I have a love-hate relationship with gluten-free cakes. Sometimes all I want and crave is a chocolate cake that doesn’t taste like cardboard or a giant brownie with too many eggs.
And with this cake, in particular, it has been an ongoing battle.
There are different kinds of gluten-free flours — some that work better for making cookies and others that are better for cakes and breads.
Through my early stages of being gluten-free, I was determined to make pastries that tasted just as good as the “normal” stuff. After countless trial and error phases, I had finally discovered the perfect flour that didn’t make a cake go flat after taking it out of the oven.
I baked with this flour for about a year until they suddenly stopped selling it at my grocery store! I was devastated … So I thought, well, I can just order it online. No big deal.
Turns out the brand stopped selling the product altogether! That’s when I thought that the last slice of cake I decided to give away to a friend was the last slice of perfect gluten-free chocolate cake I would ever taste …
After a bout of self-pity, I continued my journey to discover the perfect flour … again. But flour after flour, nothing compared to the moist, fluffy texture of my previously mastered cake. Every cake either went flat, had a gooey texture or was too dry.
I still didn’t give up.
Turns out the perfect flour was right in front of me the whole time — the Bisquick Gluten Free Pancake & Baking Mix. I’ve used this flour for pancakes and for that one time, I made pizza crust. (For future reference, it’s honestly the best flour for pizza crust, but I’ll warn you, it takes a bit of time and patience.)
It was mostly out of desperation that I decided to use this flour. My grocery stores don’t offer many gluten-free flour options, and that was the only flour I hadn’t tried for cakes.
Best act of desperation I have ever made!
I took a piece to a friend who is newly gluten-free, and he couldn’t believe it was gluten-free. Not even I could believe it was gluten-free! Yes. It’s that good.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups Bisquick Gluten Free Pancake & Baking Mix
- 3/4 cup Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans.
- Stir together sugar, baking mix, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Add in eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
- Slowly add in boiling water and stir well.
- Pour batter into well-greased pans. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool before removing from pans. Frost cakes using your desired frosting.
bonitappétit 
This mix also makes glorious waffles. I always make the biggest serving measurements because I make them for the whole family. I trade 1/4 cup of flour for 1/4 of quick oats. The have never figured out that they are gluten free and my family are waffle snobs lol. Thank you for this recipe, I’m trying it today!
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Awesome! I should try the waffles 🙂 hope you love the cake!
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Hi Looks good. I do not have round pans. Should i use an 8×8 or 9×13? Thanks
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I think an 8×8 would work best 🙂
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Can you use 2% milk?
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Yes that will work fine 😊
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Love the flavor, but mine came out dense? Not fluffy. Any suggestions.
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It’s important that you use the bisquick brand of flour. Baking the cake in two different pans is also crucial. If baked all at once such as in a bundt cake will make a more dense cake. The cake needs space to rise especially since it’s gluten free. Also don’t forget the extra cup of boiled water to add at the end! If these suggestions don’t help let me know 😊
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I made this for grandson who has to eat GF because of Celiac. It was by far the best cake recipe I have made. Everyone loved it. I used Bobs Red Mill biscuit and pancake mix. I also used whole milk in place of the Almond milk. Delicious! This is a winner!
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So glad you loved it! It’s a crowd favorite even for non-gfs 🙂
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I have everything but almond milk. Was wondering if there’s
A substitute for that thanks, judy
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You can use regular milk as well or any nut milk 😊
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Would this turn out for cupcakes? And how many do you think it would make?
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I’ve never tried making cupcakes with this recipe before but I’m pretty sure it would work. This would probably make the standard amount that a regular cake mix makes. Hope this helps!
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I’d like to make this more WW friendly . . . . do you think I could substitute unsweetened applesauce for the canola oil?
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I’m not too sure.. it would definitely add a bit of sweetness to the cake. I’ve only ever used applesauce to substitute eggs but I’m guessing you can also use a healthier oil such as olive or avocado oil?
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Hello. I LOOOVE this recipe. If I want to make a vanilla or strawberry version what would I add it omit? Thank you. Amanda
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Glad you love it!! It’s one of my favorites to make 😊
I’ve actually tried just omitting the chocolate to make a vanilla cake but it doesn’t turn out too great… but here’s a link to a vanilla car I’ve made https://bonitappetit.com/2019/09/24/classic-vanilla-cake-gluten-free/
It’s not perfect but it certainly is the best I’ve been able to get. I’ve never thought of making a strawberry cake but that’s a great idea!
xx
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Your vanilla cake isn’t made with the bisquick flour, any reason why?
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Yes! So I’ve moved to Australia and they don’t have that brand of flour here so I’ve found an alternative for it. You could definitely use that flour though 👍🏼
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