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Ready to bite into this decadent double chocolate layered cake? It’s the perfect gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free friendly Valentine’s Day dessert. This chocolate cake is full of rich chocolate flavor and pairs perfectly with some freshly sliced strawberries. It’s also super easy to make, no advanced baking skills required!
How do I make this double chocolate cake sugar free?
I used coconut sugar in this recipe, but you could substitute the coconut sugar with monk fruit to keep it sugar free.
What ingredients will I need to make this double chocolate cake?
To make this double chocolate cake, you’ll need:
- oat flour (I use homemade)
- cocoa powder
- salt
- baking powder/baking soda
- coconut sugar
- instant coffee (optional)
- pure vanilla extract
- flax eggs or regular eggs
- water or dairy free milk
- olive oil
- apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- unsweetened applesauce
- avocado, vegan butter, or nut butter
- unsweetened or dark chocolate (optional)
How can I make this chocolate cake nut free?
If you’re allergic to coconut, you can replace the coconut sugar with brown sugar or monk fruit (date sugar might also work). If you’re allergic to nuts, be sure to use avocado or vegan butter for the frosting instead of nut butter, or simply use a seed butter instead like sunflower seed butter.
I want to use nut butter for the frosting. Which kind is best?
If you want to use nut butter for the frosting (instead of avocado or vegan butter), I would recommend using almond or cashew butter. Peanut butter could also work, but it will definitely give the cake a very chocolate peanut butter flavor!
Help, I don’t have applesauce on hand!
If you don’t have applesauce on hand, you can try replacing it with dairy free yogurt or pumpkin puree. I haven’t tried this recipe with those substitutions, but those are typically great replacements for applesauce.
How do I make homemade oat flour?
To make homemade oat flour simply blend gluten free quick, old fashioned, or rolled oats in a high speed blender (or process them in a food processor). Blend/process until a flour consistency is reached. Check out this video if you want to see how I make my own oat flour!
What kind of cocoa powder and chocolate did you use in this recipe?
I used Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker unsweetened cocoa powder in the cake and frosting. I also melted some of their unsweetened dark chocolate and drizzled it on top, as well as added some chocolate shavings to the top of the cake using their unsweetened dark chocolate. Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker also offers extremely delicious sweetened dark chocolate. You can use either unsweetened or sweetened dark chocolate for the topping (or simply omit it).
Help, I don’t have apple cider vinegar!
The apple cider vinegar is not necessary for this recipe, but it does really help to give the cake a nice rise. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can use distilled white vinegar or lemon juice instead. Or just leave it out if you don’t have any of those ingredients.
Do I need the instant coffee?
The instant coffee is not necessary in this recipe but it does help to enhance the chocolate flavor. If you don’t have instant coffee you can simply replace the water/dairy free milk with chilled coffee instead. Or simply leave out the coffee.
How do I store this cake?
If you frost your cake with avocado or vegan butter, be sure to store the cake in the fridge. The cake will last for several days in the fridge. If you frost your cake with nut butter, you can store the cake on the counter or in the fridge for several days. You can also freeze the cake and store it in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Looking for more chocolate recipes?
You’ll love these!
- Flourless Chocolate Torte
- Triple Chocolate Brownie Batter Truffles
- Double Chocolate Donuts
- Chocolate Fudge Popsicles
- Decadent Double Chocolate Cupcakes
- Double Chocolate Oat Flour Bread
- Double Chocolate Brownies
- Double Chocolate Oat Flour Muffins
- No Bake Double Chocolate Cheesecake
- Double Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes
Ready to make this delicious chocolate cake? The full recipe is below!
Double Chocolate Layered Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 1/2 cups  oat flour
- 2 cups coconut sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 flax eggs or regular eggs
- 1 1/3 cups water or dairy free milk
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
For the Frosting (Option 1)
- 2 avocados
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp water or dairy free milk
For the Frosting (Option 2)
- 1/2 cup vegan butter or nut butter of choice
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2-1 tsp salt (only if using unsalted nut butter)
- 4-6 tbsp water or dairy free milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease two 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray. Gently dust pans with oat flour.
- In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients for the cake. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix again, until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the cake pans, diving it evenly between the two pans. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes before baking.
- Next, bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Baking time will depend on the type of sweetener you use.
- Once baked, remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans until completely cool.
- While the cakes are cooling, prepare the frosting of your choice. In a medium sized bowl mix together all of the ingredients for the frosting (except the water/dairy free milk) until it is smooth. Add 1 TBS water/dairy free milk to the frosting and mix again. Continue to add some water/dairy free milk to the frosting until the desired consistency is reached.Â
- Once the cakes are completely cooled, frost the top of each one with frosting then stack the cakes on top of each other. Frost the sides of the cakes until the cake is fully frosted.
- I melted some unsweetened dark chocolate and drizzled it on top of the cake, as well as added some dark chocolate shavings to the top of the cake. You can use either unsweetened or sweetened dark chocolate to top the cake, or simply leave out this step. If you love chocolate, I highly recommend adding it!
- Serve the cake immediately or store properly until serving.
Video
Notes
- If you frost your cake with avocado or vegan butter, be sure to store the cake in the fridge. The cake will last for several days in the fridge. If you frost your cake with  nut butter, you can store the cake on the counter or in the fridge for several days. You can also freeze the cake and store it in the freezer for 2-3 months.
- To make a single layered cake, simple cut the recipe in half!