A high altitude recipe for gluten free chocolate birthday cake with fluffy chocolate buttercream and sprinkles. The cake is super moist and a little dense, with a rich chocolate flavor and a hint of espresso.
You might also love these high altitude recipes for gluten free vanilla birthday cake, flourless chocolate brownie cookies, and flourless almond cake.
This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links. This in no way affects my opinion of those products and services. All opinions expressed on this site are my own.
Why This Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe Works
Gluten Free Tested and Adjusted
Theoretically, gluten free flour that says “1:1 or measure-for-measure” can be used as an equal replacement for all purpose wheat flour in most recipes. I say theoretically, because anyone who bakes at high altitude knows that recipes aren’t always that straightforward. And with varying percentages of protein content in cake flour (what I use in my vanilla cake), all purpose flour, and gluten free flour, they’re not necessarily interchangeable without further tweaking. If you really want to nerd out on the science of protein content in types of flour, this article is an interesting read.
For my first recipe test, I made my original chocolate cake recipe by simply replacing the cake flour with an equal amount of gluten free flour, with no other changes. The cake didn’t rise quite as well as I would have liked, so I decided to adjust the leavening. I also felt like it needed more moisture, since gf flour tends to dry out baked goods more than all purpose wheat flour and cake flour does.
For my next test, I omitted the baking soda completely, and increased the baking powder, which gave it a much nicer rise. Just out of the oven, the cake has a nice domed top, although this settles and flattens a bit as the cake cools. I also added a little extra sour cream for more moisture. The result was a superbly rich, moist and dense gf chocolate cake that most people probably wouldn’t even suspect to be made with gf flour.
High Altitude Tested
I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Gluten Free Flour. I used King Arthur measure for measure gluten free flour.
- Cocoa Powder. Use a good-quality, Dutch processed (not natural) cocoa powder in both the cake and the buttercream for the best flavor and a rich, dark color.
- Espresso Powder. I almost always add a little espresso powder or instant coffee to my chocolate cakes. It not only enhances the flavor of the chocolate, but in the case of this gluten free cake, it also helps to mask the flavor of the GF flour, which has a less neutral flavor than all-purpose wheat flour.
- Baking Powder.
- Granulated Sugar.
- Eggs.
- Milk + Sour Cream.
- Vegetable Oil.
- Vanilla Extract.
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray. If making half the recipe, use three 6-inch cake pans.
- In a large bowl, sift together the GF flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Separately, whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, oil and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk until combined, about 15 seconds.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Bake on the center oven rack for about 22-28 minutes, until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder and salt, mixing to combine.
- Add the vanilla, and increase the speed to medium (#4-6 on a Kitchen Aid mixer); whip for 4-5 minutes until very light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down occasionally, and only adding the milk if needed for desired consistency.Turn the speed down to “stir” and mix for 2 minutes to eliminate big air bubbles.
- Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Place one cake layer on a cake board, and frost with a layer of buttercream. Repeat stacking and filling the cake layers, then frost all over with a thin “crumb coat” of buttercream. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the crumb coat. Keep the bowl of remaining buttercream covered. Frost all over with a final, swirly layer of buttercream.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftover cake should be stored in an airtight container or cake carrier for up to 3 days.
To decorate the cake as shown in the photos/video, scatter sprinkles over the chocolate buttercream before it crusts over. Tint 3/4 cup of vanilla buttercream any color you like. Use a disposable piping bag fitted with a coupler and tip 18 to pipe a shell border around the bottom edge of the cake. Use a disposable piping bag fitted with tip 1M to pipe swirls on top of the cake.
You may notice that this GF chocolate cake is based on my original high altitude chocolate cake. For the GF version, I’ve omitted the baking soda, and used only baking powder for leavening. I also increased the sour cream, for a more moist and dense texture.
I’ve only tested this recipe with the espresso powder. Leaving it out will alter the acidity in the batter, which can affect both the texture and rise of the cake, but it may still work. In my opinion, the cake does not taste like coffee. The espresso powder enhances the flavor of the chocolate, which helps to mask the slightly earthy flavor of the GF flour.
You Might Also Like
Please check out my Amazon Shop for a curated collection of some of my favorite cake pans from trusted brands, baking tools, ingredients, pretty things and fashion finds. I recommend products that I buy and use every day!
Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
High Altitude Gluten Free Chocolate Birthday Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- 8-inch cake pans (x3)
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups gluten free flour (1:1 or measure-for-measure), fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened, Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp instant espresso powder or instant coffee
- 1 ¾ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups sour cream, room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted to break up lumps
- 1 tbsp meringue powder, optional
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-4 tbsp milk, if needed
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray. If making half the recipe, use three 6-inch cake pans.
- In a large bowl, sift together the GF flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Separately, whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, oil and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk until combined, about 15 seconds.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Bake on the center oven rack for about 22-28 minutes, until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder and salt, mixing to combine.
- Add the vanilla, and increase the speed to medium (#4-6 on a Kitchen Aid mixer); whip for 4-5 minutes until very light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down occasionally, and only adding the milk if needed for desired consistency.Turn the speed down to "stir" and mix for 2 minutes to eliminate big air bubbles.
- Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Place one cake layer on a cake board, and frost with a layer of buttercream. Repeat stacking and filling the cake layers, then frost all over with a thin "crumb coat" of buttercream. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the crumb coat. Keep the bowl of remaining buttercream covered. Frost all over with a final, swirly layer of buttercream.
Video
Notes
- Leftover cake should be stored in an airtight container or cake carrier for up to 3 days.
- The photographed cake in this post is a 6-inch cake made with half the batter.
- To decorate the cake as shown in the photos/video, scatter sprinkles over the chocolate buttercream before it crusts over. Tint 3/4 cup of vanilla buttercream any color you like. Use a disposable piping bag fitted with a coupler and tip 18 to pipe a shell border around the bottom edge of the cake. Use a disposable piping bag fitted with tip 1M to pipe swirls on top of the cake.
- You may notice that this GF chocolate cake is based on my original high altitude chocolate cake. For the GF version, I’ve omitted the baking soda, and used only baking powder for leavening. I also increased the sour cream, for a more moist and dense texture.
- I’ve only tested this recipe with the espresso powder. Leaving it out will alter the acidity in the batter, which can affect both the texture and rise of the cake, but it may still work. In my opinion, the cake does not taste like coffee. The espresso powder enhances the flavor of the chocolate, which helps to mask the slightly earthy flavor of the GF flour.
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/
Leave a Reply