Fluffy and moist, this perfect gluten free oat flour chocolate cake is in heavy rotation in my kitchen. A hint of strong coffee, buttermilk, olive oil, and brown sugar help to create a beautiful, fork-tender crumb in every bite. Frost this cake with chocolate buttercream, or simply dust slices with powdered sugar and serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

A blue napkin is the background for a plate holding a piece of oat flour chocolate cake.

Easy Oat Flour Chocolate Cake Recipe

This beautiful oat flour chocolate cake is absolutely perfect, and you'd never guess it is gluten-free! Oat flour is the only flour needed to make a gorgeous, very chocolatey chocolate cake that is stunning no matter how you serve it. You can make this a two layer cake and fill and frost it with your favorite frosting (I'm partial to homemade chocolate buttercream). Or, bake the batter in a tube pan and finish it with whipped cream and powdered sugar. This easy recipe comes together fast and produces a gluten free chocolate cake suited to so many occasions. So go ahead - indulge yourself!

Why You'll Love It

This cake is the ultimate. It's richly flavored and oh-so-tender, everything you love about a good chocolate cake. Even better? It just happens to be gluten-free because you'll bake it using gluten free oat flour. I turn to this one again and again for birthday cakes and it's always a winner. It's also perfect when we need a bit of chocolate cake to make an ordinary day special. I know you will love this recipe!

Just one gluten-free flour. Could it be any easier? Oat flour is the only gluten-free flour you need for this cake. I LOVE baking with oat flour and sing its praises often - you'll love the gorgeously fluffy crumb it produces in this gluten free chocolate cake.
Impossible to tell that it's gluten-free. I know that's a tall order but I really believe that most people would never be able to guess that this is a gluten-free cake. In fact, I've tested this theory out countless times and it's true! My kids love it, too, which means it's solid gold.
Easy. Two bowls and a whisk later, you'll have a beautiful gluten free chocolate cake that keeps well and can even be frozen for a later occasion.

Ingredients for oat flour chocolate cake are shown and labelled: oat flour, buttermilk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, olive oil, salt, baking powder, baking soda, eggs, vanilla, cocoa powder, coffee.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Gluten Free Oat Flour Chocolate Cake

Simple ingredients combine to make an absolutely amazing gluten free chocolate cake! Here's everything you'll need to put it together. The full ingredient amounts are in the recipe card lower down - this is just an overview.

Oat flour - Naturally gluten free oat flour creates a wonderfully fluffy crumb in this gluten free chocolate cake. Pick up a bag of oat flour - I like Anthony's brand - or easily make your own.
Brown sugar - You can use light or dark brown sugar
Granulated sugar
Cocoa powder - Use unsweetened cocoa powder so it doesn't overpower the cake with sweetness
Leavening agents - Baking soda and baking powder combine to help the cake rise
Salt - I always use fine sea salt in my recipes!
Olive oil - Use extra virgin olive oil, or substitute melted coconut oil
Eggs - Use large eggs
Buttermilk - Make your own buttermilk if needed by stirring 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into 1 cup of milk
Vanilla extract - Use pure vanilla extract for the best depth of flavor
Coffee - Save a cup of coffee from your morning sip, or make fresh brewed hot coffee to use

How to Make Oat Flour Chocolate Cake

I love the simplicity of this cake, which does not require a mixer. I've outlined the steps you'll need to take to make it - note that when you combine the wet and dry ingredients, the batter will be very thick until you stir in the coffee. Make sure to fully incorporate the coffee, then you'll have a beautifully smooth batter. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card.

The dry mix for oat flour chocolate cake in a bowl.

Eggs, oil, and buttermilk are combined in a bowl.

Prep: Grease two 8-inch pans and line them with parchment paper.
Combine dry ingredients: Whisk together the oat flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Combine wet ingredients: Whisk together the olive oil, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.

Smooth oat flour chocolate cake batter in a bowl.

Combine the mixtures: Stir and whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Add coffee: Stir in the coffee to form a smooth batter.

The cake cools in the pan on a wire rack.

Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, then let it rest while the oven preheats. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean
Cool: Let the cake cool in the pans on a wire rack, then turn out onto the rack to cool fully.

A far away view of a slice of chocolate cake on a plate with a for.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

I want you to love this oat flour chocolate cake recipe as much as I do! Follow along with a few of my best practices and you too will soon be singing its praises.

Rest the batter: Let batter rest for a bit before baking. Oat flour, like all gluten free flours, benefits from a rest to let it absorb liquids. I find that resting the batter in the pans while the oven preheats is just enough time for the oat flour to hydrate. I've included this step in the recipe directions.
Substitute hot water: If you don't drink coffee, no worries! I love the depth of flavor the coffee brings to the cake, but it will still be very good even without it. Substitute 1 cup of hot water for the coffee if needed.
Use room temperature ingredients: Whether you're making a regular cake or a gluten free cake, bringing the ingredients to room temperature is important! It helps them to better incorporate into the batter, making for a better structured cake after it's baked.
Cool the cake completely: Oat flour cakes can be softer than regular cakes, especially when they're warm. Make sure to cool the cake thoroughly before eating or frosting it. I like to cool the cake for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour!
Crumb coat: As with all cakes, a crumb coat will produce the best frosted result. Place the oat flour chocolate cake layers, loosely covered with plastic or foil, in the fridge for at least 1 hour before frosting them. This will help to firm up the cake. Then frost with a thin layer of frosting, return the cake to the fridge to set, then finish frosting the cake.
Save a little coffee: I'll try to plan ahead when I'm making my morning pot of coffee and brew a little bit extra to use in the cake so it's ready to go when I put the batter together (a quick blast in the microwave or heat on the stove will warm it up nicely). If I have a cup or two leftover (not often likely, but sometimes it happens!) I'll stash it in a jar in the fridge until I'm ready to make this cake. And I'll admit that the occasional leftover coffee gives me the best excuse to bake this recipe.
Make ahead: You can bake this cake up to 24 hours in advance of when you wish to serve it, and I reccomend doing this! Most cakes benefit from resting in the fridge overnight so that their flavor deepens and the crumb firms up a bit. This will also make it easier to fill and frost your cake. Store the cake, unfrosted or frosted, covered with foil or in an airtight container in the fridge.
Buttermilk substitute: You can make your own "buttermilk" by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of whole milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes. I also like to combine ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt (non, low, or full-fat is fine) with ½ cup of whole milk to replace the buttermilk.
Make it dairy-free: Choose your favorite non-dairy milk and mix 1 cup with 1 tablespoon of vinegar, then let it sit for 5-10 minutes before using.
Make it refined sugar-free: Substitute coconut sugar for the brown sugar and granulated sugar.
Make it egg-free: I haven't tried making this as a vegan or egg-free chocolate cake, but you could experiment with using a flax egg substitute in place of the eggs.

Can I Use Another Type of Flour?

This is an oat flour cake for a reason: Oat flour works similarly to wheat flour and creates a cake that is virtually indistinguishable from a regular chocolate cake. I love the slight sweetness of the oat flour in this chocolate cake, along with a slight buttery undertone. It creates a tender yet sturdy crumb that you'll find it hard to stop eating! However, if you wish to try another gluten free flour in place of the oat flour, I recommend teff flour, which is a whole grain gluten free flour that works very well in chocolate recipes. You could also substitute 2 cups of 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour for the oat flour.

A side view of a piece of oat flour chocolate cake.

Serving Suggestions

Ice cream: Try a scoop of vanilla ice cream, mint chocolate chip, no churn pumpkin ice cream, or peanut butter chocolate ice cream with slices of oat flour chocolate cake!
Whipped cream: I love a dollop of freshly whipped cream on top of a slice of chocolate cake OR make a big batch of whipped cream and use it to fill and frost the cake for an easy yet decadent way to finish this cake.
Frosting ideas: You can frost this cake any way you like - the possibilities are virtually limitless. Make my chocolate buttercream frosting recipe - always a solid, classic choice - or try a cream cheese frosting, vanilla frosting, or make the salted caramel frosting in this post to take it over the top.
Fruit: Top the cake with sliced strawberries or raspberries.
Plain: This cake is so good I'll argue that you don't need anything else with it. Yes! It is truly that delicious. But, if you want a little something more, sift some powdered sugar over the top of a cake layer.
Have a layer now, save one for later: A single-layer chocolate cake is also a thing of beauty, and you can serve it with any of the options detailed above. Then, wrap the second layer tightly in plastic and foil and freeze it for up to 3 months to use another time.

A piece of oat flour chocolate cake on a white plate placed on a blue napkin.

Storage Options

A serving tip is to bring the cake to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before you serve it. This will help the cake and frosting to relax and soften a bit, making for a better texture when you dig in. And here's how to store your oat flour chocolate cake:

Fridge - To store, cover the cake tightly with foil, or place it in an airtight container, and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer - Freeze the whole cake or slices of cake by wrapping them in a layer of plastic wrap then foil, and storing them in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also tightly wrap unfrosted cake layers in plastic wrap and foil and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the cake thaw in the fridge before serving.

Oat Flour Chocolate Cake