This gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate cake is easy to make for a dessert everyone can enjoy. You’d never know it’s also egg-free, since it’s rich, chocolatey, and moist, with a crumbly texture that will win anyone over at first bite.
Chocolate Cake without Gluten, Dairy or Eggs
I first shared this recipe in 2014, after creating it for my middle son, who needed to follow a gluten-free diet, while my youngest couldn’t have dairy. I made it egg-free too because so many of my readers were looking for recipes without all three.
More than a decade later, this is still the chocolate cake I make for many of our family celebrations. I’ve baked it for birthdays, shared it with friends navigating food allergies, and made it enough times over the years to know that being gluten, dairy, and egg-free doesn’t have to mean settling for a disappointing cake.
Ingredients
There aren’t many ingredients in this cake, but each one has a job. Here’s why I use them, with more details and substitutions in the FAQs below.
- Gluten-free baking flour mix: I stand by the results I consistently get by using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Mix. This recipe will not work with almond or coconut flours.
- Sugar: Use traditional, granulated white sugar.
- Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder (nothing fancy) work best.
- Baking soda: This is what helps the cake rise.
- Salt: Brings out the flavors in the batter.
- Dairy-Free Chocolate Milk: Using already-mixed, dairy-free chocolate milk gives this cake a richer chocolate flavor.
- Vegetable oil: Use a neutral oil (canola or vegetable) to add moisture to this cake batter. Coconut oil works too, but it leaves a slight coconut taste behind.
- Vinegar: Use apple cider vinegar or plain white vinegar. It helps the cake rise when mixed with baking soda.
- Vanilla: A little to enhance the chocolate flavor; a must for cakes.
How to Make Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake
- Prep
Preheat the oven to 350F and grease two 9-inch cake pans. - Make the batter
Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another, then gently stir them together until the batter is smooth and no dry flour remains. Divide the batter evenly between the pans. - Bake
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, checking around minute 25. They’re done when the centers are set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. - Cool
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Let them cool completely before frosting, or the frosting will soften and slide. - Frost the cake
Make sure the frosting is soft enough to spread, especially if you refrigerated it. Frost the first layer, add the second cake layer, then cover the top and sides.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Frosting
If you’ve found a store-bought frosting that meets your ingredient needs, you’ll need one 16-ounce tub for this two-layer cake. Or, make my dairy-free chocolate frosting while the cake cools. It’s made with vegetable shortening, which yields a thick and easily spreadable frosting.
Laura’s Tips for The Best Gluten Free Dairy Free Cake
Yes. Don’t omit the vinegar. Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar both work; the acid reacts with the baking soda to help this egg-free cake rise. You’ll hear some fizzing when you combine the wet and dry ingredients, which means the reaction is working.
The chocolate milk gives the cake a richer, sweeter chocolate flavor. Almond, oat, or cashew-based chocolate milk all work. I’ve found that plain, unsweetened dairy-free milk makes the finished cake noticeably less sweet.
Don’t omit the sugar. If you want to replace the white sugar, many readers have successfully used coconut palm sugar. I’ve tested it once myself and found that the cake was less crumbly. Don’t use honey or liquid stevia; I haven’t personally tested xylitol or other granulated sugar alternatives.
After many tests, I stand behind Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour and King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Baking Mix for this cake. Both contain xanthan gum, which helps bind the egg-free batter together. You can find both at many local grocery stores or online (Amazon). You cannot use almond or coconut flour for this recipe.
Yes. For cupcakes, bake for 18 to 22 minutes and start checking them around minute 16. For a three-layer cake, divide the batter between three 6-inch pans. You can also bake it in a 9×13-inch pan, but keep an eye on the baking time since it will vary slightly. You’ll also find this information in the recipe card notes.
Yes. You can freeze the baked cake layers and thaw them the day you plan to frost the cake, or freeze the finished cake frosting and all. I’ve found that freezing and thawing doesn’t noticeably change the texture or flavor, which makes this a great cake to make ahead for a party.
More Gluten and Dairy Free Desserts
After you make this cake, try my healthy no-bake blondies, this avocado chocolate mousse, or a coconut almond flour chocolate cake. While not a dessert, these cassava flour pancakes are also worthy of a weekend breakfast celebration.
Gluten, Dairy, and Egg Free Chocolate Cake
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 3 cups gluten-free baking flour, tested with Bob's or King Arthur; see note for other options
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chocolate non-dairy milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 batch dairy-free chocolate frosting
Instructions
Prep:
- Preheat the oven to 350F with the top rack positioned in the middle of the oven. Grease two (2) 9-inch cake pans with oil (or cooking spray) and set aside. You can also use parchment liners for the bottom, but I still recommend lightly greasing the sides.
Mix:
- In a large bowl, add the gluten-free flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients well to ensure they're evenly mixed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the dairy-free chocolate milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and stir gently until the batter is smooth and all the flour is incorporated.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
Bake:
- Bake in a preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the centers are set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. I check around minute 25, and if one pan is set but the other isn't, remove it and let the other finish baking for a couple of extra minutes.
- Remove the cake pans from the oven and let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Frost:
- While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting. If you've made it ahead of time, take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature so it's easier to spread.
- Place one cake layer on a plate or cake stand and spread about a cup of frosting over the top. Add the second cake layer, then spread the remaining chocolate frosting over the top and sides.
Serve and store:
- Store the frosted cake, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Take it out of the fridge and let the cake come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Notes
- For a 3-tiered cake: You’ll need to fill three (3) 6-inch cake pans with batter.
- Cupcakes: Turn this into cupcakes by baking for 18 to 22 minutes, checking that a toothpick comes out clean around minute 16.
- 13 x 9-inch pan: You can use a rectangular pan for this cake recipe, but keep a close eye on the baking time, as it will vary by a few minutes from the original recipe.
- Using other gluten-free flour mixes: I recommend the two listed here because they include xanthan gum, an essential ingredient that binds and thickens the batter. If you’re using something else and it doesn’t include it in the ingredients, add 2 teaspoons of xanthan gum to the dry ingredients. This recipe only works with baking mixes, not with other alternatives (like almond or coconut flours).
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Sarah says
I want to make this but the only cake pan I have is a bundt. Will that work or do I need to go buy new pans?
Laura says
sarah, i dont’ think this will work with a bundt cake. time will need to be adjusted. temperature and cooking time was developed for round cake pans.
sarah says
where can i get Xanthan Gum
Laura says
at your grocery store next to the baking items by the yeast. Or online on sites like Amazon.
Dora says
In other recipe (marshmallow fluff) you mentioned that xantham gum is fake stuff you didnt want in your fluff and here you are using it for this cake? why?
Laura says
thank you for bringing that to my attention. Different contributors write up the posts so the opinions can vary. I will check on the other recipe.
that said, xantham gum is not a natural food. it is fermented bacteria from a grain or legume (wheat, corn, soy) into a polysaccharide -although a much cheaper alternative is done from the whey biproduct during cheese production. The xanthan gum polysaccharide is then precipitated from the solution using isopropyl alcohol, dried, and milled into a powder so that it can be added to food and other products. Therefore, Xantham gum is actually a highly processed ingredient.
It is used in minimal doses when baking with gluten free flours (such as in this recipe) but in a batch of fluff I would need about 2 teaspoons -a dose I’m not comfortable using in one recipe.
I hope this answered your question.
Carol says
Great recipes! When gf baking, I was taught that xanthum gum is best for breads and guar gum is best for cakes. Guar gum is from the guar bean.
Adrienne says
I’m wondering if I can use applesauce instead of xanthum gum. I’m abroad and don’t have access to xanthum gum so please let me know how much applesauce to use and if I should use baking powder and take out the vinegar & baking soda. Thanks!
Laura says
this recipe has been successful as is. you need xantan gum to make the gluten free flours stretch. I would not make any substitutions. This recipe works as is.
Laura says
eve, you can absolutely use regular dairy items for this recipe.
Laura says
safeway might have it by the gluten free mixes/flours. Trader joes, whole foods… or online at Amazon.