This easy Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Brown Sugar Icing & Almonds may be the only chocolate cake you ever need! It’s also grain free, and absolutely delicious!
Hi Everyone! I just returned from 1 glorious week whitewater rafting down the Salmon and Snake rivers in Idaho. If you’re into adventure travel, definitely check out my recap and photos: My River Rafting Adventure – this was truly one of my all time favorite family trips!
Although the food on the trip was delicious, I came home craving something rich and chocolaty. Naturally my mind turned to this gluten free chocolate cake. Oh, my goodness, yum!
The recipe comes from my mom’s friend who follows a gluten-free diet. She got the recipe from Wheat-Free Recipes and Menus by Carol Fenster, PhD.
I made a few adaptions to the original version and took the decadence level up a notch by topping it with the yummiest ever brown sugar icing, plus lots of slivered almonds.
This gluten free chocolate cake is easy to make, and so moist, light, and delicious!
You’ll need almond flour, brown sugar (you could also try making it with Swerve sweetener for a lower calorie/carb/sugar version), coconut oil, cocoa, eggs, salt, and almond extract.
To make it extra fluffy, you’ll add the egg yolks separately, then whip up the whites and fold them into the batter.
About that brown sugar icing….
I highly recommend you make this gluten free chocolate cake with the brown sugar icing on top, but if you want a wee bit healthier version, top if off with fresh berries instead.
I hope you love this gluten free chocolate cake as much as I do!
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Brown Sugar Icing
Ingredients
CAKE
- 2 cups fine almond flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, liquid
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, separated
BROWN SUGAR ICING
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, solid (chill in refrigerator if needed)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon almond milk
- 2/3 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
MAKE THE CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8- or 9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, brown sugar, coconut oil, cocoa, almond extract, salt, and egg yolks. Mix thoroughly.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg whites using an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, adding one-fourth of the mixture at a time. (The batter will be very thick) Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
- Run the tip of a thin knife around the edge to loosen the cake from the pan. Invert the pan on to a serving plate and remove the paper. Serve plain with fresh berries, or top with brown sugar icing
MAKE THE BROWN SUGAR ICING
- Combine all ingredients except almonds in a bowl and mix with an electric blender until smooth.
- Frost the top of the cake with icing, and top with sliced almonds.
Nutrition
Craving More Gluten Free Cake Recipes? Here Are 2 More Recipes You’ll Love!
Let’s Chat!
What’s your all-time favorite cake? Have you been river rafting before???
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Hi There! I’m EA, a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) in sunny San Diego. I create easy, DELICIOUS gluten free recipes & low FODMAP recipes for a wide variety of diets. Learn more about my nutrition philosophy and my nutrition coaching for digestive health, autoimmune disease, wellness nutrition, & vibrant aging. Sign up for my newsletter, or get in touch~I’d love to connect with you!
I love love love baking with almond meal, so this cake sounds fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing it in my coconut oil linkup 🙂
Mmmm, this looks wonderful! I LOVE brown sugar icing! I’ll have to try this. And I love whitewater rafting – so fun!
Thanks Lisa and Terra!!!
Carol-Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you try the cake!
Kristen, Sylvie, and Lauren-Thanks so much for you comments! The white water trip was a blast. Details coming soon 🙂
Not much of a baker but we’ll see. I love the way you tweak recipes. I “follow” the first time unsure of the outcome. I too, like Sylvie, can’t wait to hear about your trip.
Wow, white water rafting, I can’t wait to hear about that!
This cake looks amazing! And your trip sounds like a blast! I’ve never been whitewater rafting, but have always wanted to try. 🙂
Rebecca, Sanjeeta, Maris- Thanks so much for your comments. Glad you all like the icing 🙂
Regan-So glad you joined the #cake love adventure!
Junia, Nelly, Yuri, Annapet, Baker Street, Valerie-So happy to be hosting #cakelove with all of you fabulous bakers!
I love that brown sugar icing! And almond flour in cake sound just perfect for one of my gluten free friends.
Oh wow! This cake looks amazing… the almonds on top look perfect! It looks pretty easy to make, i gotta make it =D
Hugs
lovely cake and wow great icing
I’ve been looking for a good gluten free chocolate cake recipe YAY!
Your cake looks gorgeous. Soo happy to be baking with you and spread #cakelove!
oh my goodness, i love this recipe. i love that is gluten free and simple – made only with almond flour! and i love the brown sugar icing and almonds. this is bookmarked. yay for #cakelove
I am a cake eater, lover, baker, taker, maker… you name it!
I’m hoping to get a cake in and participate… You definitely inspired me 😉
Gorgeous cake, EA! That slice with the icing and slivered almonds is begging me to give it a bite. Wish we could do a cake swap and try each other’s cakes… Sending lots of #cakelove your way! Happy Weekend 🙂
This is…amazing E! I love it and the icing looks oh my delicious! You ask if I am a cake eater…I ask…do humans breathe air!? 😉 Yei for joining in the #cakelove