This gluten-free peppermint chocolate cake is THE BEST mint chocolate cake I have ever tasted! It is moist, the frosting is fluffy, luscious, and flavorful, and it is the perfect cake to make for Christmas!
Funny story, whenever I bake something gluten-free I always want my family members to ask me before they can eat any. But when I bake something that isn’t gluten-free they don’t have to ask me (because I can’t eat it, so I won’t be missing out haha!). My mom wanted some of this cake and she didn’t know where I was, but then realized “Oh, I don’t have to ask her for it, because it’s not gluten-free,” and she took a slice. Later I came into the kitchen and saw her eating the cake. “Mom! You didn’t ask for a slice!” I said. She responded, “Oh no! I totally forgot this was gluten-free!” This cake would be perfect for those picky friends and family members that think gluten-free things don’t taste right. I highly recommend making this decadent cake!
(Update) One year later: Mom suggested more than once this past year, that I make this recipe when I asked for cake flavor ideas, but I declined since it seems too winter-y. Now it is winter and I asked what dessert she wants for her birthday. After just a couple minutes of thinking, she responded “Your peppermint chocolate cake.” with a gleeful smile on her face. Though most first ever recipe posts for bloggers don’t tend to be a hit, this one is insanely delicious and won’t ever leave my blog :).
This post contains affiliate links to some of my very favorite ingredients. This way it is easy for you to find the ingredients I used at the best price I’ve found. If you click on any of them and purchase from Amazon, I will receive a very small percentage of the sale, to support what I do here. Thank you!
The 6 inch cake pans I use are linked here.
The 8 inch cake pans I use are linked here.
Link to my favorite gluten-free flour blend is here.
Link to my favorite organic, flavorless coconut oil is here.
Gluten & Nut Free Peppermint Chocolate Cake (dairy-free option)
Equipment
- hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 2 ⅓ cups (320 grams) Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour spooned and leveled, not scooped
- ¾ cup (71 grams) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ¼ tsps baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup (144 grams) flavorless liquid oil or melted coconut oil my favorite coconut oil is linked above this recipe card
- 1 ½ cups (315 grams) sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature if using coconut oil
- ¾ cup (178 grams) milk of choice room temperature if using coconut oil
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 cup (218 grams) boiling water
Frosting:
- 1 ¾ cups (3 ½ sticks) soft butter or vegan butter
- 4 ⅓ cups (542 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp peppermint extract
- ¼-½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit (177 degrees celsius). Grease three 6 inch cake pans or two 8 inch cake pans with oil and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Pour about 1 ½ cups of water into a saucepan, and let it slowly come to a boil as you prepare the batter.
- In a bowl whisk the flour, salt, baking soda+powder, and cocoa together. In a separate bowl (with tall sides to prevent splattering) combine the sugar, oil (if using coconut oil, make sure to melt it first), and eggs (you can also do this in a stand mixer). Beat with a hand mixer until pale and fluffy. Add half of the dry mixture and beat until combined. Add the milk and mix. Add the rest of the dry mixture and beat until combined. Pour in the vanilla and peppermint, measure out 1 cup of boiling water, and carefully pour it in the batter while the hand mixer is running. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and continue mixing until you are certain everything is well combined.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the 2/3 cake pans. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out moist and crummy, NOT doughy! Once the cakes are baked, remove from the oven and let the layers cool completely.
Frosting:
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter and salt until fluffy and lightened in color. Add the peppermint extract. Measure the powdered sugar out into a large bowl. Let the stand mixer run on low speed. Gradually add roughly ½ cup scoops of the powdered sugar at a time to the mixer until you used up all 4 ½ cups. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula and continue beating for a few minutes until the frosting looks very white and fluffy (take your time on this step so that you get the lightest fluffiest frosting texture).
Assembly:
- When the cake layers are completely cooled, remove them from their pans and peel off the parchment paper. Trim the top off of each cake layer using a knife so that you have even layers. Place a very small dollop of frosting on a plate (and the plate on top of a turn-table if you have one) and place a cake layer on top. Smooth an even layer of frosting on the layer. Place another cake layer on top of the frosted one and repeat until you have done this with all your layers. Coat the sides and top of the cake in frosting so that no chocolate cake is visible. If you like, you could decorate it with crushed candy canes and mini chocolate chips, the way I did or you can decorate it however you wish! Enjoy!
This peppermint chocolate GF cake is magical!!! Like, how is this even gluten free? It was so soft, had the perfect cake texture, and the frosting had the perfect sweetness and mint flavor! I love this cake so much and it’s by far one of my favorites!!!!
Thank you Erica! I am so excited as you are the first one to try my recipe! Also very glad that you enjoyed it so much!
No, thank you! You have created a phenomenal and delectable treat for the GF community, and you have simply brought my GF life back to truly delicious desserts again!! I’m sayin’ bye to the old Costco flour! Yipee!!
This cake was absolutely amazing!!
Wonderful! I’m so glad you liked it!