Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Egg-Free Chocolate Cake

August is birthday month around here (and it doesn’t seem to slow down too much until the end of October). Now that both of my parents and my sister are gluten-free and dairy-free (and feeling fabulous of course), I’ve been busy baking birthday cakes and cupcakes for my entire family.

One of my go-to gluten-free flours is teff flour. It’s an amazing gluten-free grain jam-packed with nutritional goodness. And it pairs perfectly with chocolate, so naturally I grabbed for it when I was asked to bake chocolate cake (plus I was inspired by Amy’s cake recipe in her cookbook).

I made this gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free chocolate cake for my sister’s birthday, my Mom’s birthday, and for Callum’s 6th birthday (time REALLY does fly). And I’m sure I’ll be making it again this weekend for my Dad’s birthday.

It’s a winner.  And it doubles as cupcakes.  Callum requested an out of this world birthday party with cake AND cupcakes.  Who am I to deny him?

Teff Chocolate Cake (or Cupcakes)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ cup full-fat coconut milk (make sure it’s well mixed)
½ cup dairy-free milk (I use organic almond or soy milk)
¼ cup tapioca flour or arrowroot flour
1 cup teff flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon psyllium seed husks
½ teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon vanilla
¾ cup granulated sugar (I use coconut sugar)
½ cup coconut oil, liquefied

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cheesecake pan with parchment (see this trick for lining cake pans).

Combine the apple cider vinegar with the coconut milk and dairy-free milk in a large bowl (canned coconut milk separates, so make sure to mix it well before using). Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to create a “buttermilk”.

In a medium sized bowl, sift together the starch, teff flour, baking powder, baking soda, psyllium seed husks, sea salt, and cocoa powder.

Add vanilla, sugar and coconut oil to your “buttermilk” mixture and stir until well combined. Stir in dry ingredients and mix well.

Spread batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and let cool for fifteen minutes. Carefully run a knife around the side of the cake pan and remove outer ring (if using cheesecake pan). Let cool completely.

Frost with desired frosting.

Yield: 1 single layer 8 inch round cake or 10-12 regular sized cupcakes

NOTES:

* If baking cupcakes, bake for 20-22 minutes.
* To make a double layer cake you will need to make this recipe twice. I iced mine in between layers too, doesn’t everyone? Make sure your cakes cool completely before icing and layering.
* Make sure you tightly wrap any leftovers – they’ll keep for a couple of days.