How to Make The BEST, Easy Low FODMAP Chocolate Cake
This Easy Low FODMAP Chocolate Cake just happens to be vegan. You would never guess that there are no eggs or dairy. I think it is a perfect chocolate cake and the one I make most often, whether I am baking for FODMAPers, making a wedding cake, or just making a cake for a local bake sale.
Our Low FODMAP Chocolate Cake is Super Versatile
There are instructions for 8 and 9-inch (20 cm and 23 cm) rounds as well as a 13 by 9-inch (33 cm by 23 cm) pan and cupcakes!
This Cake Is A Basic
We turn to this cake when we want a low FODMAP chocolate layer cake – whether you want to fill and frost it with a simple confectioners’ sugar based Vanilla Frosting, whipped cream or Italian Meringue Buttercream.
Check it out in our Low FODMAP Black Forest Cake – which we love for Valentine’s Day or Birthdays.
For more easy chocolate cakes, check out our Texas Sheet Cake and our Spicy Low FODMAP Chocolate Snack Cake!
Easy Low FODMAP Chocolate Cake
This Easy Low FODMAP Chocolate Cake is the cake to turn to when you want a basic chocolate cake - for birthdays or anytime. AND it is vegan, too!
Low FODMAP Serving Size Info: Makes: either two 8-inch or 9-inch (20 cm or 23 cm) cake layers; a 13 by 9-inch (33 cm x 23 cm) pan; or 24 cupcakes. Serving size depends on which frosting or buttercream you use. As a starting point we recommend cutting round cakes into 14 servings, the rectangular cake into 24 servings and eating only 1 cupcake at a time.
Ingredients:
- 2 ¾ cups (399 g) low FODMAP gluten-free all-purpose flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- 2 cups (396 g) sugar
- ⅔ cup (56 g) sifted natural cocoa
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (480 ml) room-temperature water
- ⅔ cup (165 ml) neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, rice bran or sunflower
- 2 tablespoons apple cider or distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preparation:
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Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180°C). Coat two 8- or 9-inch (20 or 23 cm) round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment rounds, then spray the parchment. (see Tips below if using the suggested alternative pans).
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Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
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Whisk together water, oil, vinegar and vanilla in medium bowl.
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Pour wet over dry and whisk until combined and smooth. Divide batter evenly in prepared pans. Firmly tap bottom of pan on work surface to dislodge any bubbles.
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Bake for about 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs. Cool pan on rack for 15 minutes. Unmold the cake onto rack, peel off parchment and cool completely. Cake is ready to fill and frost. Alternatively, place layer on cardboard round and double wrap in plastic wrap; store at room temperature and assemble within 24 hours, which is my preference. You can also triple wrap and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost in refrigerator overnight.
Notes:
Tips
- If using a 13 by 9-inch (33 cm by 23 cm) pan, coat with nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment (if unmolding after); bake for 30 to 35 minutes and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack, then unmold if desired. If making cupcakes, line 24 cupcake wells with fluted paper liners and fill each two-thirds full with the batter, then bake for about 20 minutes. Allow the pan to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then unmold the cupcakes directly onto the rack to cool.
If You Can Tolerate
- Fructans: If you passed the Fructan Wheat Challenge, you could use unbleached all-purpose flour instead of the low FODMAP gluten-free flour (in which case the cake will no longer be gluten-free). Use weight equivalents for the most accurate results with this substitution and not volume measures.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
I baked these and used the 2 cupcake tin option. I baked both tins at once. I misread the recipe and hit the bottom of the mixing bowl to dislodge bubbles (versus hitting the bottom of the tins). It was a long week and I was baking these late on a Friday evening. 🙂 The cupcakes did not rise all the way. They were slightly sunk in the middle (more room for frosting). 🙂 Regardless of the appearance, they were fudge-like, moist, great consistency, and delicious! I served them with coconut cool whip on top. I brought them over to my friend’s house where her children and husband quite a few. My friend ate 4 in the one day I visited..I will admit that I ate 3! My friend’s husband ate one and immediately asked if he could have another (those are the compliments every baker wants to hear). 🙂 I am amazed by the simple ingredients in this cake, the lack of dairy/egg/gluten/etc., and still how superbly they came out (minus the dip on the top). Thank you so much for this recipe!! I will bake these again!
Thank you for the full report! I’ve been making this recipe for years and it never disappoints and it is so gratifying to see it getting a wider audience. Perfect for a chocolate lover.
Mmmmmm.
I made 18 cupcakes, with a flour blend that was heavy on glutinous rice flour, they are fudgy and delicious. When I make this again, I’ll use a different blend for a full-size cake so it’s more “cakey”, like the photos.
Cupcakes topped with raspberry jam and chocolate ganache!
birdy, those sound heavenly! Are they for a special occasion? Whoever gets to enjoy them is lucky indeed! Thank you for letting us know.
My cake has baked for 25 minutes and is soupy! Help!!!
There is no way for me to know what is going on. Did you use the exact ingredients called for and measure them properly? What kind of pan are you using? Do you use an independent oven thermometer and know that your oven is calibrated? What temperature were your ingredients when the batter went in the oven? These are just a few things to consider. For this batch just keep baking until you get the visual cues suggested and see if this go-round can be salvaged.
I baked this cake for a get together this weekend at the cottage. I needed to bake in advance, wrapped them in plastic (2 layers) and froze. For the frosting I forgot ingredients so I improvised with lactose free whipping cream, cream cheese, vanilla and sugar. IT WAS A HUGE HIT! No one there was FODMAP but they all loved it. I revealed my secret after all had tasted and raved about it. It was extremely easy to bake and also to do 3 days ahead. It was eaten by some of the fellas for lunch the next day…believing it to be “healthy” which gave me a laugh. Thank you FODMAP Everyday Kitchen!!!
LOL we LOVE stories like this! What lucky friends and family you have – and we are thrilled to be part of your “healthy” baking adventure.
I made this cake for a small civil ceremony. I made the cake twice. The first time I used the recipe as written and with filtered water from my brita pitcher. We wound up tossing the cake as written because it turned out too fudgy and crumbly. I then made the cake again using Better Batter Flour and water from the tap as I was out of the Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1. The Better Batter GF flour blend and tap water worked and the taste was immaculate. We presented the cake to the bride and groom, who could not stop raving about it. The bride was recently vegan and had been craving a good chocolate cake. It was a huge hit!!
Hi Katelyn, first of all, I am so sorry you had some bad experiences and so glad you found a solution. And that it was for a vegan wedding makes it extra special! I do have to say I am very surprised at your initial outcomes. I have actually never made a recipe with the Better Batter, not once, where a 1:1 substitution worked, since it interacts with liquid uniquely. Secondly, I am surprised at your experience as I have made this cake literally hundreds of times as it is a hold-over from our bakery – and was even used in many a wedding cake. If you want to continue making it with the Better Batter of course you can but for others reading this, if the recommended flour is used and measured as recommended (a very important step) with properly calibrated measuring tools (another very important aspect) then I guarantee the results. I cannot say that about every recipe as some are persnickety or have not been made as many times as this one, but I am confident in the original recipe.
Hi Dede! This review was not a comment on your recipe but rather my experience with it. There could have been many factors affecting the outcome of my initial round of baking. I do bake exclusively by weight with routinely calibrated kitchen scales. How interesting with the Better Batter comment as I often use this flour interchangeably without issues in other recipes.
I think the issue is probably with the weights. We use volume in our test kitchen and the weights are the alternate, not the primary way that we approach our recipes so volume is actually always going to give you better results for our recipes. One is always going to get the best results if they make a recipe the way it is tested.
Hi Dede,
This looks like a fantastic recipe. Is it possible to omit the vinegar?
My son is very gluten and fructose intolerant and its difficult to find (in Australia, where we live) vinegar that is guaranteed to be GF.
Thanks.
Ori
You need something acidic and could try lemon juice.
Hi,
Thanks for the hard work involved in this recipe and the whole website, it’s a godsend!
I’m wondering just how important it is to use natural cocoa in this recipe?
I’ve read the page about the cocoa and I get the taste, texture, etc could be different, but would it make or break the recipe?
I live in Israel and different kinds of Cocoa are just not easily found here. There’s only two types of cocoa in my usual store and they are just called “cocoa” with one just being organic…
The one I usually use reminds me of a shade somewhere between Dutch-processed and black cocoa… there are just too many different cocoas out there LOL
Thanks for any advice,
Sofie
Hi Sofie, if the ingredient list just says “cocoa” or “cacao” then that is the right kind. If it says that it is treated with alkalai, then that is Dutch-processed. I greatly prefer the natural, and at least here in the US, the natural is the “default” cocoa and usually easier to find. Hopefully that is what you have access to. Organic or not will not matter.
I’ve been diagnosed for about 2 years now and am really missing good home baked cake and biscuits! The shop bought variety are often over sweet, and most of the recipes I have seen often use lots of different flours along with xanthium gum. This recipe looks great! My question is are your oven temperatures for a fan oven or a conventional oven?
Also, do you know which make of gluten free flour available in the UK most closely matches to Bob’s Red Mill? Many thanks in advance.
Hi Laura, as we are in the U.S. we use what is available to us. We do have a homemade recipe to replicate the Bob’s. You could make it or check out the ingredients and then purchase accordingly. All recipes are in a radiant oven NOT convection, which is fan powdered.
This is hands down the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made and top 5 that I’ve ever had. Moist and soft. I probably make this cake for every chocolate cake moving forward regardless of whether the recipient needs Low FODMAP or not. The fact that this cake is also vegan is simply amazing.
You made my morning! Made me smile…thank you for taking to the time to write – and to inspire others to try this super EASY cake that is soooo moist and delicious! I am making it this week for a non-FODMAP potluck with coffee liqueur, toffee bits and espresso buttercream.
Just AMAZING!
Follow a FODMAP diety is hard, but find out those luscious recipes like your make me smile again! Thanks for that,
Hugs from Brazil!
Amanda, this is such a lovely note – and we love hearing from our global community! ((HUGS)) to you back!
Dédé, would halving the amounts work for this cake? (Maybe the weight would help me get halves of fractions?) When in doubt I ask Alexa for half amounts 🙂
Different topic: You mentioned you use conventional baking and that convection setting could cause problems, as the recipe was not developed for it. I looked but did not see an article about this and I was wondering what changes with convection. [My new oven has this setting available.] Just for edification.
I know you always have lots of articles in process–we appreciate you–maybe one on this sometime? 🙂
Hi there. How much (or little) cake are you trying to bake? In general convection goes faster. It is also drier. It can be great for creating a crips crust on French bread or crisping meringue, but sometimes you don’t want a drier heat. In addition, fan can be back overnight wall or top. If it is top blowing down, that can wreak havoc with some items.