Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cake
A gluten free chocolate chip cake studded with little bites of chocolate and swirled with plenty of vanilla for delicate flavor. Finished with vanilla buttercream!
Servings: 16
Calories: 519kcal
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ¼ cups gluten free flour (280 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ¼ cup milk or heavy cream
- ¼ cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
Instructions
Make Cake
- Grease 2 8-inch baking pans and line them with parchment paper rounds.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, take 3 tablespoons of the dry ingredient mix and toss it with the chocolate chips.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, then beat in the oil, vanilla extract, and milk. Scrape down the bowl if needed and beat until smooth.
- Beat in the dry ingredient mix on low until combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the coated mini chocolate chips. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and smooth the top. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and rest the batter while the oven heats.
- Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops of the cakes are set. Cool the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then turn them out to cool completely.
Make Frosting
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter on medium-high speed until completely smooth (about 2-3 minutes).
- Beat in the powdered sugar on low one cup at a time until blended. Mix in the milk, then use a spatula to stir in the mini chocolate chips.
Assemble
- Spread ⅓ of the frosting on a cake round, then top it with the other cake round. Frost the sides and top of the cake evenly.
Notes
- Rest the batter - Make sure to rest the batter before baking to allow the gluten free flour to hydrate, or at least as long as it takes the oven to preheat (this is why we turn the oven on after we make the batter, unlike in traditional baking recipes which often has to preheat the oven as the first step). This is especially important if you use a commercial gluten free flour mix, which can be gritty if not properly hydrated.
- Dairy free - If you keep dairy and gluten-free, use non-dairy milk and non-dairy butter in the batter and buttercream.
- Soften your butter - For the best results, bring the butter to room temperature before using it. This is especially important in the frosting because you don't want to see any clumps or streaks of butter that can happen when the butter is too cold.
- Sift your powdered sugar - Another easy way to avoid lumpy frosting is to sift the powdered sugar. This quick step is SO essential to making perfect frosting!
- Swap buttermilk - For an extra-tender cake, substitute the whole milk in the batter for buttermilk.
- Try chocolate frosting - For an extra hit of chocolate, make chocolate frosting instead of chocolate chip frosting! My chocolate buttercream frosting works great, and you can fold in some mini chocolate chips too if you like.
Nutrition
Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 650IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 2mg