Amazing Paleo Chocolate Cake (gluten-free, dairy-free)

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This paleo chocolate cake recipe is fluffy, light and airy. It’s also unbelievably decadent, rich and moist. It’s the perfect dessert or birthday cake and has quickly become a reader favorite.

Paleo chocolate cake on a white cake stand.

I’m not one to use superfluous words in my recipe titles unless something is truly extraordinary. Case in point: this amazing paleo chocolate cake. And yes, it really is amazing.

So much so, that I even debated leaving off the word “paleo.” Because I think you could offer up this chocolate cake recipe to someone who eats gluten and grains and they’d have no idea that it was gluten-free, grain-free and dairy-free. You guys, it’s incredibly delicious!

Unlike most paleo cake recipes, this version is light and airy while still moist and spongy. I mean, just look at those crumbs. There’s the perfect amount of air pockets in the cake yet it holds together like a real deal chocolate cake. But it’s a paleo chocolate cake.

Paleo Chocolate Cake Recipe Video

While this recipe is easy to make, I do recommend you watch my step-by-step tutorial video. Give it a watch below!

The Perfect Birthday Cake

This recipe is the perfect way to kick-off my birthday month – with a deliciously decadent chocolate birthday cake.

Now, it’s a birthday tradition of mine to always have a mint chocolate something on my actual birthday. Previously, I made these Mini Skillet Brownies with Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. But it’s quite involved. So I’m thinking something slightly easier this year. My birthday is the last day of the month, so I’ve still got a few weeks.

Until then, you’ve got this paleo chocolate cake to enjoy. And trust me, you will. I even whipped up a video (above), so make sure to watch that.

Making the chocolate cake batter and buttercream frosting.
Frosting the chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting.

Ingredients, Questions, and Tips

It’s taken me several years to perfect my paleo baking and I think I’ve finally got it nailed. But I’m sure many of you will have questions regarding the ingredients, so let’s dive into those.

  • Are all three flours (almond, tapioca and coconut) necessary? Yes. For some reason, most paleo cake recipes only use almond flour or coconut flour. But I find those results less than stellar (i.e. dense and dry). If you think about it, gluten-free flour blends are always a combination of flours to achieve the right texture. Paleo baking should be no different. And this triumvirate of flours (my signature blend) is what I use on many of my recipes, including my reader favorite paleo pancakes.
  • Why is each flour important? Almond flour is the main nut flour providing most of the bulk. Tapioca flour provides the light, airy, fluffiness. And the coconut flour provides structure to the cake.
  • Is there an alternative for the almond flour? If you only have a problem with almonds, you could substitute the almond flour with hazelnut flour. But if you need a nut-free cake I’d recommend my flourless chocolate cake instead.
  • Can I make this without eggs? I personally haven’t tried it, but many commenters below have said they’ve used chia eggs, flax eggs, and store-bought egg replacers with good results.
  • Can I swap honey or maple for the coconut sugar? Unfortunately no. The coconut sugar crystals are what helps to provide all those mini air pockets that make this cake so delicious. Honey or maple syrup would create a much more dense cake.
  • Why do you add espresso powder? To make this cake unbelievably rich and decadent. The espresso powder doesn’t make the cake taste like coffee or even mocha. In fact, you don’t taste it at all. But what you do taste is a depth of chocolate flavor that makes you go, “wow!” To give you an analogy, vanilla extract is added to most baked goods to enhance the flavor. Well, that’s what espresso powder does here. It takes this paleo chocolate cake recipe to the next level.
  • Can I use almond milk instead of coconut milk? You can, but it likely won’t be as moist. Full-fat coconut milk is thick and adds necessary fat, on par with dairy milk or buttermilk.
  • Why do you add vinegar? Well, speaking of buttermilk (which is frequently used in traditional cake recipes), my version of buttermilk is coconut milk plus vinegar. Voila! The vinegar also creates a chemical reaction with the baking soda, a la baking powder-style, to create fluffiness in the cake.

Hopefully that answers some of your questions, but if you have more, please feel free to ask them below in the comments.

A single slice of paleo chocolate cake on a white plate.
A slice of paleo chocolate cake on a plate with fork.

The Creamy Buttercream Frosting

Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the chocolate buttercream frosting is equally impressive. Like lick the bowl impressive. It’s also vegan, dairy-free and paleo, depending on how you make it.

I’ve separated that recipe into its own post, so that you can easily search for it and use on other cake or cupcake recipes in the future. But together, I’m not kidding when I say that this is by far the best paleo chocolate cake recipe out there. It may even be the best chocolate cake recipe. Period.

Serving and Storing

Serve it up with a cold glass of my homemade cashew milk, almond milk or oat milk, and you’ll be in heaven. Or serve leftovers up for breakfast (umm, I did) along with a glass of Chemex Coffee or Cold Brew Coffee.

To Store Unfrosted: You can make the unfrosted cake layers several days in advance. Once they’ve completely cooled, tightly wrap them in plastic wrap (I double wrap them) and store on your counter at room temperature (if it’s not hot) or in the fridge for 2-3 days. If you’d like to store them longer than that, you can also freeze them for 3-4 months. Then, when you’re ready to serve the cake, just defrost the layers and add your buttercream frosting.

To Store Frosted: You can also store the entire frosted cake. It will last for 4-5 days at room temperature. I do recommend covering the cake to protect it from dust and any kitchen splashes. Yes, you can freeze it frosted too! If the cake is whole, just place it in the freezer uncovered to allow the frosting to harden. Then, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap as mentioned before. If you’d like to freeze leftovers in individual slices, just place them in glass storage containers – no need to wrap! Again, they’ll last for several months. Then, just bring the cake to room temperature to enjoy!

Paleo chocolate cake on a cake stand with slice removed to a plate.

More Gluten-Free and Paleo Chocolate Recipes

Want this recipe in cupcake form? Check out my Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes.

And if you’re looking for a non-chocolate cake recipe, I highly recommend my Gluten-Free Carrot Cake (that’s also paleo-ish). Enjoy!

Paleo chocolate cake on a white cake stand.

Amazing Paleo Chocolate Cake (gluten-free, dairy-free)

4.96 from 371 votes
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 16 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

This paleo chocolate cake recipe is fluffy, light and airy. It's also unbelievably decadent, rich and moist. Once you make it, you'll see why it quickly became a reader favorite. Watch the video above!

Video

Ingredients 
 

cake dry ingredients

cake wet ingredients

chocolate frosting

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
  • Grease three 8-inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. I prefer to grease my pans with ghee or organic palm shortening as coconut oil can leave a slight coconut taste. Set these aside.
  • Add all of the dry ingredients to a very large mixing bowl and whisk together.
  • Add all of the wet ingredients to a separate medium mixing bowl and whisk together. Then, pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk together for 1-2 minutes to create your cake batter.
  • Evenly divide the batter between the three baking pans and cook for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Once the cake has completely cooled, assemble the cake by adding the chocolate buttercream frosting between each layer and frosting the outside.

Lisa’s Tips

  • My baking time of 28-30 minutes is based on a standard oven. I’d recommend checking the cakes earlier, at 23-24 minutes if your oven tends to cook fast or if you’re using a convection oven.
  • You can also use two 9-inch cake pans for a two-layer cake (the layers will be thicker). Bake them for approximately 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Remember to make sure your cake is 100% cool before frosting. Even the slightest amount of internal heat in the layers will cause the frosting to melt.
  • This is the brand of espresso powder that I use.
  • For substitutions and storing, make sure to read the tips in the post above.

Nutrition

Calories: 749.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 103g | Protein: 8.8g | Fat: 36.9g | Saturated Fat: 16.5g | Cholesterol: 46.5mg | Sodium: 335.2mg | Fiber: 5.2g | Sugar: 83.9g
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Gluten Free Chocolate Cake, Paleo Cake, Paleo Chocolate Cake
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

Recipe originally posted August 2017, but updated to include new information and tips. 

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

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Recipe Rating




1,814 Comments

  1. Hi Lisa food sensitive are a nightmare I really like the sound of your chocolate cake but I don’t like coconut oil it make me feel sick so could you advise a alternatives ideally not granulated sugar as it’s not good for you?  I’ve heard of stevia? Do you recommend any other more natural sugars? Many thanks kirsty 

    1. Hi Kirsty – you could try using avocado oil. For the granulated sugar, there’s really no alternatives that will give it the same light and fluffy texture. Honey and maple syrup would make it a very dense cake. And as I haven’t baked much with stevia, I’m not sure how that would turn out. Sorry I can’t be of more help.

  2. I really want to make this but I can’t seem to find your frosting recipe? Was is accidentally taken down perhaps?

    1. Hi Meli – sorry about that and thanks so much for letting me know. There was a glitch with the link but I’ve now fixed it. :)

  3. Hi! I would love to make this cake but im vegan
    And i dont eat eggs! Is there any other ingredient that can replace them? Thanks looks amazingggggg5 stars

    1. I’ve heard from a few other readers that using an egg replacer (like a chia egg) worked. I haven’t yet tried it myself, but I’m sure I’ll make a vegan version later this year as this cake has been so popular! :)

  4. Lisa, thanks for this BRILLIANT recipe. I played with the ingredient proportions a little and baked this in a loaf pan with some bananas slices topped on, and it turned out beautifully!

    On another note, I’d really love to see some tea cake recipes from you – currently obsessed with earl grey, but I can’t seem to find a good paleo recipe for it.. 5 stars

    1. Ooh, that sounds awesome! Like a combo chocolate cake and banana bread. Yum! And I’ve made a note about the tea cake recipes. Will add that to my list! :) x

  5. That looks amazing!
    I wonder if you have any recipes/suggestions for a fruity cream filling. I can’t seem to find anything online in a paleo version. I was thinking something like boiling strawberries in water with coconut sugar and combining it with whipped coconut cream. Any ideas or tips would be much appreciated :)

    1. You could try some paleo cobbler filling or pancake toppers. Just switch out the fruit maybe. I’ve tried these before.
      Cobbler Ingredients
      1½ cups fresh blueberries
      1½ cups fresh blackberries
      3 tablespoons maple syrup
      1 teaspoon tapioca flour
      1 teaspoon cinnamon

      Topping INGREDIENTS
      2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (no need to thaw before use if frozen)
      ¼ cup water OR apple juice/orange juice, if you want a sweeter sauce
      2 tsp. arrowroot powder
      1 Tbs. water

    1. Yes, absolutely. If you do that, I’d just make sure to wrap your layers in plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. :)

  6. Hi there,

    I’m in the UK and I can’t get tapioca flour for love nor money in time for this weekend but I have found Cassava flour which is the whole root flour. Would this work as an alternative? I see that arrowroot is also an alternative if not.

    Thanks in advance

    Mandy

    1. For this recipe, I’d probably opt for the arrowroot over the cassava flour. While Cassava flour is related to tapioca, it turns out quite a bit differently when used in baking. Let me know how it turns out with the arrowroot! :)

      1. Hi

        Well it turns out that arrowroot is just as difficult so I went with cornflour instead. It was fantastic! It worked a treat. Such a lovely recipe thank you xx

  7. Do you know how many cupcakes this would make? Or what the difference in the cook time might be? My son has a birthday coming up and he recently has had to go gluten free (on top of him already being dairy free) and this sounds and looks amazing and I think he will love.

    1. Hi Nikki – unfortunately I don’t. But as this recipe has been so popular I do plan to convert it into a cupcake recipe early next year. :) Until then, I think you’ll have to take your best guess on the number of cupcakes and cook time. Sorry I can’t be of more help!

  8. I made this cake per instructions and it was so amazing. It fooled everyone at the party that it was a Paleo cake. I’m making it again today and can’t wait to have the leftover pieces for breakfast with a runny egg on top.5 stars

    1. Awesome! Gotta love fooling people with a gluten-free, dairy-free cake. ;) I’m so happy you love the recipe and btw, those leftover pieces with a runny egg – yes!

  9. This is the absolute BEST chocolate cake I have ever eaten. I’ve now made it 4 times for my family and they devour it. You helped me make a young man who has to be gluten and dairy free VERY happy!!!
    Thanks so much!!5 stars

    1. Oh, that makes me SO happy to hear Jennifer! I’m thrilled you and your family love the cake. It’s definitely been one of my most popular recipes this year. And I think I’m gonna make a white/yellow cake version next year. :) x

    1. Yes, absolutely! I’ll actually have a revised recipe for 12 cupcakes early next year. As this currently recipe will make a ton of cupcakes. Haha. :)

  10. How coconutty will this cake be? I noticed there are quite a few coconut ingrediants which is understandable but my girlfriend and her family aren’t big on coconut. They made dairy free brownies recently using coconut and only ate one between them! I had a go myself and they all liked them though so maybe they just did something wrong. 
    Thanks!!

  11. This is by far the best cake I have ever had! Thank you for a great recipe. Do you have a gluten free recipe for a yellow or white cake ????? 5 stars

    1. Woot! So happy to hear that! I’ve actually had several requests for a yellow or white cake after this recipe, so that’s now in the works. I’m hoping it’ll go live in February. Keep your eyes peeled! :)

  12. Made this cake with your chocolate frosting for a friend and it turned out amazing! Baked and frosted it the night before – tastes even better the day after! I used two 6 inch by 3 inch pans, took almost an hour to bake but was so worth it! Definitely a keeper!

    Thanks so much :-)5 stars

    1. Awesome! So happy you and your friend enjoyed the recipe! And thanks for letting us know the cooking time on two 6-inch pans. Thanks Mahlah! :) x

  13. Do you think if I leave out the cocoa powder & espresso powder it would work as a vanilla cake?
    Do you have a good vanilla cake recipe?
    Thanks!

    1. Yes, I think it would (with maybe a few tweaks on the liquid side). I’ve had several readers ask me that same question so I’ve got a vanilla cake on the “to do” list for early next year! :)

  14. Hi there,
    I’ll be making this for a dinner party (so excited!), but want to make it the day before. Will it keep fine in the fridge?

  15. Hey Lisa, 

    I was wondering if it’s okay to use a bundform cake pan to bake a single, larger version of this cake instead of doing a three tier. Can you suggest a baking time / temperature for me? 

    Best, 
    Sara. 4 stars

    1. Hi Sara,

      As I haven’t made this recipe in a bundt pan I can’t guarantee the results, but I’d probably keep the temperature the same. Baking times will need to be increased, to probably 45-50 minutes, but I’d start checking it at 40 minutes just to make sure it doesn’t overcook and dry out. If you try it, let me know how it turns out! :)

    2. Sara,

      Just wondering if you ever gave this cake a try in a bundt pan? I wanted to do the same and came across your comment, so thought I’d ask before I give it a try.

      Thanks!

  16. I recently made this cake and it was a huge hit! It’s already been requested for multiple occasions. I can’t wait to make it again, so I can indulge.5 stars

    1. So happy to hear you loved it Alan! And I’m right there with you on indulging – I’ll be baking another cake in the next week as well! :)

  17. Hi Lisa,

    This looks amazing! I’m baking it for my son’s B-day.
    I have 3 questions:
    1. Could I use sparkling water instead of water to make it fluffier? I have a vegan friend and she gave me the tip but I’ve never done it and don’t want to ruin it ;/

    2. I’m in the UK and I have both: Bicarbonate of Soda and Baking Powder. Which one would I use and how much for a fluffier cake?

    3. How long does the cake keep? If I bake it tomorrow Friday, will it be fresh on Sunday?

    Thank you!
    Ellie

    1. Hi Ellie – that’s actually an interesting tip on the sparkling water and one I’ve not tried! Baking Powder is essentially bicarbonate of soda plus an acid already mixed together. I use bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) in this recipe as certain baking powders contain gluten, corn or aluminum. And there’s enough acid in the recipe to cause that chemical reaction. But you could certainly use either. And I think the cake would stay fresh for a couple of days as long as it’s fully iced to prevent drying out. Alternatively, you could make the layers ahead of time, wrap in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze until Sunday as well. Hope you and your son enjoy it! Happy birthday to him! :) x

    2. Hi, by iced you mean frosted?? I am baking the layers right now so if I frost it and refrigerate it till Saturday. Will the cake be good to serve? I’m having English high tea for my hubby and everything is gluten free. Thought would be perfect for his birthday!1 star

      1. Hi Mitchelle – unfortunately I don’t think you can change the rating afterwards. So I just didn’t approve your last comment. :) And yes, by iced I mean frosted. As long as it’s fully frosted (to prevent any air drying the cake), you should be fine in the fridge. But what I usually do if I’m baking the layers ahead of time (like 2-3 days) is wrap them in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze them. Then, I’ll thaw everything the day I need the cake and frost it. Hope your hubby enjoys his high tea birthday!

      2. Oh, and I just learned that I can edit the ratings. Haha, still learning this new system. So if you’d like me to change yours, let me know.

      3. Hi Lisa, Thank-you for your response. I wrapped the layers in plastic wraps put them in a tin before they went in the freezer. Will the cake be ok without the foil??
         I plan to remove it tomorrow (Friday) and frost it. And refrigerate it for Saturday is this ok or i canremove n thaw it only on Saturday?? I’m a bit short on time so trying to do most of everything tomorrow.

        Let me know. thank-you in advance

      4. Yes, they should be as it’s only for a day or two. And that’s fine to remove on Friday and frost, then refrigerate until Saturday.

    1. Glad you like it! And yes, ghee is considered dairy-free for most people as the lactose and casein proteins are removed. But you could also easily swap in palm shortening or coconut oil in this recipe.

  18. Fantastic recipe, but make sure that your layers are *fully* cooled and don’t add more than the minimum almond milk to the frosting. When I assembled my (still slightly warm) cake with extra milky frosting, the frosting oozed out of the cake layers and pooled in the dish.

    1. Ah, yes! Always a very big lesson learned on trying to frost even ever so slightly warm layers. It’ll melt frosting instantly. Sometimes I’ll even refrigerate my layers just to be extra sure. ;) But glad you loved the recipe still!

    1. Update: I did end up using brewed coffee. I had an espresso roast and I made it slightly weak. I have to say this cake and frosting are absolutely amazing!! This will be my go to chocolate cake from now on. I wish I had found it sooner!! I made the frosting with maple sugar, and realized after I had added all the other ingredients, that I only had about 4 cups of maple sugar, but it still came out perfect.
      My whole family loved it!
      Thank you!

      1. Hi Kendra – That’s awesome it turned out with the brewed coffee! I’m thrilled you loved the recipe and I imagine the frosting with maple sugar was divine. Yum! :) x

  19. Wow. Thank you for the amazing recipe. This was by far the best chocolate cake ever, paleo or not. I was looking for a flourless chocolate cake that was fluffy and not dense for gluten-free and dairy-free guests for Thanksgiving, and I found your recipe that also worked for me (low carbs)! What a bonus. I also had all the ingredients on hand so it made it easy to make. It was absolutely delicious! Hard to believe it isn’t a regular wheat flour cake!! I did not use your frosting recipe because I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand, but I will try it next time. I’ll be making this cake over and again many times in the future.

    1. Yay – love to hear that kind of response Micki! And I’d have to agree with the “paleo or not” comment as even my non-dietary restricted friends/family think it’s the best chocolate cake. So thrilled you loved it! :)

  20. Hello from across the pond. I baked this cake and it was simply amazing. I had to take a little artistic license with cup size to UK metric conversions and had to swap coconut sugar (can’t buy this anywhere in the UK) for icing sugar. However the taste and moisture was perfect, and the cake lasted for well over a week which must say something about the ingredients. Simply brilliant and will be baking again this weekend!! (I did a two layer cake with the chocolate icing and a single layer cake with a dark ganache).

    1. So happy you loved it! Fresh ingredients are always best. I’ve even frozen this cake for a few months, thawed, and it was just like new! Also, you can grab coconut sugar on Amazon UK in the future as well: http://amzn.to/2jQbt98 :)

    2. Hey Neil, 

      How long did you bake your version of a single layered cake, and at what temperature? I was planning to use a single layer bund-form cake pan, but I’m worried that it won’t come out properly since the recipe originally calls for a three tier. 

      Thanks in advance!

  21. This recipe looks amazing! I’ve been looking for a paleo recipe however want to make it a mango cake. Would I need to add more flour if it replacing the cacao for mango purée? Thanks :-)

    1. Most likely as you’d be replacing a dry ingredient with a wet ingredient. Just add more of the 3 flours in the same ratio until you have a similar batter consistency. Let me know how it turns out! :)

  22. hi lisa! I do not have tapioca flour on hand but i do have arrowroot starch. would that work? if so, are the ratios the same?

  23. I made this cake a few weeks ago and it was amazing! My family loved it and couldn’t even tell it was paleo.

    I’m making a carrot cake for Thanksgiving. I have a family reciepe that I usually use and have even made gluten free. I’m considering using the base of this cake for it. Any thoughts on that? I know it will need to be altered some because of the dry vs wet ingridents.

    Do you have a carrot cake reciepe?

    1. I have not, but others have and said they’ve turned out perfect! It’s on my to-do list. ;)

  24. Hi there, if the only two flours I can use are coconut and arrowroot (sub for tapioca) due to food sensitivities, do you have a recommendation on how to divide the flour amounts between those two choices? I accept that it won’t exactly turn out the same, but if you have a suggestion that’d be great! thanks

    1. Hi Rebekah, I’d definitely use more arrowroot than coconut, maybe a 3:1 ratio. Could you use hazelnut flour? If so, I’d sub that for the almond flour. But you’ll probably have to play with it a bit to get the right texture with those two flours. Good luck!

  25. Hi.. it looks so good and I’d like to make it but was wondering if I can or if anyone has substituted the coconut sugar for erythritol (swerve)?

      1. I use 1 1/4 cup xylitol instead of the coconut sugar and I couldn’t find expresso powder anywhere so I used a cup of cooled coffee instead of the water. It baked up super moist and nobody knew it was different than any other cake! It was amazing!!

      2. Awesome! That makes me so happy to hear! And thanks for sharing your tweaks with the community. I’m sure they’ll help others! :) x

  26. I made this cake a couple months ago and everyone loved it! I even bought a swanky new cake stand to present it on! I’d now like to make a yellow cake using components of this recipe. Could I substitute the coconut oil for melted butter or ghee to give that yellow look?

    1. Yay – so happy everyone loved it! And a perfect excuse to buy a new cake stand. ;) You could definitely swap the coconut oil for butter or ghee. And you might need a little less if you’re leaving off the cacao powder. Let me know how it turns out. I may have to add that variation to Downshiftology as well! x

      1. Oh yes…. I didn’t realize how much cacao powder was used. Do you think I can increase the amounts of the tapioca, coconut, and almond flours to equal the 1 n half cups i would have used for the cacao powder or has this all gotten to be too complicated???? -Yikes-

  27. Been eating GAPS/Paleo for 5+ years and have done a lot of baking over this time frame. I started checking on the cake around 30 minutes and it was still fairly wet. I checked back 5 minutes later and the cake was over done, dry as could be, to the point of being inedible. We wound up throwing it out.

    1. That’s such a bummer! 5 minutes is quite a bit of extra cooking time and I can see that definitely drying it out. Hope your next batch is more successful! :)

  28. I usually freeze my layers and do a dirty icing layer. Would this cake sustain the freezing and dirty ice?

    1. Yes, absolutely! I did the same thing and it turned out beautifully (and delicious). :) x

  29. I made this cake for my hubby and 2 friends !! 4 thumbs up! It’s incredibly delicious and looks wonderful!!! Thanks, Lisa, for another outstanding recipe!

    1. Yay – thanks for the feedback Cathy! So happy your hubby and friends enjoyed it. :) x

  30. This weekend, I was tasked with making a 50th birthday cake for my chocoholic aunt who has an allergy to gluten, dairy and eggs!! I used an egg replacer and…IT TASTED FABULOUS!! Everyone swore it tasted better than “reg” chocolate cake!!I wish I knew how to post a picture! Thank you for your post!!

  31. Hi, I am allergic to almonds and some other nuts. is it possible to use another type of nut flour, such as hazelnut?

    1. Hi Teresa – I’m sure it would. You may just want to add a smidge less liquid/milk to balance it as well.

      1. Thank you! Will prob give this a try because he LOVED the chocolate avocado pudding recipe and I tweaked the maple syrup a smudge with no prob!

  32. Hi, just a question. The recipe calls for full fat coconut milk, is it the one in the can or the one in a carton? This looks divine and trying it for a good friend of mine. Many thanks for sharing your recipe. Oh also, we don’t have almond flour here that i can find in the shops is it the same as ground almonds?

    1. Yes, the full fat coconut milk is the one in the can. The one I used is linked above in the recipe. For the almond flour, I used blanched almond flour which is finer than ground almonds (or almond meal), but if you can grind it fine enough, that should work. It may just be a slighter denser texture. You could also use hazelnut flour, if you can find that in the stores. Hope that helps! :)

      1. I just baked this cake and like what you said it is a bit dense. I don’t know if it is because i undercooked it or because of my oven temperature. I baked it at 160c bec. my oven only have 160c then 180c, can you believe it? i baked it for 35minutes but looks dense and seems like it is under cook. why do you think this happened?

      2. I’d say it sounds a bit undercooked. I would definitely bake it at 180 degrees celsius. And the cooking time would also have to be adjusted if you only used two pans instead of three. Everyone’s ovens are slightly different, so it may take another try to get it perfect on your end. :)

  33. Hi, I have just made this and its delicious!! However, I find it didn’t rise as much as had hoped, it rose however I need a touch more lift for a celebration cake I am making, do you have any ideas as to get a little bit of extra lift?? :) I xxx

    1. Hi Lillie – so glad you loved the cake! Unfortunately, gluten-free/paleo cakes don’t tend to rise as much as those made with wheat flour (because they don’t contain gluten). You could try adding 1-2 tsp of baking powder (just opt for gluten, corn and aluminum free, if possible). And I’m not sure if you made a 2-layer or 3-layer version, but I usually opt for a 3-layer cake when I’m going for something more “showy,” as it’s a little more dramatic and gives that extra height. ;) x

      1. Its gorgeous!!! Yes, i was going to try the baking powder. If not then ill go for the 3 tear as you say ;) Thank you!!! Keep making delicious recipes :) xxx

      2. You’re welcome! Fingers crossed it all works out for your celebration cake! xx

  34. Im not a baker but I will pass this onto my friend who bakes for us! It looks decadent. – Laurel

  35. This chocolate cake looks sooo good. And it’s gluten free so I definitely need to add this to my to do list.

  36. this is absolutely beautiful breathtaking and that is a trick I also use baking…the vinegar! Shhhh lol I would love to give this a shot with an egg replacer to see how it goes ?

    1. Thanks so much Gina! And yes, I’m curious to know about an egg replacer as well. Maybe I’ll have to try this cake again soon with that variation. :)

  37. This cake looks amazing! I love baking with coconut flour. Can’t wait to make this!

  38. This not only looks delicious but there is a lot of really good info here. I didn’t know there was such a thing as coconut flour. I love adding coffee to chocolate recipes too. Definitely on my short list, thanks so much!

    1. It’s amazing what a little coffee or espresso does to chocolate, isn’t it? Glad you liked the recipe!

  39. So I am still working through my auto immune protocol diet which excludes eggs for another 6 months… have you tried this recipe with an egg replacement? I KNOW this cake will be delicious b/c your pancakes were out of this word!

    1. Hi Sharon – I haven’t tried it yet with an egg replacer. But if you do, please let me know how it turns out! And thanks so much for your kind words. Those pancakes are one of my favorite recipes as well. :) x