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Egg-Free Chocolate Cake

From Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

After asking a friend to share a new cake recipe, she pointed me to The Joy of Baking, and a chocolate cake that I could adapt to gluten-free, use butter or oil, make egg-free and didn’t use flaxseed meal, chia seeds, or any egg alternative. 

I’ve made this cake several times, it’s very quick and easy to make, everyday ingredients. Since gluten-free flours have little flavor compared to wheat flour I used light brown sugar rather than regular sugar. For laziness as well as to make it dairy-free, I have used both almond oil and avocado oil. Using melted butter would give more flavor. Interestingly if you Google this cake, there are quite a few recipes for it, many claiming authorship and changing quantities of ingredients. 

Gluten-Free and Egg-Free Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/3 cups King Arthur, all-purpose, gluten-free flour, no xanthan gum or baking powder. 
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup avocado oil, or almond oil
  • 1 cup warm water 
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure coffee extract (optional), zest of orange, or different gluten-free extracts

Chocolate Ganache

  • 1 c, 6 ounces, gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips – I use Tollhouse
  • 1 c, 8 fl oz heavy cream 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350*F (180* C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter or spray an 8 or 9 inch (20 or 22cm) cake pan with a nonstick cooking spray, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, spray paper and dust pan with cocoa.
  2. In a large bowl whisk or stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Add the melted butter or oil, water, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and coffee extract (if using). Beat all the ingredients together until well blended. Pour the wet batter into your pan and bake in preheated oven for about 28 – 30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Don’t overcook it. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 – 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pan.

Chocolate Ganache: Heat cream in a microwave-safe jug for about 1 minute. Stir in the chocolate, and leave for a few minutes.  Stir until smooth.  I like to use an immersion blender to make the ganache totally smooth.  

Leave in the fridge for at least an hour so ganache thickens and then spread over top and sides of cake.

I also tried making this with ¾ cup milk and one egg rather than 1 c water.  The photo shows whole cake with ganache and chopped nuts. The cake rose more and was definitely moister.  Without the egg, I found edges of cake were a bit harder, not bad, just noticeable to me.  

Original recipes talk about putting dry ingredients in cake pan, adding wet ingredients, mixing and baking. I find it easier to mix in 4 c (1 ltr) pyrex jug and pour into cake pan.  Flour and cocoa tend to fly everywhere when mixed in shallow pan.

Note that unsweetened cocoa (Hershey’s regular) reacts with vinegar/lemon juice giving a reddish tinge, like red velvet cake.

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