This cake is a traditional “wacky cake” recipe. Wacky cake is often said to have been created during World War II as a result of rationing. If butter, eggs and milk were in short supply and you wanted a chocolate cake, what were you to do? For some brilliant person sadly forgotten by history, that lack of common ingredients was just a difficulty, nothing impossible to work around.
The leavening in the cake is almost solely from the interaction between the vinegar and baking soda, so it’s crucial that your oven is ready before you mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Once they are combined, get your cake in the pan(s) and into the oven ASAP. I have also included the weights of the flours in grams just in case you want to be a bit more precise and weigh your flours (and when it comes to gluten free baking, you really should). Want some more tips on getting your cakes to turn out better? Check this out.
Frost it with your frosting of choice. Get creative with fillings. There are a million ways to dress this recipe up and make it seem so much fancier than it is.
Update on March 8, 2019: I slightly adjusted the volume measurements on the flour to get them closer to the weights. It should not make a big difference, just something I wanted to get a little more accurate.
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1/2 cup +1.5 tsp brown rice flour 84 grams
- 1/3 cup +1 tbsp white rice flour 63 grams
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch 63 grams
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 t tsp xanthan gum
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp vinegar (white or apple cider)
- 5 tbsp canola oil (1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Measure all of your wet ingredients together. Put the bowl or cup in your refrigerator or freezer.
- In a large bowl, measure and sift all of your dry ingredients together. Whisk together to get everything evenly mixed. Make a well in the center.
- Pour all of your wet ingredients into the dry. Whisk together until smooth. Fill your pans and bake. 20-25 minutes for cupcakes, 30-35 for two 6″ or one 8″ cake. Makes approximately 12 cupcakes, one thick 8 or 9″ cake , or two 6″ cakes.
Do you have a recipe for frosting to share to go with this?
I have a few basic ones (vanilla, chocolate) and a couple of more complex ones (caramel, mocha) that I was planning on putting up all at once along with a tutorial on making better frosting with non-dairy butters. But I haven’t made any frosting in a few weeks, so I don’t have any pictures for the post yet. I could send a recipe along if you need a recommended one before I get that up.