One-Bowl Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Recipe

By
Elizabeth Barbone
Elizabeth Barbone: Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Elizabeth Barbone
Elizabeth Barbone develops delicious and creative recipes for the food allergic and gluten-free communities through her site Gluten-Free Baking. Author of three cookbooks: Easy Gluten-Free Baking (2009), How to Cook Gluten-Free (2012), and The World's Easiest Paleo Baking (2016).
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Updated Apr. 15, 2020
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Photographs: Elizabeth Barbone

This easy one-bowl chocolate cake is dairy-free and tastes great iced with a fluffy coconut buttercream. If you're allergic to coconut, or just don't like it, any icing finishes this cake nicely. Simply use whatever you love.

Recipe Details

One-Bowl Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Recipe

Active 10 mins
Total 50 mins
Makes 16 cupcakes

Ingredients

  • Gluten-free non-stick cooking spray or 16 paper cupcake liners
  • 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) white rice flour
  • 1 cup (8 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (1 ounce) potato starch
  • 1/4 cup (1 ounce) cocoa powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2/3 cup coffee or water
  • 3 large eggs
  •  
  • For the Fluffy Coconut Buttercream:
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, softened but not melted
  • 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 (7 1/2 ounce) jar marshmallow crème (I used Marshmallow Fluff)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup shredded coconut, optional

Directions

  1. For the Cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9- by 9- by 2-inch square cake pan with nonstick cooking spray or line 16 standard cupcake cavities with paper liners. Set pan(s) aside.

  2. In large mixing bowl, whisk together white rice flour, granulated sugar, potato starch, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. Add vegetable oil, coffee, and eggs. Using a handheld mixer, mix until a thick batter forms, about one minute. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan or spoon into cupcake cups. If making cupcakes, fill each cavity about 2/3 full. Bake until cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes for a square cake; 18 minutes for cupcakes. Cool cake on a wire rack. Remove cupcakes from pan after five minutes. Ice as desired when cool. If desired sprinkle coconut over cake or dip tops of iced cupcakes into coconut.

  3. For the buttercream: In medium mixing bowl, cream together coconut oil and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. (Use high speed on a handheld mixer or medium-high speed on a stand mixer.) Add marshmallow crème and vanilla. Mix until fluffy. Spread on cooled cake or cupcakes.