Gluten Free Chocolate Fudge Cake

When I'm craving chocolate cake, this is exactly what comes to mind! This gluten free chocolate fudge cake is so rich, moist, and deeply chocolaty, finished with a glossy chocolate fudge frosting that's pure indulgence in every slice.

I love all my chocolate cake recipes, but I have to say that this one is my favorite for its richness and glossy frosting that I could just eat straight from the bowl! I guarantee once you have tried it, you will be just as obsessed.

Recipe Development

When making this gluten free chocolate fudge cake, I wanted it to be an 8-inch layered cake, making it perfect for a decadent dessert or the perfect birthday or celebration cake.

I slightly adapted the chocolate cake recipe from my chocolate crunch cake by adding espresso coffee to enhance the cocoa flavor and adding buttermilk to add more moisture and a richer flavor.

For the chocolate fudge frosting, I adapted my chocolate ganache frosting from my gluten-free dark chocolate cake recipe and added butter and powdered sugar to make a richer, glossier, fudgier finish, then salt and vanilla to enhance the flavor.

The cakes can also be made in 2 9-inch cake pans if you prefer a two-layer cake. Keep an eye on the bake time, as it will take slightly longer in the oven, as you don't want to overbake, causing the cakes to become dry.

📋 Ingredients Notes

• Heavy Cream - Using heavy cream, heavy whipping cream or double cream is essential when making the chocolate fudge frosting. The fat content in the cream will result in the correct texture as the higher fat content helps emulsify the frosting, binding the chocolate and cream together into a smooth, silky frosting that is stable.
• Dark Chocolate - Be sure to use dark chocolate that has a minimum of 54% cocoa solids.  Always check that the chocolate is gluten free as some brands may contain gluten.
• Gluten free All-purpose flour -  I used a shop bought Gluten free Plain flour blend from Doves Farm Freee from range. Which is a flour blend of Rice, Potato, Tapioca, Maize and Buckwheat flour. I have had reports that others have used Bob’s Red Mill and other Gluten free All purpose blends with my recipes that have worked well.
• Sugar - This makes the cake light, gives moisture, and adds sweetness to the cake. I used fine white sugar, aka caster sugar, but granulated sugar will also work well. I used powdered sugar in the frosting, it dissolves more easily and will balance out the bitterness of the dark chocolate.
• Cocoa powder - Dutch-processed cocoa powder is what I used.
• Baking Powder & Baking soda - Acts as a leavening and rising agent by reacting to heat. Making the cake light and rise well.
• Salt - Helps balance out the sweetness of the chocolate cake.
• Xanthan Gum - Prevents ingredients from separating as it is a stabilizer. Essentially acting as gluten would gel everything together. You can omit this if the flour blend contains xanthan gum.
• Butter - Melted in the microwave.
• Buttermilk - This will also add moisture to the cake and will help intensify the chocolate flavor. I like to take the buttermilk out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before making the cake to allow the milk to come to room temperature. If you don't have buttermilk, just substitute regular whole milk.
• Eggs - Room temperature
• Coffee - I used instant espresso coffee. Don't skip this step, as adding hot water will add moisture to the chocolate cake and prevent it from becoming too dry and the coffee will enhance the chocolate flavors.

See the recipe card below for ingredient measurements.

⚡ Substitutions & Variations

🥣 Step by Step Instructions

Below is a brief step-by-step process with photos of how to make a gluten free chocolate fudge cake.

See the recipe card below for more detailed recipe instructions.

Make the chocolate fudge frosting

Step 1: Place the dark chocolate, cream, powdered sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and salt all in a pan over medium heat.

Step 2: Stir until the chocolate and butter has melted and everthing is mixed together well.

Step 3: Remove from the heat and whisk lightly for a couple of minutes to be sure that there are no lumps.

Step 4: Pour the chocolate fudge mixture into a bowl and set aside to cool.

Once cooled, cover and refrigerate to firm up.

Tip: Only whisk lightly for a couple of minutes to get out any small lumps, as we don't want whipped frosting. You can sieve the frosting if preferred.

Make the gluten free chocolate cake

Step 5: Melt the butter and set it aside to cool slightly. Mix the hot water and coffee in a jug or mug and also set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, and salt.

Step 6: In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and coffee mixture and mix well.

Step 7: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Set aside to let the batter rest and hydrate for up to 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Line the sides and bottom of the baking pans with parchment paper.

Step 8: Divide the chocolate cake batter evenly between the three baking pans. Place in the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes. Insert a skewer into the center of a cake. If it comes out clean, the cakes are ready, if not bake for a little longer.

Tip: Be sure to check that the melted butter and coffee have cooled down slightly, as you don't want the eggs to start cooking when added to hot butter and coffee. I like to weigh each of the baking pans to check that the cake batter is evenly divided.

Assemble the gluten free chocolate fudge cake

Step 9: Transfer to a cooling rack. Carefully remove from the tins once slightly cooled as the cake will be delicate to handle.

Step 10: Once the cakes have fully cooled, you can begin assembling.

If your cake has large domes, you can use a serrated knife to remove the domes to result in a flat top. I find that these cakes don't have a large dome and need very little to no leveling.

Remove the chocolate fudge frosting from the refrigerator. It should be thick but spreadable. If it has been left in the fridge for too long, you might need to let it sit at room temperature until it softens slightly, making it more spreadable.

Place the first layer on your cake stand or plate and use approx ¼ of the frosting layer and spread evenly. Then carefully layer with the second chocolate cake and repeat the frosting. Top with the final layer of cake.

Steps 11-12: With the remaining frosting, cover the top and sides of the cake. If desired, use the back of a spoon or spatula to create swirls around the top and sides of the cake.