This Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclaimer.
I didn’t expect that substituting all-purpose flour with rice flour makes such a perfect gluten-free chocolate cake. It’s chocolatey rich, fluffy and moist, and soft enough to pull apart with a fork, yet crucially not-too-sweet. The best part is it comes together with almost no fuss, just a mixing bowl, a whisk, a cake pan, some measuring cups and spoons. Lazy me sometimes just don’t feel like carrying out the mixers and washing a sink-ful of bowls and pans.
This gluten-free chocolate cake is best enjoyed with a cup of warm milo or coffee, for breakfast, after meal or coffee breaks. I originally referred to this baker on Instagram, thefairywhobakes, and swapped out some of the ingredients in the recipe along the way.
Watch how to make chocolate cake on YouTube
How to make this cake gluten-free
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. It’s what gives traditional bread and cake its stretch and structure, that’s why the dough feels elastic when you knead it. For people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, like me who’s always suffering from bloatedness, eating food that contains gluten such as bread, cakes, noodles, can easily cause real digestive issues.
I love bread but cutting bread from my diet makes me really sad, however necessarily. As much as and whenever possible, I’ll try to replace the usual bread flour and plain flour with other alternative flours such as almond flour, oat flour or rice flour. A bit of trial and test is necessary to make sure the alternative and quantity works for the recipes.
Tips on making this gluten-free chocolate cake
Here’re a few tips I observed while making the cake and adapted from the original recipe:
- Yogurt or buttermilk keeps the cake moist and adds a gentle tang that balances the chocolate. Buttermilk is not common in Singapore so I used Greek yoghurt. I have also tried adding fresh full cream milk but the cake didn’t turn out as moist.
- Add a tiny bit of salt to the cake. I tested with and without salt. Just a bit of salt helps to bring out the richness of the ingredients and elevate the taste.
- Rice flour is being used in this recipe to replace all-purpose flour. I have tried sifting the flour and cocoa powder into the cake batter and found it doesn’t make a huge difference.
- Unrefined muscovado brown sugar is used to replace normal white sugar as I prefer unrefined sugar. I have also reduced the sugar level by half, and really love this not-so-sweet version. Feel free to use normal white sugar and increase the sweeteness level if desired.
- Vinegar is used in this recipe, I didn’t have normal vinegar so I used a Japanese rice vinegar instead. The acidicity makes the cake super fluffy and moist by helping the cake rise and create an airy texture after reacting with baking soda. You see, this reaction creates carbon dioxide bubbles, which act as leavening agents, thus the cake will rise, thereby giving it the light and airy texture we all love.
- Take note not to overmix as that will introduce more air into the cake batter.
- Hot coffee is added as a last step. It is a natural chocolate enhancer as the coffee’s bitterness coaxes the chocolate flavour out without making the cake taste like coffee.
- Bake the cake with low heat over a longer time. I baked it at 160C / 320F for about 40 minutes in a conventional oven with top and down heat without fan. I once baked it with the fan on and it baked very fast and formed a high dome, not a very nice looking cake. One way to test if the cake is done is to stick a toothpick or chopstick into the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is done.
- I used a 6-inch cake pan with a removable base. If you do not have one with a removable base, you can place a piece of baking paper at the base so it’s easy to remove the cake after baking.
How to store this chocolate cake
Store the cake covered, either at room temperature for up to two days, or chill in the fridge for up to 5 days. If chilled, just bring it to room temperature before serving.
Pin now, bake later
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake | Moist, Soft, Super Easy
Detailed Step-by-Step Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unrefined muscovado brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg, medium sized, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup Greek yoghurt
- ¾ cup rice flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- ¼ cup hot coffee
- ½ tsp vinegar, I used rice vinegar
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add 3/4 cup unrefined muscovado brown sugar, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt, 1 egg.
- Mix well with a whisk.
- Sift in 3/4 cup rice flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp fine salt, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda.
- Mix well. The cake batter is quite thick at this point of time. Note: Do not overmix as that will introduce more air into the cake batter.
- Add 1/4 cup hot coffee and 1/2 tsp vinegar.
- Mix well. The cake batter is more fluid, texture like yoghurt drink.
- Transfer the cake batter into a 6-inch cake pan. Note: My cake pan comes with a removable base. If your cake pan doesn't come with a removable base, add baking paper to the base of the pan before adding the cake batter.
- Bake the cake on the middle rack in pre-heat oven at 160C / 320F with top & down heat (without fan). Bake for about 40 minutes. Note: Test the doneness of the cake with a toothpick or chopstick. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Let the cake cool in the cake pan before removing the cake.
Leave a Reply