Gluten Free Dairy Free Chocolate Cake

Have you ever heard of "Wacky Cake" or "Earthquake Cake" or "Depression Cake"? While it goes by many names, the idea behind this Gluten Free Dairy Free Chocolate Cake is that it can be made without the pantry staples of butter, eggs and milk. I've updated it so it's also gluten free! Still completely delicious, so chocolatey and sweet. I was truly surprised by this recipe and I think you will be too!

How to make wacky cake in 1 bowl

One of the best parts about this gluten and dairy free chocolate cake recipe is that it can be mixed up in the dish its baked in! So the only thing to wash is a fork. Seriously, that's it. So let's dive in to this incredibly simple cake recipe.

• Preheat oven to 350°F (or 180°C).
  
• In an ungreased glass or ceramic 8-inch square dish (do not use metal), add the gluten free flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, and stir to combine with a fork.

• Make three wells in the mixture and to those wells add the vinegar, vanilla extract and vegetable oil. Pour the coffee (hot or cold, it doesn't matter) over the entire mixture and mix with a fork until thoroughly combined and no dry ingredients remain.
  
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

• To make frosting easy to spread and deliciously fluffy, scoop into mixer fitted with the paddle or whisk attachment. Whisk on medium until lightened in color and fluffy.
  
• Using a spatula, spread frosting over cake (it will create a thick layer). To keep this recipe extremely simple, I used pre-made frosting from the container (gasp!). It's the easiest way to get vegan frosting at a fraction of the homemade price. However, if you love homemade frosting like I do, try this delicious vegan chocolate frosting recipe from the beautiful Jessica in the Kitchen.

Ingredients for Wacky Cake

• Gluten Free Flour Blend — King Arthur Measure for Measure is my all time favorite, but this should work with any 1:1 gluten free substitute flour.
  
• Granulated White Sugar

• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  
• White Vinegar — Used in cake it causes a reaction with baking soda and starts the chemical reaction needed to produce carbon dioxide and give cake a lift as it bakes.

• Vanilla Extract
  
• Vegetable Oil — Great replacement for eggs and add lots of moisture.
  
• Brewed Coffee — I love using coffee in chocolate cakes to help enhance the flavor of the chocolate. The coffee flavor does not come through, simply boosts the depth of the chocolate. Water can also be used.

The Best Gluten Free Flour for Cake

I've tried and tested many different gluten free flour blends and the clear winner is King Arthur Measure for Measure (always cheapest on Amazon). It can be used as a direct replacement in almost any recipe and it will taste just as good as the original. You can read about my gluten free flour blends experiment here.

I love smaller cakes like this. They're just the right amount to snack on for the week before it gets dry. Our Sweet Pecan Cake with Maple Frosting and our Banana Coffee Cake are both made in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan.

Some of our other most popular cakes are our Butterscotch Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting and our Lemon Layer Can with Lemon Buttercream Frosting.

Tell me all about this Wacky Cake

• Flavor – Tastes like a classic chocolate cake and gets extra-rich when topped with your favorite canned chocolate frosting.

• Texture – Not as fluffy as classic cake, but I find the slightly more dense texture to be really lovely and full of moisture.

• Time – About 40 minutes to mix and bake. I love using canned frosting, which is almost always vegan and gluten free, to save time and even money.

• Difficulty – The very lowest. It doesn't even require a mixing bowl or cracking an egg. Couldn't be easier.

How to make a larger cake

To make this cake bigger (yes, please) simply double the recipe and bake in a 9"x13" baking dish. For the frosting, one jar of frosting will still cover the whole cake, but I recommend using two jars to get a nice thick layer of frosting.

Whip pre-made frosting

To make frosting in a jar a little less densely sweet and easier to spread, scoop the whole jar of frosting into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 3-5 minutes until fluffy, lighter and almost doubled in size. This is a simple trick to make the frosting closer to the texture of homemade frosting, but with minimal effort.

I also like to add pre-made frosting to the top of our Gluten Free Cookie Cake.

The best part of frosting in a jar is that it is already gluten free and dairy free! While homemade frosting is still superior, in a pinch, pre made frosting it actually quite delicious.

Can I make cake ahead of time?

Yes! Cake is wonderfully easy to store and tastes great even after being stored a long time. To make this cake ahead of time, place unbleached parchment paper along the bottom and coming up the sides of the cake. Spray lightly with non stick spray.

Mix batter in a separate bowl and then pour into prepared dish and bake as per recipe below.

Once baked and cooled, use the overhanging parchment paper to lift the cake out of the dish and allow to finish cooling. Remove parchment paper and wrap tightly in saran wrap and then place in a large freezer bag.

Freeze for up to 3 months, or it will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to 1 month (with no eggs, butter or milk to go bad, it may last even longer!).

To thaw your freezer cake, simply remove cake and allow to come to room temperature, then frost and serve as usual! Such a great way to always have a cake ready for the unexpected guest or just a treat to celebrate life's little moments!

Is this a vegan chocolate cake recipe?

This cake is already gluten free and dairy free and can easily be made vegan by swapping the granulated white sugar with its vegan alternative of raw sugar. Raw sugar is not processed and therefore does not come in contact with any animal products. The rest of the ingredients are already vegan.

How to make gluten free dairy free chocolate cupcakes

To convert this cake recipe into cupcakes, simple line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners or reusable silicone liners and divide batter evenly, filling about ¾ full. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes. Check for doneness by using a toothpick inserted in the center. It should come out clean or with a few dry crumbs.

The easiest way to frost cupcakes is to scoop frosting into a quart sized ziploc bag, snip about ½" off one bottom corner and squeeze out into dollops on top of each cupcake. Sometimes I turn the cupcake upside down and gently press into a plate full of sprinkles — this looks like it just came from the bakery!

How to store Gluten Free Wacky Cake

Keep this cake in the pan you baked it in and cover tightly with foil. It will stay fresh stored at room temperature for up to a week, or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks (but it'll never last that long). My kids LOVE this cake as an afternoon treat after school, and it tastes wonderful with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.