowl and set aside.
- Prepare your baking pans. Use 1-2 tsp of avocado oil (or your oil of choice) to grease your pans. Then use 2-3 tbsp of flour to dust your pans. You could also use chocolate instead of flour to make it extra chocolately.
- In a small saucepan add the coconut cream and heat over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, salt and baking powder. Mix with a fork until it is incorporated.
- In your mixing bowl, combine the sugar and the avocado oil. Mix for about 30 seconds.
- Add in half of the eggs and mix until just combined. Add in the rest of the eggs and mix until just combined.
- Scrape the bowl and add in the vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Add in half of the coconut cream mixture and mix until combined.
- Add in half of the brown rice flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Add in the rest of the coconut cream mixture and mix until combined.
- Add in the rest of the brown rice flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Mix the batter by hand quickly and then add to your cake pans. Evenly distribute the cake batter between the pans and fill until they are 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full.
- If you are using cake strips, put those around the cake pans before putting them in the oven.
- Baking time will vary depending on the cake size and thickness. I like to set a timer for about 30 minutes to check on how the cake is doing. I will then bake for additional time as necessary. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean and the sides start to pull away from the edge of the pan.
- Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool in the pans for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the pans and let it cool on a cooling rack.
- Either frost the cake or store it in an airtight container. The cake will last for about 1 day at room temperature, or 7 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze the cake layers in plastic wrap for up to 2 weeks if you want to make them ahead of time. You could also freeze any leftover cake that has been frosted for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Gluten & Dairy Free Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- Cake Pans (three 6inch or two 8 inch)
- parchment paper
- Small Saucepan
- Whisk
- Cake Strips (optional)
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 2 cups brown rice flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca starch
- 1/3 cup potato starch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- If you are using cake strips, place them in a small bowl of water to soak.
- Crack your eggs into a small bowl and set aside.
- Prepare your baking pans. Use 1-2 tsp of avocado oil (or your oil of choice) to grease your pans. Then use 2-3 tbsp of flour to dust your pans. You could also use chocolate instead of flour to make it extra chocolately.
- In a small saucepan add the coconut cream and heat over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, salt and baking powder. Mix with a fork until it is incorporated.
- In your mixing bowl, combine the sugar and the avocado oil. Mix for about 30 seconds.
- Add in half of the eggs and mix until just combined. Add in the rest of the eggs and mix until just combined.
- Scrape the bowl and add in the vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Add in half of the coconut cream mixture and mix until combined.
- Add in half of the brown rice flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Add in the rest of the coconut cream mixture and mix until combined.
- Add in the rest of the brown rice flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Mix the batter by hand quickly and then add to your cake pans. Evenly distribute the cake batter between the pans and fill until they are 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full.
- If you are using cake strips, put those around the cake pans before putting them in the oven.
- Baking time will vary depending on the cake size and thickness. I like to set a timer for about 30 minutes to check on how the cake is doing. I will then bake for additional time as necessary. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean and the sides start to pull away from the edge of the pan.
- Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool in the pans for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the pans and let it cool on a cooling rack.
- Either frost the cake or store it in an airtight container. The cake will last for about 1 day at room temperature, or 7 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze the cake layers in plastic wrap for up to 2 weeks if you want to make them ahead of time. You could also freeze any leftover cake that has been frosted for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Hi! My name is Laura. I am a self taught baker living at high altitude (8,600ft) in Colorado. I created this blog so I could share my favorite recipes and baking tips that I have learned over the years. I am so glad you have stopped by my site and hope you are inspired to bake!
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