

Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake
About this recipe:
This impressive celebration cake is ideal for birthdays, parties or as an impressive dinner party centrepiece! It can also be made free from egg and dairy, and even vegan, using our clever ingredient swaps. If necessary, check the allergen status of your mini marshmallows.
Equipment:
3 x 20cm/8” round baking tins, 2 x large mixing bowls and saucepan
Ingredients:
Chocolate Cake
300g FREEE Self Raising White Flour
300g butter (or vegan butter)
300g caster sugar
4 eggs (or mix 4 tbsp FREEE Chickpea Flour + 8 tbsp water)
50g cocoa
175ml milk (or vegan milk)
2 tsp vanilla extract
oil, for tins
Buttercream Filling
250g butter (or vegan butter)
300g icing sugar
Chocolate Ganache and Topping
200g double cream (or vegan cream)
200g milk chocolate (or dairy free chocolate)
25g mini marshmallows (or vegan marshmallows)
cocoa, for dusting
Method:
190°C, Fan 170°C, 375°F, Gas 5
Chocolate Cake
- Pre-heat the oven.
- Rub some oil around the inside of three 20cm/8″ round baking tins or insert a baking liner.
- Measure the flour into a small bowl.
- Cut the butter into small cubes and put them into a mixing bowl.
- Add the caster sugar and beat together until light and fluffy.
- Break one egg into the bowl and beat to combine.
- OR add the chickpea + water and beat well.
- Sieve the cocoa into the bowl and stir to combine.
- Break the remaining eggs into the bowl, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Sieve half the prepared flour into the bowl and stir to combine.
- Mix in the milk and vanilla extract.
- Sieve the remaining flour into the bowl and beat well.
- Divide the mixture between the prepared cake tins and smooth the tops.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Buttercream Filling
- Put the butter into a bowl and beat until it is light and fluffy.
- Sieve the icing sugar into the bowl and beat to combine.
- Divide the mixture between the top of two cold cakes and spread it out evenly. Place one cake on top of the other.
- Place the third sponge on top.
Chocolate Ganache and Topping
- Put the cream into a saucepan over a medium heat.
- When the cream is almost boiling, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate.
- Allow the topping to cool stirring until it thickens slightly.
- Spread the topping over the top and sides of the cake.
- Scatter marshmallows over the cake.
- Sieve a little cocoa over the top to finish.
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Hannah
This gluten free chocolate cake is my absolute favourite cake since being diagnosed coeliac 7 years ago!!! I adore this cake so much!! It's light and fluffy! Cake is one of the things that I miss most about not being to eat gluten. Not anymore!! This yummy cake is delicious! Once you mke it once, you will make it time and time again. It's SO MUCH BETTER than the horrible dense, tasteless shop-bought gf birthday cakes. This recipe will not let you down!!
Reviewing: Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake
Hannah
This "hot chocolate" cake is the best gluten free chocolate cake I've ever tasted!! It's so light and fluffy but not too rich! I've made it several times and family and friends absolutely love it! One family member even took the recipe who isn't coeliac but liked it that much that she wanted to bake it for others. They all said that they couldn't even tell it was gf. You definitely won't be disappointed!!!! I would eat the whole cake in one sitting if I could......
Reviewing: Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake
Nigel Lorriman
This is a very large cake and excellent fresh, but after two days we decided to slice it up and freeze. It is spectacular microwaved with some custard or ice cream and actually tastes better than it did fresh in my opinion. If you love very sweet, indulgent chocolate desserts then this is definitely one!
Reviewing: Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake
Laura
The best gluten-free cake I have ever made. I will be making this cake again.
Reviewing: Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake
Sarah H
This cake was the best gluten free cake I've ever made Not dry at all and tasted good on day two and three which is pretty unheard of for the other ones I've tried. Whole family loved it
Reviewing: Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake
Janine
The basic cake recipe is excellent (I didn't use the filling or icing). A little crumbly, so watch that on removing it from the tin, or after icing if transferring to a display plate. A very high quality, dense, dark, cocoa will make a lot of difference to the taste. Both times I made it, I used egg but substituted margarine and vegan milks (drinking coconut milk) for the dairy products. The first time I made the full amount for a quantity of 1, but as there are only two of us in the household there was far too much. I was able to use the third layer from this attempt for a dessert dish a week later! The second time, I halved the amounts listed for 1 cake, and this was better, but still possibly too much. I'd like to see the cake recipes on this site be able to be halved or even quartered using the quantity function, as many households these days consist of fewer than four people, or just eat a lot less cake even at celebrations. Still a terrific gluten-free chocolate cake recipe though!
Reviewing: Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake
Angela
This has to be the best gluten free cake I have made and enjoyed eating. Others have come out dense and they were not a pleasure to eat or share with others. My husbands comment tops it all when he said it doesn't taste like a gluten free cake. I will be making this cake again. I only have 2 tins so the mix took around 45 mins to bake as it was deeper.
Reviewing: Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake
Kerry
I have to say, this is the best gluten free cake recipe I’ve come across. Since being diagnosed coeliac a year ago, I thought my baking days had come to an end. I’d see the look on my friends faces when I brought another dry disgusting tasting cake over, and it was disheartening. However, this cake was devoured by all of my friends in minutes. I’ve been making it ever since. It’s restored my faith that a gluten free cake can taste good.
Reviewing: Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake
Ali
A fab recipe but needed to leave to chocolate icing longer to firm up thank I fed before coating the cake. Made as a Birthday cake and will definitely make again.
Reviewing: Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake
El
This is a wonderful chocolate cake. It's ideal for a kids birthday party cake. But I must have put a little too much cream in the chocolate icing and it all poured off the cake! So make sure it is almost set, before you pour it on.
Reviewing: Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake
Chrissy
This cake is the most successful GF chocolate cake I've made in 10 years. And it's also good to read some positive reviews above ,instead of the petty remarks that some people make. E.G. water isn't stated as an ingredient etc ! Lots of great recipes on this Freee website
Reviewing: Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake
Jazz
Amazing sponge, light and fluffy!!!
Reviewing: Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake
Mrs Jane Haynes
I made this cake for my sons birthday. It's a very good recipe,came out full of chocolate flavour and lovely and moist. I didn't make so much filling though as I thought it would be too rich. Will certainly be making it again!
Reviewing: Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake
Mrs Elina Jakubaneca
The sponge is so tasty, that it can be eaten without making a cake. For filling and topping I added cherry jam, which went together very well with cocoa taste.
Reviewing: Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Cake