If you’re looking for a tasty grain-free almond flour chocolate cake recipe, you’ve come to the right place. This chocolate cake recipe is moist, rich, decadent and delicious. It’s a real crowd pleaser, plus, it doesn’t hurt that it’s absolutely stunning. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.
I created this classic almond flour chocolate cake recipe because I love baking with almond flour and I love eating chocolate. Pretty simple explanation, right?
Almond flour is a great gluten-free flour alternative, although keep in mind that it doesn’t work as a one to one swap with wheat flour. (Read Can You Use Almond Flour in Place of Regular Flour?)
This beautiful cake contains no grains and no gluten. Gluten is a sticky protein found in wheat, rye, barley and sometimes oats. It gives structure to baked goods; without it, many cakes and cookies fall apart.
But when you use blanched almond flour, which is made from peeled and ground up almonds, along with a little gluten-free baking magic, you wind up with a mouth-watering gluten-free cake.
This cake is safe for people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivities to eat, so go ahead and make it for all your gluten-free friends. They will be impressed, no doubt!
How to Make Almond Flour Chocolate Cake
Please follow these step-by-step instructions to making this decadent almond flour chocolate cake recipe.
Step #1: Gather Your Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients for the cake:
- 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour* (I used Bob’s Red Mill blanched almond flour)
- 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
*Be sure to use blanched almond flour as it’s made from peeled almonds that are ground to a flour mixture. It will make your cake smooth vs. gritty. Do not use almond meal.
And for the frosting, you’ll need:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or water
Step #2: Make the Cake Batter
To prepare the cake batter, combine the almond flour, arrowroot flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and set it aside.
In a second medium bowl, combine the eggs, oil and vanilla extract until smooth, then add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix together, by hand, until thoroughly combined.
Step #3: Bake the Cake
Pour the batter into a 9” round cake pan lined with a round piece of parchment paper and bake the cake at 350ºF for 28-33 minutes or until the cake is cooked through and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. Cool completely before frosting.
Step #4: Prepare the Frosting
To prepare the frosting, add the butter to a large mixing bowl and beat it with an electric mixer until smooth.
Next, add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt and beat mixture until well combined.
Now add half of the powdered sugar and one tablespoon of the milk and continue mixing it until smooth, then add the remaining powdered sugar and beat the frosting until it’s fluffy. Add additional milk if needed to get extra fluffy frosting that is easy to spread.
Step #5: Frost the Cake
Now you’re ready to top the cake with the frosting. You can smooth it on top with an offset spatula. The more frosting the better (at least I think so).
Go ahead and slice this cake into eight pieces and serve. Your guests will be so impressed with this moist, rich and decadent chocolate cake creation. And who wouldn’t want a slice?!?
Store leftover chocolate cake in a sealed container in your fridge for up to four days. The cake should taste moist since almond flour adds a lot of moisture, but if it tastes stale, zap it in the microwave for a few seconds. Heat will give the cake a better texture.
A Few Notes
Here are a few insights to help you make the perfect almond flour chocolate cake.
Don’t have arrowroot flour? You can use tapioca flour instead.
Sugar swapping? I personally like to use granulated sugar, but you can also use coconut sugar in this recipe.
Want layers? You can divide the batter into smaller 6” cake pans and then layer your cake. Start checking at 18 minutes for doneness.
Dairy free? The cake itself is already dairy free, and to make the frosting dairy free, simply use dairy-free butter and dairy-free milk (or even water) instead of cow’s milk.
Almond Flour Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- Standing mixer
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or water
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9” round cake pan and line it with a round piece of parchment paper. Set aside.
- Whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a second medium bowl, combine the eggs, oil and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix the batter together until thoroughly combined, then pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake for 28-33 minutes or until the cake is cooked through and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. Cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
- Add the butter to a large mixing bowl and beat it with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt and continue to beat mixture until combined.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and one tablespoon of the milk at a time and mix until smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Add additional milk if need be to get fluffy frosting that is easy to spread.
- Top the cake with the frosting and smooth with an offset spatula. Slice and serve. Makes 8 slices.
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