A few weeks ago I made this cake for a friend's birthday. It turned out chocolatey, velvety, rich, and had the most amazing texture -- lightly springy and spongy, and delicious of course! It's the perfect kind of cake for making layer cakes {if you double the recipe}, for cutting into a shape if needed, to enjoy on its own, or frosted. I served it unfrosted {just sprinkled with some cocoa powder on top} and upon it pretty much being devoured in less than 15 minutes, to my surprise everyone declared that it was amazing and tasted just like a Duncan Hines chocolate cake!
My friend, for whom this cake was made, is actually neither on a gluten-free or vegan diet. He is mostly an organic, clean-eating kind of guy, but his weakness is Duncan Hines and he makes exceptions for these boxed cakes knowingly even though they're not exactly a wholesome kind of treat... Apparently it's something he {and many of my friends} grew up with. I on the other hand must fess up that I never tried it {gasp!} -- my family never bought boxed cake mixes. It is possible I may have eaten some somewhere by chance, since as one of my friends put it, Duncan Hines happens to be a regular guest at birthday parties and such, but I actually have no idea what that boxed mix even tastes like. What I do know however, is that everyone said that this gluten-free, vegan and refined sugar-free cake tasted just like it. What an extraordinary coincidence it is that I made this cake for the birthday of the very person who loves his Duncan Hines so much! :)
There is a part two to this story, though :) My friend also happens to loath beets -- to my horror he thinks they taste like dirt! I on the other hand think beetroot is a wonderful thing {especially of course when combined with chocolate, as in these fudgiest ever chocolate beet brownies}. I made it my mission to convince him otherwise and have made him some wonderful beet dishes in the past, but sadly only succeeded in making him like only one of them {in case you're curious, it was beet hummus he liked -- something my husband nicknamed "bummus" -- delish! ;)}. Anyways, I was really eager to make him secretly enjoy some beets again so I snuck them into this cake. And it absolutely worked -- he loved the cake, didn't have the faintest idea that beets could be anywhere in there, and the cake was absolutely velvety and delicious as a result.
One thing to note about this cake is that it's not super sweet -- it has a very nice and balanced chocolate flavor that way in my opinion and it's perfect for those that love their desserts on the less-sweet side. It's amazing with a nice espresso or some delicious black tea. As I mentioned earlier, I simply dusted mine with cocoa powder {using a handy cake stencil}. The cake can easily be sweetened though with a simple ganache if you want it sweeter though {or if you like ganache ;) } -- I did this when I made the cake on another occasion, so I'm including the recipe for an easy dairy-free ganache as well in case you want your cake additionally coated with a delicious layer of chocolate.
You can also of course frost the cake with a frosting of your choice as needed. One of my friends did just that for her kid's puppy-themed birthday party and it turned out great -- you can see her cake here, if you're curious. The upside of her making this cake by-the-way is that she managed to test out my refined sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan Duncan Hines-style chocolate cake on a bunch of unsuspecting 6 year-olds and their parents and it was a hit. She's being bugged for the recipe ever since, so I had to push this one up the queue above other recipes I had planned to share just so she can refer people to it :)
Duncan Hines-Style Chocolate Cake
A chocolatey gluten-free, vegan, refined-sugar free cake dusted with cocoa powder or an optional chocolate ganache topping.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 9" cake
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups of my gf flour mix {½ cup brown rice flour, 6 tablespoon tapioca starch, 6 tablespoon sweet sticky rice flour/glutinous rice flour, ½ teaspoon guar gum} {or I recommend using 1 cup + 2 tbsp of Pamela's Artisan Flour Mix for a store-bought version}
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup beet puree {I boiled some beets until soft, then pureed them using my magic bullet}
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- ½ cup non-dairy butter, melted
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup boiling water
- additional cocoa powder for dusting the cake once ready
Optional Chocolate Ganache topping {in place of dusting with cocoa powder}:
- 1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- ¼ cup non-dairy butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp pure almond extract {optional}
- dash of salt {if your butter is unsalted}
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9" cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper {for easier removal later}. Set aside.
- Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add in beet puree, sweetener, and vanilla and mix with a mixer to combine everything.
- Place melted butter in a small mixing bowl, add in cocoa powder and boiled water and stir everything to combine. Pour this chocolate mixture into the cake batter and mix everything together.
- Transfer batter into prepared cake pan. Tap the pan on the counter lightly to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake in a pre-heated oven for approximately 25 - 50* minutes {until a skewer inserted down the center comes out dr}{See notes below re: big time variance}. Remove from oven and chill on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the cake out onto the cooling rack and then over onto a plate and let it stand until it's just warm to the touch.
- When the cake is cooled off enough, dust with some cocoa powder {that's what I did, using a doily-pattern -- see notes in post above} or for a sweeter more decadent cake pour chocolate ganache {see next step} over the cake and serve!
- Optional: to make the chocolate ganache topping, simply melt the chocolate chips {double boiler or microwave}, add in butter, vanilla, and almond extract {optional} and mix until the mixture is smooth and velvety. Pour over the prepared cake and serve, or chill in the fridge if you want the ganache topping to set a little.
Notes
Baking time: whenever I make this cake, it bakes through in about 25-30 min max. I have had readers report the same results. There have been a few people though who mentioned their cake took twice as long to bake through. It may be something to do with oven temperatures being unsteady in some ovens, but just in case, keep baking the cake until a skewer comes out dry -- that's when you'll know it's ready.
Keep in mind, it is a moist spongy cake, so you wouldn't want it to dry out. So lean towards the 25 min mark and keep an eye on it from there.
Double for a layer cake
Andrea says
Hi! Finally tried this recipe after pinning it ages ago and it was wonderful!! I had almost given up on ever making a decent gluten free/vegan/refined sugar free cake, but this was fantastic. Very close to what I remember from the box growing up!! You were right, it was on the less sweet side on its own, but when paired with a layer of ganache and some sweetened whipped coconut cream, it was perfection. Will make this again and again! Thank you so so much for a great recipe!
Adina Denner says
Hi Audry!
I've tried so far a few of your recipes and I absolutely loved and enjoyed them all!!
I'm planning on making this cake tomorrow (It looks amazing!!!) and was only wondering- you mention the option to double for a layer cake, which filling would you recommend in between the two layers?
Thank you so much!
Paula says
Hello,
I already tried this cake for kids, and they loved it.
I'm wondering if this is a cake that can withstand a fondant layer. I'd like to make it as a dinosaur cake for a birthday.
Danielle says
I don’t have all the flour ingredients What other flours would work ? Oat flour ? Almond coconut?
The Real Person!
Hi Danielle, I'm afraid that to get the optimal results with this cake it's best to stick to the recommended flours. You can try substituting oat flour for the rice flour perhaps, but the recipe needs the sweet sticky rice flour (which gives the cake a light springiness), tapioca, and guar gum. I can say with certainty that an almond coconut mix won't work here.
Tamz says
Just another 5-star rating from me, because I just tried it with sweet potato and tastes equally amazing! Thanks once again for a delicious recipe!
The Real Person!
With SWEET POTATO?!? :o Thanks for sharing -- good to know it worked well :)
Tamz says
This recipe is fantastic! I threw the beets and maple syrup in my blender to ensure the perfect purée. I also used regular, unbleached flour and it was amazing! I highly recommend this recipe. Thank you so much!
The Real Person!
Hi Tamz. Thanks so much for sharing. I'm glad you liked it. And so happy to hear it works well with unbleached flour -- I'm sure a lot of people will find it a helpful substitution idea.
This recipe is one of my favorite "classic" cakes from this blog and I haven't tired of it even after many years -- we just had it this weekend for a friend's daughter's birthday party over here :)
Corinna says
This cake was seriously divine. My boyfriend and I made it for my birthday and we both agreed it is the best cake we have ever eaten. We kept cracking up because every time we took a bite we had to moan it was so delicious and the texture just perfect! We made sunbutter frosting which was delicious! Oh, and we used ghee as the butter. Great recipe, thank you!! The baking time was 30 minutes for us.
The Real Person!
Hi Corinna. So sorry for the delayed reply. I just wanted to say I'm so happy to hear the cake worked well for you both. Thanks for the wonderful feedback and also for confirming the baking time :)
onehousegoddess@gmail.com says
In the event I didn't want to use beets, what can I substitute for?
The Real Person!
I haven't tried it with another vegetable, but I think something like a thicker carrot puree or blended avocado could work well as a substitute. The beet flavor is not noticeable at all though -- it just adds a nice texture and moisture to the cake.
Tamz says
I can confirm sweet potatoes but trust me, you can’t taste the beets at all, confirmed by some hard core beet haters I know LOL
Amber @ Quite Good Food says
What a wonderful looking chocolate cake! Chocolate cake is pretty much the only option for birthday cakes in our family, and so far they've been pretty traditional, but next up is going to have to be this one I think. Gorgeous.
The Real Person!
Awesome -- hope your family enjoys this cake, Amber! It's a birthday favorite around here :)
pris says
Hi
I made this cake yesterday and I have a few questions. You say batter but with the amount of liquid to flour ratio, mine was more of a milkshake. furthermore you say to bake for 25 mins and mine took over an hour. I did follow the recipe to the letter even making up the gluten free flour mix. Is there a mistake with regards to the baking time and the consistency of your batter or am I doing something wrong?
The Real Person!
Hi Pris,
So you had me second guess things and I just went and remade the cake again just to be sure :) And mine only took 25-30 mins. The batter is runny going in (a thick milkshake is a good way to describe it), but bakes through quickly too (at least for me...).
So I have a few questions. I can see mistakes happening if for instance someone was to just add the butter, cacao, and hot water straight into the batter, etc. But assuming that you followed the recipe to the letter as you say, I wonder if your oven temperature is accurate? It's quite common for ovens to be out of tune so to speak. I always keep an oven thermometer handy to make sure I know what I'm working with (they're quite inexpensive and can be bought in a place like Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, etc.). You can read more about this issue here if you like. If your oven temp is lower than it states, then it would take the cake much longer to bake.
All that said, once you baked it longer, did it come out? :)
The Real Person!
Hey Pris,
Just wanted to follow up. There was something nagging at me with your question, and I just went looking through my emails and remembered that someone had a similar issue with the cake taking a lot longer to bake. I'm not sure what the variance could be due to, apart from fluctuating oven temperatures, but I'm going to modify the baking time in the recipe with a note just in case anyone else experiences this. Glad you shared :)
pris says
Hi Audrey. Sorry about that. But I probably would have done the same thing. We finally tried the cake today as it was for a friends farewell. It was fantastic. I realised the only thing that caused the baking time to be so long was the temperature. We use Celsius and I made a wrong conversion hence it took longer. Thanks again for your feedback. Much appreciated.
The Real Person!
Aw, so happy you enjoyed the cake after all. And that makes sense -- if the oven temp is lower, it would just take a bit longer, but no biggie. I've had it slightly underbaked before too and it was soft and very moist, and I liked it that way as well. Luckily, baking with no eggs means underbaked isn't always a bad things ;) Although baked through this cake is one of our favorites.
Zara says
i'm going to attempt this cake for Christmas. my sister and nephew are refined sugar-free and my son has egg and dairy allergies so it's perfect!
do you know if i could use whole wheat flour in place of your gluten-free blend?
The Real Person!
Hi Zara,
That's great :) Glad the cake works for you.
I'm not sure about the whole wheat option. I know it will work, but I'm not sure how it will impact the texture exactly. I don't anticipate you'd have any issues though. I'm gluten-intolerant so it's not an option I experimented with. If you try it, let me know how it goes -- would be good for others to know too if they're interested in doing the same.. Personally I can only vouch for the recipe of course, since it's tried and tested and the ingredients are pretty easy to work with. But I'd love to hear how you go either way.
Zara says
well, maybe i'll just have to make a test cake to try before Christmas! :-P
i would be happy to let you know how it works out. thanks so much for the response!
The Real Person!
Yes, that's always a good option :) Thank you & look forward to hearing how it goes.
Jenny says
This looks and sounds amazing. I want to make it for my daughter's birthday. I am so thankful to have discovered your wonderful site. Although the whole family avoids gluten and refined sugars, she is also allergic to egg and some dairy. Your website has really helped me to make things everyone can eat.
Can I swap out your GF flour mix with Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 flour GF baking mix using same amounts? Thank you.
Claudia says
Fabulous recipes! Question, I can't get decent vegan butter where I live, can I substitute....coconut oil? Applesauce? Pumpkin purée? What would you suggest for a butter substitute here?
The Real Person!
Hi Claudia,
Coconut oil or another type of cooking oil (I've used olive oil before successfully before) will work just fine. You may need to add a dash more salt to the batter to taste because the non-dairy butters are usually salted. But otherwise you'll be good with a cooking oil of your choice.
Happy baking :)
Tina says
Audrey I made this late yesterday for an Easter catchup with family today. Oh my goodness, it was perfectly rich and decadent without being sickly sweet. I served it plain as I ran out of time to do the ganache! Everyone loved it and even more when I mentioned it had beetroots and was refined sugar free.
The Real Person!
That's wonderful, Tina -- thanks for sharing! So glad you were able to enjoy this with your family and that they loved it so :)
Harriet Emily says
Wow, Audrey! What a beautiful cake! This looks so rich and delicious - I love the pattern on the top too!
The Real Person!
Thank you :)
Kelsey @ Snacking Squirrel says
im obsessed with the pattern on top. and its gluten free. yay!!!
The Real Person!
Thanks Kelsey. It's a pretty neat stencil to use -- such a simple way to dress up a cake!
Jeanine says
Oh, I grew up with Duncan-Hines cakes! I can't believe how good it looks, but if anyone could pull it off, it's you! Looks amazing!
The Real Person!
Thanks Jeanine! So interesting -- I feel like I'm the only one who missed out on the cake mix experience! I honestly don't think my parents even knew that those existed.
Ali the Skinny GF Chef says
I love using veggies like beets in cakes. It makes them so sweet and moist!
The Real Person!
Me too, Ali! Such an easy way to add moisture in + it helps to swap eggs out. And for whatever reason, beets actually add a velvetiness to this cake that is just what's needed here!
Genie says
My mom never met a convenience food she didn't like, so I grew up on cake mix cakes. if that's all you've even known, it is "cake" to you. I've been a from scratch baker since leaving home though and it is easy to adjust recipes to meet specific dietary needs. I've been juicing recently and have been experimenting with ways to use leftover pulp. Beet pulp is wonderful in chocolate cake. It turns a plain old chocolate cake into something even richer and really brings out the chocolate. I use the lighter colored pulp like carrot in other kinds of cakes and muffins. I use it in place of fat -- oil, shortening, butter, etc. Before I tried it I couldn't imagine how it could work, but it is great.
The Real Person!
My family never bought mixed cakes, Genie. I'm not really sure why, but I have a feeling that they didn't even know those existed. My mom never baked. They just bought cakes for events from a bakery and call it a day. My mom and aunt had one or two go-to cake recipes for the very, very rare occasion, but that's about it. I was the only baker, and I only learned of boxed cake mixes when I moved out on my own. I just completely ignored all those boxes because I had no idea what they were.
I love the idea of using pulp in baked goods, but it never survives long enough for baking at my house as I tend to just "share it" with my pups -- they love eating that stuff :)
Rachel Edington says
Looks delicious and I love your artwork on top of the cake!!!
The Real Person!
Thank you! :)
genevieve @ gratitude & greens says
Girl, this cake is beautiful! And I love the addition of beet purée- any dessert with hidden veggies is my kind of dessert! I've never had a Duncan Hines cake but I don't think I'll need to try one if I have a recipe for a delish cake like this one :)
The Real Person!
Thanks Genevieve! :) Seems like we're on the same wavelength on the beets and the Duncan Hines experience! I don't think I'll ever get to taste one of those boxed mixes anymore, but I also can't say I feel like I'm missing out on anything here ;)
Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says
You blow me away every time, Audrey! Stunning, stunning cake and I love that it's so healthy. :-)
xo,
Shirley
The Real Person!
Thanks so much, Shirley! That's sweet of you :)
Terje says
This looks absolutely delicious and I love that it's made with beets! The only issue I can see is using a whole cup of maple syrup - it's way too expensive in Estonia to justify using that much for just one cake :( I guess this could be at least partly replaced with honey?
The Real Person!
Thanks Terje. Honey would work absolutely fine here. Any similar liquid sweetener would too {agave, etc.}. Maple syrup is a bit more abundant here and that's the sweetener my body takes best for whatever reason {+ it's absolutely delicious ;)}, so I tend to use it most. But honey, agave, etc. work equally well in all my recipes.
Lily Lau says
This cake is so beautiful I'd be looking at it without daring to cut it!
The Real Person!
Thanks so much, Lily! :) I love using these stencils -- such an easy way to pretty up a cake.
Gingi says
Your food photography is dangerous for me, hahah! It always makes me HUNGRY!!! - http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
The Real Person!
Thanks Gingi. I guess that's a good thing, considering that's my job haha ;)
Anjali @ Vegetarian Gastronomy says
Audrey, this looks fantastic!! I love rich chocolatey not too sweet cakes, not to mention I love love that stencil (I need one of those!). My brother has celiac and I've made him gf chocolate cake before with beets and he loved it. Will Ty your recipe out! Btw, can I make a huge batch of ur gf flour mix? How long will it be ok for, and do I need to store in fridge?
The Real Person!
Thanks Anjali! Those stencils are fairly cheap. I got mine at Michael's some years ago, and they're really fun to decorate with.
And yes, you can absolutely make a huge batch of my gf mix. I have been meaning to post about it for some time, but sharing cake recipes is a lot more fun than sharing flour recipes, so I keep getting delayed ;) Here is a basic ratio you can use:
*** 3/4 cup brown rice flour, 3/4 cup tapioca flour, 1/2 cup sweet sticky rice flour/glutinous rice flour, 3/4 tsp guar gum = 2 cups flour
*** 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour, 1 1/2 cups tapioca flour, 1 cup sweet sticky rice flour/glutinous rice flour, 1 1/2 tsp guar gum = 4 cups flour
*** 2 1/4 cups brown rice flour, 2 1/4 cups tapioca flour, 1 1/2 cup sweet sticky rice flour/glutinous rice flour, 2 1/4 tsp guar gum = 6 cups flour
etc.
It doesn't need to be refrigerated, and will store for months in a dry air-tight container.
Could be good to keep on hand when you want to make something special for your brother :)
Nissrine @ Harmony a la Carte says
Sounds absolutely decadent and I love that decorative Caco dust.
The Real Person!
Thanks Nissrine! :) I love the cacao dust too -- a good way to pretty up the cake while keeping it on the healthier side ;)
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance says
Your friend is crazy for not liking beets but obviously chocolate is the perfect way to hide them! Love everything about this and I boldly remember Duncan Hines chocolate cake as being amazing. Haven't had a slice since I was about 5 but this is the only way I need to relive the memory. Pinning this now :)
The Real Person!
Thanks Christina -- I agree. What's not to like about beets?!? They make amazing chocolate desserts.