The Ultimate Dark Chocolate Cake | Gluten Free with L.B.
The Ultimate Dark Chocolate Cake

Nothing says “Happy Birthday” quite like a decadent, dark chocolate cake smothered in cream cheese frosting.  A couple of weeks ago one of our coworkers at the office had his birthday.  Knowing he has to eat completely gluten free, I volunteered to make the cake for him.  Little did I know, it had been years since he had a true birthday cake.  He was rather shocked and ecstatic.

If you know of anyone that loves chocolate and is also a GF-eater, this cake is the one for them.  It’s pretty simple to make, but has a stunning appearance.  Top it off with a little cocoa powder and chocolate shreds and it looks like it came from a local bakery.  Hope you enjoy!

The Ultimate Dark Chocolate Cake | Gluten Free with L.B.
The Ultimate Dark Chocolate Cake
The Ultimate Dark Chocolate Cake | Gluten Free with L.B.
The Ultimate Dark Chocolate Cake
The Ultimate Dark Chocolate Cake | Gluten Free with L.B.
The Ultimate Dark Chocolate Cake

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The Ultimate Dark Chocolate Cake

Nothing says “Happy Birthday” quite like a decadent, dark chocolate cake smothered in cream cheese frosting.
The Ultimate Dark Chocolate Cake | Gluten Free with L.B.
Yield 16 servings
Prep 45 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Total 1 hour 10 minutes
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Ingredients 

Dark Chocolate Cake

  • ¾ c. butter softened
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • 1 c. white sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1 1/3 c. white rice flour
  • 3/4 c. tapioca starch
  • 1 t. xanthan gum
  • Or 2 c. all purpose GF (with xanthan gum / non-GF flour instead of the above 3 ingredients)
  • ¾ c. cocoa powder dark
  • 1 ½ t. baking soda
  • ½ t. salt
  • 1 ½ c. buttermilk
  • 1/4 c. prepared coffee

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 T. butter melted
  • 4 T. cream cheese
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 6 c. powdered sugar
  • 2-3 T. milk

Instructions 

For the Dark Chocolate Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Combine butter and sugars in stand mixer (or in a bowl with an electric mixer) and cream on medium high until light and fluffy. About 3-4 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, and cream more until well combined. About another 2 minutes. Add in vanilla.
  • Combine white rice flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and toss to combine.
  • Alternatively add in dry mixture and buttermilk/coffee, starting and ending with the dry mixture.
  • Grease 2 9-inch round baking pans with butter or non-stick cooking spray and divide batter evenly among them.
  • Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • Combine 4 T. butter and cream cheese. Cream until well mixed. Add vanilla and mix well.
  • Alternatively add powdered sugar and milk until all ingredients have been used.
  • Remove cooked cakes from pans to allow for quicker cooling once they have been out of the oven for at least 10 minutes.
  • To assemble cake, place a dollop of frosting on the plate your are placing it on. Put the first layer down. Spread about 1/3 of the frosting mixture over the first layer. Add in 3-4 toothpicks to allow for greater stability. Place second cake layer on top of the first frosted layer. Completely frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
  • Optional: Dust with cocoa powder and garnish with chocolate shreds.
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review letting us know how it was!

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Nutrition

Calories: 701kcal, Carbohydrates: 150g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 57mg, Sodium: 156mg, Potassium: 249mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 117g, Vitamin A: 370IU, Calcium: 62mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Comments

    1. Thanks! I’m so happy you liked it! It’s always fun to see the look on peoples’ faces when they find out it’s GF 🙂

    1. Yes, Kris! Bob’s 1 to 1 has xanthan gum in it (unlike their baking flour blend) so you can simply replace the white rice flour, tapioca starch and xanthan gum called for in the recipe with 2 c. of your blend.

  1. I just found my birthday cake, but I don’t think I can wait until March! This looks absolutely delicious and doesn’t seem to hard! I have a question, do you think one can use a GF baking blend instead? (like the boxes you can get at walmart? I think mine has rice flour mixed with backing powder)

    1. Lol… You should totally make it ASAP! Yes, I think a baking blend will work fine. If it already has baking powder, or any sort of “gum” (i.e.-xanthan gum) you will want to make sure not to add in those ingredients again. Can’t wait to hear how it turns out!

    1. Hi Monika! I am always a fan of substitution, but I honestly have not worked with arrowroot to know exactly how it will exchange. I say go ahead and test it out! As for the buttermilk, I think you would get the best results if you substitute milk instead (regular, almond, cashew milk, etc.). Let me know how it turns out 🙂

  2. That looks amazing! With all that cream cheese frosting I’m sure this cake is delicious 🙂