Gluten Free Chocolate Dump Cake

This glorious chocolate dump cake is my gluten-free take on Amanda Hesser's classic New York Times recipe, which she calls a chocolate "dump it" cake. The idea is that you quickly combine all of the ingredients, then dump the batter into a pan and bake it off.

Admittedly, it's a bit of a strange name, but it doesn't matter what this cake goes by. This is a stellar gluten-free chocolate cake that can stand on its own. It's topped with simple chocolate icing, but you could use ganache, chocolate buttercream frosting, or even salted caramel frosting or a drizzle of salted caramel sauce.

This lovely little recipe makes a perfect snacking cake that's also elegant enough to whip up for dessert when an unexpected guest drops by. It's so chocolatey and dense, and in a small feat for a gluten-free cake, it lasts for days in the fridge without getting dry.

Why This Dump Cake is So Great

I know, I know. Does the world need yet another gluten-free chocolate cake? Well, yes! I think there's a chocolate cake for every occasion, and somehow you'll just know what that occasion is. Birthdays, friends over for dinner, or just because, this cake is a winner. I love it because:

• It needs simple gluten-free flours. This recipe includes my favorite duo of flours: Oat flour and almond flour. These two, in combination and in the right balance, create a gorgeous gluten-free crumb that you'd be hard-pressed to tell is gluten-free.
• Rich and decadent. I can't help it - I really believe a proper chocolate cake needs to taste ultra-rich! This one has richness in spades. From the melted chocolate in the batter to the thick icing, this is definitely one for the "decadent" files.
• Not too sweet. I know I just extolled the virtues of this "decadent" cake, yet it somehow manages not to taste overly sweet! I did reduce the sugar a bit from the original recipe, and it's still plenty sweet and moist without being overly so.
• Easily adapted to be dairy-free. See my simple substitution options below for how to make this into a dairy-free cake.

Why Is It Called a "Dump-It" Cake?

Amanda Hesser, who published this recipe in the New York Times, writes: "A couple of years ago, my mother taught me to make her dense but moist chocolate birthday cake. She calls it 'dump-it cake' because you mix all of the ingredients in a pot over medium heat, then dump the batter into a cake pan to bake."

I'll often pour the melted chocolate mixture into a large bowl and then add the flour mixture rather than use it all in the pot. But for this post, I've kept close to the original recipe, so you'll see in the photos that I used the pot method. Whatever you want to do - just keep it easy!

Ingredients Needed

Here's a glance at the easy pantry ingredients that go into this dump cake. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!

• Granulated sugar - For a naturally sweetened option, use coconut sugar.
• Chocolate - The original recipe calls for unsweetened chocolate, but I also use semisweet chocolate chips, which is what I most often have in the pantry. Either is fine.
• Butter - Unsalted butter is best in both the cake and the icing.
• Oat flour - Whole grain gluten-free oat flour makes up the sturdy base of the cake. If you can't eat oats, swap brown rice flour.
• Almond flour - I love adding a little almond flour to balance the oat flour. It adds moistness and structure.
• Rising agents - A mix of baking soda and baking powder.
• Salt - I use fine sea salt, and table salt also works.
• Milk - Whole milk adds richness, and 2% milk is fine, too.
• Vinegar - You can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
• Eggs - I used large eggs.
• Vanilla - A little pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste adds depth of flavor.
• Icing - Semisweet chocolate and unsalted butter.

Tips & Recipe Notes

• Let the melted chocolate mix cool. Important! After you melt the chocolate, sugar, water, and butter together, let the mixture cool a bit before adding the eggs. This will prevent any possible scrambling of the eggs if the chocolate is too hot.
• Bake on a baking sheet. Place a baking sheet underneath the tube pan to catch any potential drips during baking.
• Grease the pan very well. My tube pan is a non-stick pan, but I still butter it very well and dust it with a little oat flour or cocoa powder to help it slip out of the pan easily.
• Cool completely. Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before carefully removing it to a rack to cool completely. By "completely," I mean that it will be at room temperature, and not warm.
• The cake will be tender. This is a soft, moist cake. Treat it gently when removing it from the bundt pan to prevent it from breaking.
• Make it dairy-free. Swap non-dairy butter and milk for the butter and milk.

Proper Storage

To store, place leftover gluten-free chocolate dump-it cake, tightly covered in foil or in an airtight container, in the fridge for 5-7 days. Bring to room temperature before serving for the best flavor and texture.