When I was in college I worked in a movie theater diner, and my absolute favorite part of my shift was when the restaurant closed. We got to turn up the music (we had a jukebox that had really good songs on it), dance around while cleaning, laugh with coworkers about the ups and downs of our shift, and finally eat some food after all the patrons left.
My friend Katie was a server, and I managed the dessert counter (are we surprised?). And we both had a thing for the chocolate cake on our menu. It was three layers of rich, decadent, chocolatey goodness, and every once in a while, after a particularly long shift, we’d buy a slice, heat it up, top it with fudge, take two forks, and go to town. Ah, sweet bliss.
One bite of this homemade chocolate cake sent me right back to that sweet moment in my adolescence. I don’t remember Katie’s last name or I’d absolutely look her up and tell her that she should make this cake so we could eat some together virtually.
I’m thrilled to have created a cake that stacks up to the decadent bakery versions to help us all celebrate and commemorate the special moments in our lives regardless of special dietary needs.
The really amazing part? This EASY 1-bowl cake is 100% vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, grain-free, and 1000% delicious. Yes, dreams do come true. Let us show you how.
For this recipe, we used banana and applesauce in place of eggs. They help give it a moist texture and also add sweetness. The banana taste is hardly distinguishable and the main flavor is definitely CHOCOLATE!
Vanilla extract adds a hint of vanilla flavor, while almond butter is used in place of oil to keep this recipe oil-free.
For sweeteners, we used a combination of maple syrup and coconut sugar to keep it refined sugar-free. The maple syrup adds moisture, while the coconut sugar adds substance.
For gluten-free flours, we went with a combination of almond flour and potato starch. This pairing gives this cake a fluffy yet crumbly texture!
Dairy-free milk adds moisture, and cocoa powder gives this cake its rich, chocolaty flavor.
The batter is added to cake pans for baking. We like to use three 6-inch round cake pans for an impressive three-tier look. But we include options in the recipe for different size pans.
Once your cake is baked, it’s ready for frosting!
We frosted it with our decadent, date-sweetened Vegan Chocolate Frosting (that’s also oil-free!). But our Vegan Chocolate Ganache Frosting would also be incredible. Or, if you’re not really a frosting person, this cake is still amazing without frosting!
We hope you LOVE this cake! It’s:
Fudgy
Fluffy
Rich
Chocolaty
Naturally sweet
Easy to make
& DELICIOUS!
It’s perfect for special occasions (such as birthdays) and beyond!
More Vegan Gluten-Free Cake Recipes
- 1-Bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
- 1-Bowl Chocolate Hazelnut Cake (Vegan + GF)
- 1-Bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
- 1-Bowl Pumpkin Cake (Vegan + GF)
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
1-Bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
CAKE
- 2/3 cup mashed ripe banana (~2 small bananas as original recipe is written)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (sub dairy-free yogurt for richer texture // we love Culina plain yogurt)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp almond butter (or sub peanut butter, cashew butter, tahini, or sunflower butter)
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)
- 1 ¼ cup dairy-free milk (we used boxed unsweetened almond milk // cashew or rice milk would also work)
- 1 cup sifted cocoa powder
- 1 cup potato starch (NOT potato flour // some readers have had success subbing 1/2 arrowroot starch, 1/2 coconut flour)
- 2 ½ cups almond flour (not meal // we prefer Wellbee's brand)
- 1-2 tsp finely ground espresso powder or dark roast coffee (optional // enhances chocolate flavor)
FROSTING (choose one) optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and lightly grease (avocado oil is best) two standard 8-inch round cake pans, one 9×13-inch pan, or three 6-inch round pans (our preferred) and dust with cocoa powder. Shake out excess and set aside. If making cupcakes, line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
- To a large mixing bowl add banana and mash (measure to ensure it’s the correct quantity). Then add applesauce (or yogurt), vanilla, almond butter, and whisk to combine. Next add maple syrup, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt (optional) and whisk to combine.
- Next add dairy-free milk and whisk to combine. Then add sifted cocoa powder and whisk to combine. Then add potato starch and whisk to combine.
- Next add almond flour a little at a time until the batter has reached a pourable, saucy consistency (see photo). It shouldn’t be thick like brownie batter and it shouldn’t be watery. If too thin, continue adding almond flour. If too thick, thin with a little dairy-free milk. We used about 2 ½ cups almond flour (as original recipe is written). Depending on your ingredients, you may need more or less. At this time you can whisk in some espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor (optional). Start with recommended amount and add more to taste.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pan(s) and bake on a center rack for 28-38 minutes (if baking cupcakes, bake time should be 18-20 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out free of crumbs (a little brown color is okay) and the edges appear dry / slightly pulled away from the pan. Be careful not to over-bake.
- Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. To remove from pans, run a dull knife around the edge of the pans to loosen the cakes. Then place a plate or cooling rack on top and quickly invert. Let cool completely before frosting (~1 hour // expedite the process by cooling briefly in the refrigerator or freezer).
- At this point you can enjoy your cake as is. But we recommend frosting with Vegan Chocolate Ganache Frosting or our Vegan Chocolate Frosting (Oil-Free) (pictured above).
- Best fresh and within the first couple days after baking. The texture tends to become dried out after that (using dairy-free yogurt in place of applesauce adds more moisture!). Store cake covered at room temperature for 2-3 days* or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Freeze up to 1 month (then thaw at room temperature).
Video
Notes
*Recipe adapted from our 1-Bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake and 1-Bowl Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.
*We found the texture of this cake to be best when consumed within 24-48 hours. The nature of potato starch is a bit drying, so keep this in mind if making days in advance for an event or special occasion.
Danielle says
This was delicious: chocolatey, moist, and just the right amount of sweetness. I made the chocolate ganache to frost it. So tasty!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing, Danielle! xo
Elizabeth says
Delicious with great texture. I may have “overloaded” my cup measures and used a little too much almond flour. I may spoon it into a cup measure next time. I had a hard time getting the toothpick to come out clean and may have overbaked slightly (it was a tiny bit dry). I think next time I’ll just press lightly on the middle and see how that goes. I used the oil-free icing which I could have just eaten out of a bowl with a spoon, it was SO good! Thank you for this excellent recipe. I’m guessing it took a lot of trial and error.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Elizabeth! We’re so glad you enjoyed the cake and especially enjoyed the icing. Baking for less time and/or using less flour should help the cake be more moist. We hope you love the cake even more next time! xo
Renee Phillips says
Thank you so very much for this excellent recipe! My best friend is a gluten free vegan and I wanted to make her a cake for her birthday. I made some substitutions mainly peanut butter instead of almond butter and Agave rather than maple syrup, I used some left over assam black tea rather than the coffee. I used my 8 inch heart pans and the cake came out fabulous! It was moist and delicious. It had such a nice crumb. I frosted it with a vegan chocolate frosting and oat milk chocolate chips. It makes a very generous amount! This cake made her birthday very special and she portioned out some slices into containers to freeze and then told me that the refrigerated extras were even better the next day! It was great to see a recipe using the potato starch. I always have it on hand because it makes such a great gluten free dredge when making fried dishes! Thank you again! Wish I could upload a photo!!
That is so sweet of you to make a special cake for your friend, Renee! We’re so glad she enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing! We’d love to see a photo – you can tag us on Instagram or Facebook :)
Veronica says
Wow ! so delicious. Always a success with minimalist baker!!
The texture and taste is absolutely perfect.
The only thing I changed was the maple syrup 1/3 cup instead of 3/4 cup and it was perfectly sweet enough. Didn’t do any frosting just a thin layer of powdered sugar. I baked for 32 min using a 9” pan.
thank you for this recipe !
We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes, Veronica! Thank you so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Luz says
Hello,
Would I be able to use pactos-free dairy? Would the measurements be the same?
Hi Luz, we think you’re referring to lactose-free milk? Yes, you could use that and the amount won’t change. Hope that helps!
Alain Martin says
Can I replace your unsweetened apple sauce with Bob’s Red Mill egg replacement or flaxseed powder?
Thanks
Alain
Hi Alain! We haven’t tried with those substitutions, but they may work. The applesauce and banana add moisture, so just know it may be a bit more dry, but this is a very moist cake so that could be fine! Let us know if you try it! We also have a delicious chocolate cake recipe here that uses flaxseed meal!
Alain Martin says
I’ll use the bananas but will try the Bob’s Red Mill egg replacement for the apple sauce. How much do you think I should use to replace it, one or two eggs?
Thanks for your fast answer, this is for a friend’s birthday (and mine also) next Sunday!
I’ll also be using your Vegan Chocolate Frosting with dates.
Can’t wait to taste it.
One egg should work. We hope you both enjoy! xo
Mary says
I made this following your recipe and it turned out wonderful – it was lovely to make a ‘regular’ cake for my sons birthday but that his girlfriend (Vegan and GF) could enjoy – I made it in a Bundt tin – took 40 mins to cook. Thanks for the time and effort you put into making this recipe
Aw, we’re so glad it was enjoyed by all, Mary! Thank you for your kind words and lovely review! xo
Julia says
Amazing recipe! My child has lots of allergies, but can have dairy, so I made it with sour cream instead of apple sauce and with regular milk. It came out so-so good, everyone loved it. Wouldn’t be able to tell that it’s gluten-free and eggless.
We’re so glad it was a success, Julia! Thank you for sharing! xo
Alexa says
Hi there! I’m looking at your recipe to make for a friend who is gluten, dairy and sugar free. I currently live in Poland and the gluten free flour options are very slim. Almond flour is extremely hard to find here. Rice and oat flour are more common. What would you suggest?
Hi Alexa, almond flour is important for a cake-like texture. Do you have access to raw almonds? If so, you can make almond flour in a blender!
Anna says
I made it in a slab to try the cake. I need to make a GF, dairy free,
three layers birthday cake. Great recipe! Very delicious and surprised how moist the cake was. Thank you so much.
We’re so glad you enjoy this cake, Anna. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
mihal says
Made this and it was absolutely delicious! I was so pleasantly surprised at how much my family enjoyed this cake-even my picky eaters! Thank you-keep at it with all your content, I love all your recipes i’ve tried!
We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed it, Mihal! Thanks so much for sharing.
Peter says
Turned out amazing! What can i replace 2 bananas with to omit banana flavour?
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Peter! We’d suggest this recipe for a version without any banana: https://minimalistbaker.com/the-best-gluten-free-chocolate-cake/
Diana says
This was super delish! One question: I baked it for 35 minutes and it looked like it might be starting to overbake on top, so I took it out of the oven but it was still a fraction underdone when I cut into it (though still fudgy and yummy!). Do you think my mixture was likely too thick or too thin?
Hi Diana, Hmm, we wouldn’t think the texture being too thick or thin would describe that, but possibly too thin if there wasn’t enough flour, causing it to turn out too wet. And we assume it wasn’t on convection bake or in an especially tall pan, right?
Diana says
It was on convection bake and not a tall pan. I’ll just keep trying until I get it right as it’s so good! Maybe it just needed longer in the oven.
Ah, that’s the issue! It should be on normal, not convection bake. Convection causes it to brown more on the outside.
Sherri says
Omg help, I just realized I don’t have potato nor corn starch and I’ve got a double batch of mix up to that point in a bowl. Making your wonderful German chocolate cake for hubbies birthday
Ah, bummer! Potato starch really is key to the right texture and worth a trip to the store if you can. We’re probably too delayed in our reply to be helpful. Hope it turned out okay!
Sherri says
Thanks for trying. I knew I was grasping at straws. I did salvage it by using 3 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend and almond flour instead of the whole amount of almond flour. Probably was not as fluffy but it worked and everyone loved it. I am definitely going to restock the potato starch
Oh YAY! Thanks for the update, Sherri! We’re so glad it worked out.
Gassy Gals says
Made this for some GF DF Egg free pals and LOVED it. However, being my first time baking with some of these ingredients, we learned that arrowroot starch can cause some digestive issues when consumed in excess. I subbed the arrowroot starch and coconut flour for the potato starch like the recipe suggests and that was definitely not a good substitute for us. Sub with caution and research the recommended serving size.
CHRISTINE Niddrie-Davies says
This did not work. The batter was like cement. So I added twice the almond milk. Still cement. Nowhere near dropping consistency illustrated. Very disappointed. When cooked, so crumbly, it fell to pieces. No hint of rising. Not a cake texture. Awful. Waste of time and money.
We’re so sorry you had a negative experience with it, Christine. It definitely sounds like something went wrong as many other readers have reported success! Did you make any modifications to the flours? Is it possible you were using coconut flour? That would yield a more dense and crumbly result. Or possibly potato flour instead of potato starch? Or was your baking powder expired?
Alyson says
I love your cake recipes! I wanted to ask if you have tried or recommend using coconut milk (full fat) for this recipe instead of almond milk or would that alter the texture of the cake?
Hi Alyson, we’re so glad to hear it! Thank you for letting us know! We think full-fat coconut milk would change the texture too much because of the increased fat content. It would likely be crumbly/oily. Hope that helps!
Neha says
Love love love this recipe!! Have made it a zillion times already 😁 and still cannot get enough.
I needed to ask if there’s a healthy chocolate filling that I can use inside of it to give it some extra flavor for the next time?!
We’re so glad you love the recipe, Neha! We’d recommend this recipe for the chocolate filling. Hope that helps!
Eugenia Vomvoridi-Ivanovic says
My son wanted chocolate cake for his birthday and I made this one because I felt like eating cake too and I can only do gluten free. I followed all the instructions but ended up needing a bit more almond milk for the frosting (I used the vegan oils free chocolate frosting). EVERYONE LOVED IT! It is delicious and perfectly moist and fluffy. Also it is just right in terms of sweetness (i.e. not too sweet). No one could tell it is gluten free and made of healthy ingredients. I will definitely make again. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes. You never disappoint.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Eugenia! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
Elisabeth Graham says
Great! Thank you so much for the suggestion. I will definitely give it a try!
Elisabeth Graham says
Loved the cake – it was absolutely delicious! Some of the people who ate it do not like bananas. Is there a way to substitute something if their place? Thanks!
Hi Elisabeth, so glad you enjoyed the cake! We haven’t tried this recipe without the bananas and can’t guarantee results, however, we think a thick dairy-free yogurt might work.
Elisabeth Graham says
Hi again. What do you think about subbing the bananas with pumpkin? Do you think that would work? Thanks!
Hi Elisabeth, it might work, but could make it more dense. It also isn’t as sweet, so just keep that in mind :)
Sherri Neil says
Hey Dana and co, I would love to make this cake for a diabetic friend of mine’s birthday. Is there anyway to cut down on some of the sugar? I’m worried about the high amount of maple syrup. Thanks for your help
Hi Sherri, a couple readers have reported using less sugar with success, however it may change the texture. We’d suggest scanning the comments to see what others tried. It sounds like they decreased it by about half and used honey plus more applesauce for moisture. Another idea would be using a sugar-free maple syrup such as Choc Zero, but we haven’t experimented with that. Hope that helps!
Stephanie says
I definitely want to make this cake— but not gluten free since I have all of the ingredients except the almond flour and potato starch.
If I was using regular flour instead, do you think 2.5 cups would be a good swap?
Thanks for the advice!
Hi Stephanie, that could work, but we think it might be a better option to make our vegan chocolate cake that is not gluten-free. Hope this helps!
Elizabeth says
Any advice on alternatives to banana? I find it such a bummer that people fail to mention this ingredient in recipe titles as bananas are not flavor-neutral. But I’d love to find a chocolate cake recipe that’s vegan and flourless and yours is almost there, but then not. Unless…. any suggestions for banana alternative? Thank you!
Hi Elizabeth! We haven’t tried this recipe without the bananas and can’t guarantee results, however, we think a thick dairy-free yogurt might work!
Elizabeth says
Thanks so much for the quick response! Unfortunately, I’m making this for a friend who has a *thing* about yogurt. But that’s a great idea to keep in mind for making recipes for other people. Meanwhile, the search continues!
Caroline says
Hello! I wasn’t able to find a comment about making this completely nut free – any thoughts on a sub for the almond flour ? Does not need to be gluten free.
Thanks!
Hi Caroline! This cake might work better for you!
Henri says
Hey,
This Chocolate Cake would be great for my mother who loves Chocolate!
Is it possible to substitute Potato starch with Cornstarch in same amount?
Or Tapioca starch?
#OVEN
For baking..
You use a fan oven (with blower) or traditionnal oven (only low and high heaters without blower).
#PAN
Us it possible to use 3 6inch Springform pan?
I guess I have to grease or line bottom and sides?
Many thanks
Henri 😉
1) Potato starch is key in gluten-free baking for a light and fluffy texture! We can’t guarantee success with cornstarch, but it would be the next best option. 2) We use a traditional oven. 3) Yes, but we’d suggest lining it with parchment paper to prevent the batter from leaking through.
Henri says
Hey thanks!
I understand for potato starch…
And by traditionnal oven you mean only low and high heaters (no blower)?
For pans 6 Springform pan are good? Because I dont have round Classic pan in 6inch… I do have 3 9inch but too large I guess?
This cake can be frozen with frosting?
Thanks again!
Henri 😉
Correct, a conventional oven with two heating elements. Yes, a 6-inch springform should be fine, but we’d suggest lining it with parchment paper to prevent the batter from leaking through. And yes, it can be frozen with frosting.
Henri says
Hey,
I had your last answer in my mail box but it doesnt appear here…
So you said low and high heaters for oven thanks!
And for 6inch Springform pan I need to divide the batter in 3? Or I make everything and then cut the cake but maybe too risky…
So I need 3 Springform pan I guess?
Otherwise I have 3 9 inch round pans but too large I guess…
Do I have to line the sides of the Springform pan too and how you stick Parchment paper on the sides, with water?
#FROSTING
I prefer the oil free Chocolate Frosting with Dates but do I have to do and use the whole FROSTING recipe for layers and cover the whole cake?
Many thanks!
Henri
You’d need 3 pans. You could probably use two 9-inch pans, they’ll just be thinner and cook faster. You could use oil to help it stick, but we’d just place it in there and add the batter. Yes, you’d likely need the whole frosting recipe.
Bhakti Mala says
I was just wondering if it was possible to substitute the baking powder for anything? Thanks
Hi Bhakti, a leavening agent is important for texture here, otherwise it would turn out very dense. We’d suggest doing a Google search for alternatives to baking powder for leavening – we’ve heard of baking soda + cream of tartar working as an alternative, but just keep in mind results may vary!
Leslie says
I am wanting to make your ice cream cake recipe but saw that someone who put grated apple in their (one-bowl not GF) cake ended up with a cake that wouldn’t really thaw. If I use the coconut yogurt instead of the apple sauce do you think it will freeze ok? Or not with the bananas? Thank you!!
Hi Leslie, we haven’t tried it but we think that should be fine. Let us know how it goes!
Mollie Laurence says
Hi! If I wanted to use oil in place of the banana or a combo of oil & flax egg, how much oil would you recommend or how much oil & flax egg would you recommend? Thanks!
Hi Mollie, we’d suggest using our other vegan/gluten-free chocolate cake that uses oil + flax. You can find it here.
Caro says
I finally made the tweaks! In an earlier comment I mentioned that this recipe is too sweet and banana-y for my liking, so I changed the following:
Instead of ¾ cup maple syrup and ½ cup coconut sugar, I used ¼ cup of honey (since the people I’m making it for aren’t really vegan) and ¼ cup of dark brown cane sugar (since I love molasses and how it enriches the chocolate color). The cake still turned out plenty sweet, but much more tolerable than what in my opinion was the overpowering sweetness of the original recipe.
To compensate for the lost fluids due to using less honey, I used 1 ¼ cup applesauce. The texture turned out perfect, and surprisingly it also had the effect of neutralising the banana flavour, helping the cake taste more like a normal chocolate cake.
I used more salt, because I’m a salted caramel and salted chocolate kind of girl. Up to 1 tsp salt is good, but most of you will probably want to use less than that.
And not that I changed this, but YASS, please use that 1 tsp of coffee because it is good for the cake! No, you won’t taste it, and as someone who is sensitive to caffein, 1 tsp of coffee for a whole batch of cake has not been enough to trigger bad reactions.
I used a 22 cm springform pan, so I just used a cookie sheet on the pan’s floor and dusted the walls with margarine and cocoa powder, not flour. It gives the cake a nicer rich brown colour.
My niece wanted a drip cake so we used a frosting that was ⅓ cup whipped cream and 1 cup white chocolate chips. We both are new to decorating drip cakes, but the contrast of the white frosting dripping on this almost black chocolate cake looks divine to my 13-year-old niece who was baking a cake from scratch for the first time. So yeah, definitely recommended for quality time with a kid who’s into baking!
The only shortcoming was that our cake felt a little short for a drip cake. If I had more ingredients, I would probably make 1½ recipes so that I could bake an extra layer or two to make the cake look taller.
We decorated the wall of the bottom layer of our cake with halved strawberries, which not only looked pretty, but also complimented the taste of this cake with its fresh acidity. Other fruits that I believe would go well with this cake include raspberries, cherries, mandarin oranges, sour grapes and green kiwifruit.
I believe an alcoholic version of this cake could work too! I haven’t tried it, but liquors I am considering are rum, kirsch, brandy, bourbon, nut liquor or orange liquor.
Thank you so much for sharing, Caro!
Bella says
Hands down the best chocolate cake ever! It was moist, perfectly fluffy/dense balance, and just the right sweetness. We used vanilla coconut yogurt and it worked perfectly. This will definitely be a staple celebration cake 😍
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy the cake, Bella! Thank you for sharing! xo
Atara Dahan says
How do I cut this recipe so that it makes like 6 cupcakes?
I always end up making too much when I try to translate cake recipes into cupcakes.
Hi Atara, we’re not sure how many cupcakes this makes, but you could try halving the recipe! Hope this helps.
Caro says
I agree with Support that you could try halving the recipe! But man, 6 cupcakes is honestly sooo little!
I recently made this cake using a 22 cm springform pan. I got three layers of that are each about an inch thick, and some excess batter that probably would have made ⅓ or ½ a layer. So I threw those into some cupcake foil and got four.
Anyway I have no idea how big or small your cupcakes are because it’s not like there is a standard size. I’d like to think my cupcakes were “medium” size, but I didn’t bother measuring them so I can’t tell you for sure. But if we’re baking the same size cupcakes, I’m thinking you only need about ⅓ of the recipe in order to get 6.
But dividing this recipe by three makes the measurements super awkward, which is why I’m wondering why you don’t you just make the whole recipe and turn it into however many cupcakes you end up with.
I think this whole recipe would yield maybe 16-20 cupcakes, which is reasonable in most cases considering most people bake to share. I personally would not be happy with 6 cupcakes, because for me 6 cupcakes is a ration of exactly one per family member, and considering the effort I put into baking it, that is just not rewarding enough.
Anyway, if you just made the whole thing, you could just save the 6 cupcakes you want and pack the rest to share in the office, invite friends over for a cuppa, send them as gifts to a friend who needs cheering up or whatever. Or you could hand out samplers and tell people you make cupcakes to order. In my opinion there is no such thing as “too many cupcakes” because those cupcakes always have somewhere to go and will reward you with happy friends/ neighbours/ family members/ potential customers.
Caro says
This is delicious and yielded a cake with perfect texture and balanced flavours. The texture is even better than the 1-Bowl Vegan Gluten Free Vanilla Cake recipe, which I made awhile ago.
I made this cake for an omnivore so I decorated it with a tangy Greek yogurt and dark chocolate ganache topped with fresh strawberries, kiwifruit and blood oranges. I think this colour palette would look very good for a Christmas party, but for the time being I’m making it as a birthday cake.
A small caveat is that this chocolate cake is a little too sweet for my palate. Nonetheless I followed this recipe because I need to first know the rules in order to someday break them.
I think it could work out with half the coconut sugar, or substituted with dark brown sugar for the deep colour and molasses kick.
I wonder if anyone has omitted the sugar altogether and let honey do the job? Or kept the sugar but reduced the honey?
And has anyone made this using mocaf (modified cassava flour) instead of potato starch?
How about swapping the proportions of the banana and the applesauce? As in using ⅔ cup of applesauce and ¼ cup of banana, instead of the other way around like in this recipe?
Hi Caro, we are so glad you enjoyed this cake overall! We haven’t tried it with the other substitutions but let us know if you try it! Thanks you for sharing!
Rebecca Beck says
We love this cake recipe! Used it many times! I always halve the sugar though and use honey (that’s my general rule of thumb!) One of my kids is allergic to eggs and this recipe is still loved by all! There is still a definite banana flavor to it but thats part of the Joy! Going to try a sweet potato frosting today!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Rebecca!
Neha says
Hi!
Can this cake be made with any seeds flours or completely with a Gf flour blend? Cause I need to bake a cake for a friend who needs it gluten-free, nut-free & dairy-free. Any suggestions are helpful, thank you!
Hi Neha, we haven’t tested it that way, but possibly with a seed meal! We think a GF blend would make it dense, but it might be okay in a lesser quantity. We’d also recommend searching the comments. Another reader (Jamita) with a nut allergy shared some modifications. Hope that helps!
Rebecca Beck says
We’ve used cassava flour successfully!
Adrianne says
Cassava just in place of the almond flour or in place of the almond flour and potato starch?
Kelli H says
Made this for my husbands birthday today in a 9×13. It came out with a very obvious banana flavor and was a tad dry at 28 minutes. I will make it again because it was delicious with chocolate frosting but I’ll take it out at 25 minutes.
We’re glad you enjoyed this overall, Kelli! Thanks so much for sharing! Let us know how it goes. xo
Caro says
Likewise, I can taste the notes of banana! Next time I might try flipping the proportions of the apple and banana, i.e. ⅔ cup applesauce and ¼ cup mashed bananas, and see how that goes. Or use ⅔ cup applesauce and ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt if I anticipate no vegans eating the cake. I think these two might work.
The vanilla cake sister recipe uses only applesauce and vegan buttermilk for wet ingredients, and that turned out nicely. That said, this chocolate cake has better texture, so I wonder if that’s mainly what the banana is for. You can find the vanilla cake recipe at https://minimalistbaker.com/1-bowl-vegan-gluten-free-vanilla-cake/
I made little tweaks to my chocolate cake to try to mask the banana flavour: a tablespoon of lemon juice (can be added to the plant milk to mimic buttermilk), replacing coconut sugar with dark brown sugar (because it contains this tangy molasses), adding a dash of cinnamon-allspice-nutmeg blend and about half a cup of chocolate chips into the batter.
I decorated my cake with a two-ingredient Greek yogurt and dark chocolate ganache, as well as sour fruits such as strawberry and kiwifruit. I think the acidity of my toppings helps further in masking the banana flavour.
Adrianne says
I love the ideas behind this recipe and am going to give it a try for my son’s birthday party this weekend, but I too am concerned about the banana flavor. I love bananas, but I can’t stand them in anything. I wondered about possibly using dates. They would be stickier than bananas, but someone else (possibly you) increased the applesauce when they removed the bananas, but they made other changes too, it think to the sugars. I’d like to keep the sugars the same. So, I wonder about subbing some dates and increasing the applesauce. I haven’t figured out amounts since the bananas don’t have a measured amount. Any thoughts on this?
Hi Adrianne, we think it would be too dense and sticky with dates, but let us know if you try it! A thick dairy-free yogurt or perhaps another fruit or veggie purée (beet, pumpkin, more applesauce) might work better. It’s hard to guarantee the result without testing it ourselves!
Clara says
Is it possible to omit the syrup, or would that affect the texture? I’m trying to cut back on sugar. This recipe is scrumptious! Love it!
Hi Clara, sugar is an important chemical component when it comes to baking, so omitting the maple syrup would probably change things quite a bit! That said, we haven’t tried this recipe without the maple syrup, so anything’s possible. Perhaps you could increase the applesauce? Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Neha says
Hi!
If I want to substitute the bananas and applesauce with eggs, how many would I need for this recipe? I only need a GF recipe, hence 😊
Thank you!
Hi Neha, We haven’t tried this cake recipe with eggs ourselves, but we’d suggest using 3 large eggs or 4 smaller eggs. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Neha says
Thank you soo much for the prompt reply. I used 3 large eggs, and voila! It’s worked out great… however I do think using apple sauce makes it more softer than eggs itself… none the less it came out great and the cake was all over in no time 🤩
Thank you once again for a fabulous recipe 👍
Yay! Thank you for sharing your experience, Neha! xo
Rosie says
Hey, I replaced maple syrup with barley malt syrup, which is less sweet. It’s gloopier, so the cake is firmer, but it was still great!
Trista says
I’m so sorry for asking such a specific question, but I’m having difficulty doing the conversions and hoping you can help me. Would it be possible to turn this into a 4-inch cake? I have a party where I’m baking a regular cake and then I have one friend with such severe food restrictions that he hasn’t had baked goods in years but this might be THE CAKE that he can eat!! I want to make just a little 4-inch cake for him to have separately at the party. Would you be able to help me with the conversion of the ingredients?
Hi Trista, we’re excited he can enjoy this one! For a 4-inch pan, we’d suggest reducing the number of servings to 2 slices. The measurements will be in decimals that are a little tricky to measure though! Perhaps you could make a half batch in three 4-inch pans? Hope that helps!
Sarah says
Do you think this would work fine with roasted carob powder? I’m wanting to make it for a kids birthday party and I haven’t given my son chocolate yet. Also if I were to put a crumb coat on it leave it overnight and then frost, do you think this cake would be too dry?
Thanks so much :)
Hi Sarah, we haven’t tested carob in this recipe, but it might work! A crumb coating should help keep it moist. We’d suggest storing overnight in the refrigerator. Let us know how it goes!
Alex says
Hi! Can I substitute banana with pumpkin purée? I would like to eliminate the banana flavor.
We haven’t tested with that modification, but we do think it could work. Let us know if you try it!
Elizabeth says
Pumpkin isn’t as sweet as banana and is a little wetter, so it’ll probably be different!
Marlijn says
This was a great recipe! I used buckwheat flour instead of almond flour and it worked great. Same amount of flour, poured into cupcake pans. They looked and tasted really great, I combined it with the vegan chocolate ganache frosting and stored some in the freezer for later.
Gluten free and vegan, amazing, thanks for the recipe!
Atara Dahan says
It wasn’t too dense/heavy like this?
Would like to try it but buckwheat often comes out for me super dense and dry
Aly Cardenas says
Thank you Minimalist for saving my birthday. Last year I bought a very pretty, very expensive GF, vegan cake. Unfortunately it was also very dry and very sweet. When I saw this recipe I knew I was going to try it for my birthday this year. Well the party is over and everyone loved it!
Amazing! So glad you all enjoyed, Aly. Thanks for the lovely review!
Kamila says
So so delicious and moist absolutely loved this cake!
Yay! Thanks so much for the review, Kamila!
jill says
Hi! My daughter is allergic to gluten, dairy AND almonds :(
Would this cake work with any other gluten free flour in place of the almond flour?
THANK YOU!
Hi Jill! We haven’t tried this recipe without almond flour, but in the past we’ve recommended a blend of GF flour, oat flour and coconut flour, though we haven’t tried it. Unfortunately the almond flour is very important in this cake! Let us know how it goes if you give any subs a try!
Jessi says
How much all purpose flour would you recommend using in place of almond flour and potato starch? I don’t need a gluten free cake, but vegan for my son’s birthday party (he has allergies to nuts, but not potato..). Should I omit the potato starch if using regular flour?
We absolutely love your vegan funfetti cupcakes! We make them for every celebration!! Thanks for your advice!
Jessi says
Oops! I would also like to use cane sugar as well. Would this be 1:1 ratio with the coconut sugar?
Hi Jessi, we’re so glad you enjoy the funfetti cupcakes! We haven’t tested this recipe with all purpose flour and aren’t sure if it will work. If you try it out, we’d suggest ~2 cups in place of the almond flour and potato starch. Or perhaps check out our vegan chocolate cake recipe for inspiration. Hope that helps!
Becky says
This cake is, hands down, the best tasting vegan chocolate cake I have ever made! I made the cake in two 9″ heart-shaped pans for Valentine’s Day and it rose beautifully and had a nice crumb. I made it nearly exactly as the recipe stated with bananas and applesauce, cashew butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, unsweetened soy milk, cacao powder, potato starch and almond flour. The only two deviations from the recipe I made were to add the baking powder and baking soda after adding the potato starch so it wouldn’t start bubbling too early. I also needed to add another 1/4 cup of soy milk after mixing in the almond flour. I baked for 34 minutes. I frosted with the oil-free vegan chocolate frosting. The frosting was delicious too! This was one of the few vegan recipes I’ve baked where I thought it was good enough to share with friends (who are all mainly non-vegan). Everyone gave it rave reviews!
I just made another vegan chocolate cake today with nearly the same ingredients except that it called for oat flour and tapioca starch and it came out soooo rubbery with no loose crumbs. Said not to overmix and I don’t think I did. I’m thinking the almond flour and potato starch are a better combination than oat flour and tapioca starch.
Aw, we’re so happy to hear how much you and your guests liked it, Becky! Thank you for sharing your experience! Potato starch is unique in its ability to make gluten-free baked goods light and fluffy. xo
Nadeema says
Is your 1 cup (almond flour) equivalent to 250 ml?
Hi Nadeema, 1 cup almond flour is approximately 112 grams. You can find the metric measurements by clicking “metric” beneath the ingredients heading. Hope that helps!
Nadeema says
Thank you soooo much …will give it a go🤗
Abbey says
Could I use a different egg substitute in this recipe? Flax, chia, or aquafaba instead of applesauce and banana?
Hi Abbey, we haven’t tried with those substitutions, but they may work. The applesauce and banana add moisture, so just know it may be a bit more dry, but this is a very moist cake so that could be fine! Let us know if you try it!
Maria Strylowski says
Can I bake this cake in one large spring cake pan?
Hi Maria, it depends on the size of the pan. This cake will fit in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Hope that helps!