Allow me to introduce my absolute new favorite cake.
Chocolaty
Hazelnutty
Vegan
Gluten-Free
1 Bowl
The obsession is real.
This recipe was inspired by my Best Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes, and my love for Nutella. I mean who doesn’t love Nutella? Even Rhonda loves Nutella. Get on board people.
While there isn’t any Nutella actually in the cake, it has all of the essential components: Creaminess, chocolaty-ness, and loads of roasted hazelnuts!
And to keep things simple, it all comes together in 1 BOWL. Anyone can make this cake. No special mixers, methods, or equipment necessary.
This cake gets extra height from a solid layer of roasted hazelnuts + more on top! They also provide a healthy crunch to the cake, which I happen to adore.
I think you guys are going to LOVE this cake! It’s:
Super moist
Rich
Mega chocolaty
Loaded with hazelnuts
Seriously decadent
Not too sweet
& Simple to make
I think this is a great “everyday” cake with its simple preparation and universally loved flavor profile. However, I could also see it making an excellent cake for birthdays, anniversaries and any upcoming spring celebrations (like Easter!). In other words, make this cake and instantly make a million friends.
If you give this recipe a try, please rate it and leave a comment! Also, be sure to take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can be cake twins. We love seeing our recipes come to life in your kitchens. Cheers and happy baking!
1-Bowl Chocolate Hazelnut Cake (Vegan + GF)
Ingredients
CAKE
- 4 batches flax eggs (4 Tbsp (18 g) flaxseed meal + 10 Tbsp water as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size)
- 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
- 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 scant cup maple syrup or agave nectar (sub honey if not vegan)
- 2/3 cup cane or granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil or vegan butter (such as Earth Balance)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups unsweetened applesauce (or other hearty fruit puree, such as beets)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (if clumpy, sift)
- 1 cup almond meal (finely ground from raw almonds)
- 1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour (finely ground from raw oats)
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend*
FROSTING / TOPPINGS
- 1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
- 1 1/4 cups dairy-free dark or semi-sweet chocolate (chopped)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or softened vegan butter (cut into slices // such as Earth Balance)
- 1 1/4 - 2 cups powdered sugar (ensure vegan-friendliness)
- 1 1/2 cups roasted unsalted hazelnuts
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and butter two 8" round cake pans (or line 24 muffin tins with paper liners // as original recipe is written // adjust number/size of pans if altering batch size). Dust with gluten free flour and shake out excess.
-
Measure out almond milk and add vinegar. Stir and let curdle while moving onto the next step.
-
Prepare flax eggs in a large mixing bowl and let rest for 5 minutes.
-
Add baking soda to the almond milk vinegar mixture and stir.
-
Add the sugar, maple syrup and almond milk mixture to the flax egg and beat/whisk to combine. Then add applesauce, vanilla, melted coconut oil, salt and mix.
-
Add cocoa powder, almond meal, oat flour and gluten free flour and beat/whisk to combine. If the batter appears too thick, add a touch more almond milk, but it should be perfect. It should resemble a semi-thick batter that’s pourable.
-
Divide batter evenly between cake pans (if using muffin tins, it should be enough for roughly 24 filling generously 3/4 full // amount as original recipe is written).
-
Bake cake for 35-45 minutes or more (cupcakes for about 29-35 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top appears dry. Time will vary if you sub ingredients, as well as depending on the size of your pan.
-
Let rest in the tin for 15-20 minutes, then carefully run a butter knife along the edges and invert onto cooling racks. Let cool completely.
-
FOR FROSTING: Add almond milk to your rinsed out mixing bowl from earlier and microwave for 1 minute. (Alternatively, heat in a saucepan until just simmering and then transfer back to mixing bowl.)
-
Immediately add chocolate to warm milk but don’t touch for 3 minutes so it can melt.
-
Stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate, then add coconut oil or softened butter and cover. Let rest untouched for another 10 minutes.
-
Use your mixer (or a whisk) to beat the mixture together. Then add 1 cup powdered sugar, mix again, and place in fridge to set for 20 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when you tip it and it’s slow to move.
-
Remove from fridge and beat again. If it’s still too thin, add another 1/4 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) and beat until light and fluffy. I found that adding 1 3/4 cups total powdered sugar (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) was perfect. Set aside.
-
Transfer the bottom layer of the cooled cake to a serving plate/dish. Spread a semi-generous layer of frosting on the top of the bottom layer and top generously with hazelnuts. Press down with hands to settle them into the frosting (see photo).
-
Carefully top with second layer and frost the top generously, then the sides. Using a butter knife yields a smooth surface. It should be the perfect amount of frosting - not too thick, not too thin.
-
Add hazelnuts around the perimeter of the top of the cake. Slice and serve.
-
Will keep well-covered at room temperature for several days, though best when fresh. Refrigeration not necessary.
Notes
*For this cake, I used the Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. However, my DIY gluten-free flour blend works well, too!
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Nutrition Per Serving (1 of 16 slices)
- Calories: 444
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated fat: 12.5g
- Sodium: 82mg
- Carbohydrates: 55g
- Fiber: 6.5g
- Sugar: 35g
- Protein: 6.3g
Just wondering how many regular eggs I should use if not using flax eggs?
Usually 1 flax egg = 1 small chicken egg! Hope that helps!
I thought this recipe was great! Flavor was awesome and the crumb texture was moist with a great bite. I altered a few things which are a little more aesthetic but are common techniques I use in my own baking. for the coco oil, before dividing for cake and frosting, I heated up 1/4 of the oil, added it to the rest of the cold oil and creamed it with an immersion blender. Its less wet in this state and a bit easier to use(especially in the frosting). I also like semi-freezing my cake layers between crumb and final coat. It gives a little more leeway to take your time frosting the cake and the crumb wont lift off the cake.
Happy baking!
Nicholas
Thanks so much for the lovely review and sharing your techniques, Nicholas. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Hi
Can I sub out the oat flour and just use more of the GF flour blend? I live in Australia and am finding it difficult to find GF oat flour and am wanting to make this for a friend’s birthday!
So if you have access to oats you can always just grind your own into flour in the blender! Otherwise, just try and use a blend of more GF flour or almond meal / flour!
I just have to say, this cake is beloved by all. I have made it for groups that include vegans, those who are gluten-free, and neither, and it’s a hit every time. I always share the recipe and it’s really not complicated, but friends have paid me to make this for them and then told me their families want to adopt me after eating it. :) It has turned out a little different each time, but always delicious. Most recently, the 5th time I’ve made it, was perfect: I used vegan dark choc chips and a stick of earth balance for the frosting and omitted step 14 and it turned out a perfect firm buttercream consistency, whereas in the past the frosting had turned out more runny for me.
Thanks for sharing!
i made it and it was awsome.i subbed almond flour with oat and gf blebd.very tasty.one question.if i want to use eggs..is it 4 or less?according to flaxeggs….thanks.will make it to cupcakes too
Usually 1 flax egg = 1 small chicken egg!
This is the best birthday cake!
It is especially wonderful for my daughter who is allergic to egg and gluten.
Thank you for posting.
Oh my gosh this cake is everything! Your recipes never disappoint but this one seriously is the best chocolate cake!
We didn’t have GF free flour and used regular flour and it still cake out perfect!
Thanks for sharing, Tanja!
Can i make this as a bundt cake!!
It’s worth a shot! Let us know how it goes!
Wonderful recipe. Could I freeze this ahead of time and then take out to thaw when ready to serve?
Should work, yes!
Dear Ksanche,
I have frozen the layers – flown with them to San francisco in my checked luggage and then Iced it for a party and it was Beyond A-OKAY and everyone LOVED the cake and it looked beautiful!!!
Two questions:
Can I use ghee vs coconut oil?
Can I use another egg substitute (psyllium husk, tapioca etc. mix), vs flax eggs… I’m trying to keep away from flax per my .
Thanks!
I enjoy all your recipes.
Oops, and can I use coconut sugar or more maple syrup/honey vs regular granulated?
Ghee – yes that should work
You can try another egg substitute but we haven’t tested it and cant’ guarantee it will work.
As for sugar, be careful making too many substitutions or the texture and flavor will be affected.
Hey there,
I am wanting to make a hazelnut cake without the cocoa. Should I just add more gf flour or hazelnut as a replacement?
Thanks,
Amanda
Hi Amanda, we haven’t tried that and aren’t sure how it would turn out! We would think hazelnut flour would be the best substitute. If you do some experimenting, we would love to hear how it goes!
I made this cake for Passover yesterday and it turned out great! Since oat flour is not kosher for Passover, I just used 2 cups of gluten-free flour (I used the Trader Joes gf flour) instead of 1.5. We only had cinnamon applesauce in the house, but it actually added a nice hint of spice to the cakes. The cakes came out in 45 mins, extremely delicate, great texture, really rich chocolate flavor. I used dark chocolate chips instead if semi-sweet in the frosting, so it was not quite as sweet. This cake would be extra great a la mode!
So glad to hear it, Kara! Thanks for sharing your modifications!
hi.can i use sth else for almond flour?like quinoa or chickpea or oat flour…thank you..
We think hazelnut flour would be the best substitute. Hope that helps!
oh i used only gf flour blend and oat flour…hope it helps because hazelnuts i needed to toast them and peeled them to grind them and with two kids i have no time.will tell you how it went.thanks
Hi,
I am planning to make this cake but keeping the gluten free ingredients but not the vegan and also i do not get apple sauce where I live what can I substitute for it and how long the cake be stored in the refrigerator? Thanks.
Hi Ekta, you can use another fruit/veggie puree such as beet. The cake should keep for 3-4 days (or perhaps longer) in the fridge. Hope that helps!
Okay, I didn’t have the best picture of it on Instagram, but I will be making this again and again. I could not believe how it didn’t taste gluten-free at all. I’m thinking I’ll need more hazelnut flavor than I incorporated the first time. I had more batter than the 24 cupcakes, so I poured it into a tarte pan, and it made a very thin cake, which crumbled in a bowl with added berries and hazelnuts for a trifle snack.
Hi!
Can I use regular eggs instead of flax eggs? Is it 4 eggs for 4 flax eggs?
Thanks & I can’t wait to try this!
I made this last November for my daughter’s 21st and yesterday for my other daughter’s 16th. An awesome recipe. I used plain flour in place of gluten free and wholemeal in place of oat. I put a thin layer of not-sweet cherry jam in between the sponges and some vegan Nutella as both daughters love the stuff. I used the ganache just for the top and sides. At about 9pm last night one of the party guests came and found me to say it was the best cake she’d had in years. She had no idea it was vegan – and I didn’t tell her.
Thanks for the lovely review, Heather! xo
I made a 1/2 batch of this for a small (6 in diameter) 2 tier cake. I subbed hazelnut meal for the almond meal and it turned out incredibly delicious! It was super moist and tender yet held up well for frosting. I couldn’t find any hazelnuts for decoration, so just stuck to chocolate frosting. My kids loved it and my husband (who does not generally eat gluten-free) had seconds. I’ll definitely make this again.
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Christina!
If I wanted to use regular eggs, how many should I use?
4!
I made this today for my boyfriend’s birthday and he loved it! I even copied your cake decoration and it looked so cute! The only change I made was cutting the hazelnuts for the middle section because I thought they might be a bit overpowering (especially for the kids)
Will definitely be making this cake again soon <3
This looks great! For the frosting, do you think the hazelnuts could be roughly chopped? Or would that give it a strange consistency?
This is by far is the most complicated thing I’ve baked and it turned out so delicious and beautiful. Thank you for the wonderful recipe, I will make this again for a special occasion.
Some baking reflections:
-I accidentally added too much baking soda. I used 3/2 tbsp measurement instead of 3 tsp. However, judging by the other comments regarding cake rise, this may have turned out to be a blessing.
-One round baking pan was about an inch bigger than the other (8in vs 9in). The bigger cake was a little under-cooked and broke apart once cool/out of the pan. I melted some of the frosting and used it as warm glue to put the pieces back together. It looked/tasted fine and no one noticed :)
-I crushed the hazelnuts and sprinkled it all over. I felt the whole hazelnuts would be too crunchy and didn’t prefer the look. For next time, I thought about mixing them with pistachios and even a little orange zest for fragrance and color.
Thank you for sharing your experience with this recipe, Debbie! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Blown away by this recipe! Thank you!! So fudgey and delicious! Can’t believe it’s GFV!
Whoop! That’s what we like to hear!
Hi! I am wondering if I can use pumpkin puree instead of applesauce? Also if I want to use eggs instead of flax how many should I use? Thank you!!
Pumpkin puree should work!
As for using real eggs in place of flax eggs, we recommend subbing at a 1:1 ratio (so 4 eggs in this case.)
I made this cake last night as a bundt cake instead of a layer cake and it was incredible. I added ganache and hazelnuts to a ring around the middle too and just increased the cooking time. Thankyou Dana!
Yum! Thanks for sharing, Zoe!
I really enjoyed this recipe, the chocolate cake was so moist and delicious! Thank you for the recipe :)
Um, this cake looks amazing, but please reconsider your Nutella use. They use Palm OIl, which is the worst oil we can use, for the planet, well for us if we want to keep living on the planet. There are alternatives, to Nutella, not all companies that make hazelnut chocolate spread use palm oil, so maybe you could try one of them instead. Or write Nutella and ask them to change what kind of oil they use, please.
Thank you,
Dawn
I have all ingredients on hand except gf oat flour… What can I sub it with?? TIA!
Hi Tirzah, if you have oats, you can use a high-speed blender to make oat flour. Otherwise, try subbing a mix of almond meal and gluten free flour blend for the oat flour! Hope that helps!
Best vegan and GF chocolate cake I’ve ever had. It is moist, decadent and delicious. It became a staple at our house. There is nobody who eats it that isn’t impressed. I’ve even had some friend giving veganism a try after she realized she could have a treat like this. As for me, I fell in love instantly when it reminded me a chocolate cake called “peteleco cake” that my aunt used to make for me growing up in Brazil. It was always my favorite. How happy I was when I tasted this. For me, this cake tastes like a happy childhood. What a fantastic job you do! Thank you so much for your dedication.
This cake is absolutely delicious. The only modification I made was to chop the hazelnuts a bit rather than leave them whole. The cake is moist and chocolatey and the frosting is fudgy and smooth. The combination of that with the crunch of the nuts makes this cake a total winner. I have brought some to our new neighbors who just moved in. They loved it. I also brought a piece to a coworker and she loved it as well. We tried this recipe because we were craving chocolate, but there was no special occasion. However, this will be my go to cake for special occasions now.
Hi there, I used the round 8” pan as recommended (8 x 1.5 in by Wilson Bakers Choice from Walmart). The cake still turned out tasty by the way. It had a brownie-like taste and texture.
I just made this! I had to bake the cake longer than 45 minutes though and still had to taste it tomorrow on my husband’s birthday 😊. I think i added 10 minutes 3x, checking every after 10 or 5 minutes if toothpick will come out clean but it never did and was afraid of overbaking it so i just left it as is. Is it ok to have a bit of smudge on the toothpick or i wonder if i did something wrong?
Hi Liza! What kind of pan did you bake it in? Depending on the size of pan, that can affect the baking time.
This recipe was so yummy!! Thank You!
Yay! Glad to here it, Valerie!
Great recipe! I subbed hazelnut flour for almond, coconut sugar for cane, and organic white flour for gluten-free, but other than that followed the recipe. I do not like dry chocolate cake and have been disappointed by many other cakes I’ve tried baking. This one, however, came out moist and fudgy! It was a delicious birthday cake enjoyed by all! Thanks for giving me some hope in the baking department!
Made this cake 3 times now, and the last time following the recipe exactly to make it gluten free. It did take longer to bake, but still came out excellent. I reduced the icing sugar to 1 1/3 c and still think it ‘s pretty sweet. I like the fudge texture of the cake once it’s been refrigerated.
I made this cake twice and going to make again this weekend! Thank you so much for such amazing recipe! I made it without hazelnuts as my husband is allergic to this type of nuts. But otherwise everything worked out and the cake tasted fantastic! Thank you Dana!
Thanks for sharing your recipe change, Alexandra!
OMG! This tasted divine and nobody guessed it was vegan AND GF! Thank you.
Hi! Sorry if someone asked this before but would subbing the oat flour for coconut flour work?
Hi! We always recommend subbing a mix of almond meal and gluten free flour blend!
I made this cake for a (non-vegan)family party and it was amazing! Everybody loved it and couldn’t tell it was vegan.
Yay! Glad to hear it :D
Any recommendations for high altitude? I am making this tonight for my wife’s birthday!
Sorry, none at this time! We hope you and your wife enjoy the recipe!
No worries, the cake turned out perfect! I used the high altitude(4000 ft.) recommendations from CSU by reducing the baking soda by 1/8 tsp per 1 tsp and added an extra 1/2 TBS of liquid(Almond Milk).
Are there certain grocery stores that sell the whole roasted unsalted hazelnuts…I live in an area where I have access to Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Publix but not sure I have seen hazelnuts
We’re not sure about the grocery stores near you, but you should be able to find them at one of the ones you listed!
This is one of the best GF vegan cake recipes i’ve ever made. It’s so moist and not too sweet and loved by gluten eaters as well! We make this for every birthday in my house now (and every holiday!!). Thanks for sharing!
Hi, I noticed it says “serves 14-16″, but that seems too much for only an 8” cake? Or am I wrong?
Hi Michelle! I will answer both of your questions here! If you are using a 9.5″ pan, you could still do double layers, but they will just be a bit thinner. As for the servings, it would serve 14-16 as long as the pieces are small. If you want to do larger slices, I would say it serves 8-10. Hope this helps!
The cake looks amazing – can’t wait to try it! I only have a 9.5″ round pan, so if I still want to make a double-layer cake, what quantities should I use?
Oh man, this cake. The first time I made it to take to work and ended up only taking about 3/4 of it because we decided to ‘sample it’ at home the day before. Texture turned out great! Like a normal cake. I only changed the flax eggs for a no-egg mix we had in the pantry. Second time I made it was for my Dad’s birthday yesterday, with more substitutions (no-egg again, vegan butter instead of coconut oil) as my family as a whole has a lot of different allergies/sensitivities. Texture was definitely different – more spongey, but still so delicious and my whole family could eat it for once! Thank you for the amazing recipe.
I made this for my boyfriend (who has Celiac disease) for valentines day with one change! No hazelnuts, but I piped a barrier of the chocolate frosting and filled it with just regular cherry pie filling! to top I just did chocolate frosting rosettes and some gold sprinkles. It was FANTASTIC, it was better than most wheat-cakes I’ve had or made. Incredibly moist, great flavour, not overly sweet at all. I was very impressed with the turn out and EVERYONE who came over that week and had some has requested it as their birthday cake. Although I didn’t make it with the Hazelnuts, its a Great recipe for sure!
Hi when it says 1/2 cup oat flour and I want to grind old fashioned oats to make oat flour, do I measure 1/2 cup then grind it? Or do I need to grind more to get 1/2 cup total?
Hi Remi! Thanks for reaching out! You will want 1/2 cup total.
I have made this now several times. I didn’t want to mess with the hazelnuts so I left that part out, but I can tell you that this cake is the best GF vegan chocolate cake I have tasted and I’m so thankful for your GF blend. This cake is the bomb.
I made this cake for Christmas and everyone asked for the recipe. Nobody could believe it was vegan. And I also made and brought to work. It was done in few minutes! Love it!
Hi Dana!
My family has just turned semi vegan, but since we have our own chickens we still eat their eggs. Do you think eggs could be substituted for the flax eggs in the recipe? Thanks!
I made this for a charity bake off a couple of days ago and came 3rd place – I have never made a cake so this was a big achievement! My colleagues were amazed that this was gluten free and vegan and said it was one of the nicest chocolate cakes they had tasted! It was very moist but I really enjoyed it that way, it did take quite a while to bake and did have to cover in tinfoil to not burn the top but cook the inside.
Will definitely be making this recipe again, thanks!
Made this yesterday and it is so good!! I doubt you could even tell its gluten free or vegan.
I am sure this is delicious, but can you count? Your intro says you specialise in recepies with less than 10 ingrédients, but this has 14 for the cake plus 5 for the frosting! and some of them are not simple or easy to purchase.
A pity! It sounds nice but is just too much complicated shopping for me!
Hi Linda, all of our recipes are either 0 ingredients or less or made in one bowl, or 30 minutes or less to prepare, as said in our intro. Hope this clarifies things for you.
Made this for non vegans and they adored it. Great recipe
Hi,
What else can i replace honey,maple and agave nectar? Something with sugar or? I would like to skip the liquid sweetness all together?
Hi! You could use a bit more applesauce, or pureed banana!
Hi Dana, it’s not easy getting gluten free oats in Australia, could the oat flour be replaced with something like buckwheat flour??? Can’t wait to try this recipe :)
Hi! We always recommend subbing a mix of almond meal and gluten free flour blend for the oat flour!
Could you bake this recipe in a 9″ x 13″ pan?
Hi Kate! Yes you can!
Made this for a vegan friend when I was invited round for dinner on Wednesday. Most of her household is vegan and they also try and maintain a low gluten diet so this was a double winner. I’m more of a savory cook so I’ve actually never made a cake form scratch before but this turned out so perfect!
Gosh so many compliments, one asking how the frosting was made as it was so nice (I opted for coconut oil for a subtle coconut hit) and another girl said she’s never had a gf/vegan cake so nice and she’s had a fair few from actual vegan cafes.
Paired it with Wall’s Swedish Glace vanilla dairy free soy ice cream (which I would also recommend, you’d never guess there’s no dairy in it) and it went down a storm. This is being printed and tucked away for another day as I’m sure it’ll be requested again!
One thing I will say is the wooden skewer I used to test it for ‘doneness’ never came out clean and I left it in for about 50 mins in total as I was scared too much would overdo it but it was still really nice and didn’t really seem to affect it in terms of moistness or taste.
Made this for the upcoming arrival of baby no. 2 and had turned out delicious! Agree with other posters that figuring out European measurements was a bit tricky, but worked out fine. It is dense, moist and chocolatey… Yum!
I tried it, terrible. Such a waste.
Sorry another question before I make this. The almond meal is that more like flour or ground almonds? Ground have a slightly chunkier consistency so I’m confused as which to use. I have a vegan party to bake for and I want to make sure I get it right haha.
Thanks again for your time!
It is less fine than almond flour, so more close to ground almonds!
I just made this as a birthday cake and it was delicious. I had to work through some of the Americanisms but once I realised what the odd numbered measurements and temperatures were it was easy to adjust. I found it a big job to make all the ingredients eg apple sauce, roasting the hazel nuts , processing the oats etc but luckily I made it the day before it was needed and had the time. This cake was rich, moist and super chocolatey and suited the combination of vegan, gluten free family members perfectly. Thanks
How can I make this cake vegan, but not gluten free? I want to make it for my daughther’s 2nd birthday.
Yes! I would recommend all-purpose!
For the cake in the picture did you use vegan butter or coconut oil in your cake mix? Thanks!
Coconut oil, but both work!
I don’t need this to be gluten freebie only vegan – can I substitute for plain flour and if so are the quantities the same?
Yes, all purpose at the same quantity will work.
Made this with AP flour. It was very moist. I had to bake small thin cakes because it was too wet. Overall I had a four layer cake and it was excellent! The chocolate came out nice and smooth, I can’t say I didn’t burn my face off eating freshly-roasted hazelnuts though…..
Hi!
So excited to try this. May I know which brand you use for the unsweetened cocoa powder?
Thanks :)!
I must be pleased for sharing your ideas. Thank you for the good writes up. It’s a brilliant job.
Hi Dana,
This is by far the best gluten free cake I have come across, and it’s vegan too so my dad and sister can eat it. We love it and I cannot thank you enough for your recipe.
I have a quick question; 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp/ 146 ml seems like an awful lot of maple syrup, is this the correct amount or is a typo? I only used a squirt of it and the cake turned out perfectly.
Many thanks
Rhianna
Hi! It is correct, but I am glad to hear that it worked out with less!
Can I just say… that this cake is AMAZING. I was in a time crunch last night to make a cake, and this recipe had caught my eye a while back and stuck with me. It is SO GOOD and SO EASY and what I made actually looks like your photos. I can’t wait to share it with my friend tonight for her bday party.
I will note that I did use 2% milk and 4 eggs instead of the almond milk and flax eggs since none of us are vegan. I did make it GF though, and I am blown away with how moist and fluffy it turned out! ALSO I used hazelnut meal instead of almond meal, and the aroma of the cake is just mouthwatering.
THANK YOU so much Dana for this recipe – can’t wait for your cookbook!
I did everything according to the recipes but my cakes have been in the oven for almost two hours and the toothpick just doesn’t come out clean. It formed a crust on top but underneath it it still feels soft. I now put some aluminum foil over it because I don’t want it to burn. I hope they still turn out well. :((
I made this cake yesterday. My guests and I all enjoyed it immensely but I have one comment: can you make a cake that has more of a hazelnut (Nutella!) taste? I am thinking of subbing ground hazelnuts next time. What do you think?
That sounds delicious, Laurie!
AMAAAAZING CAKE! It was the first cake I’ve ever made from scratch. I followed the instructions carefully. The only change I did was regular white flour for the gluten free. It turned out so well. I served it to my omni friends at a BBQ last night and they couldn’t believe it was vegan. As other reviewers say – it is a dense, rich cake. I made it in 8.5″ pans and cooked for 40 mins and it turned out very well. Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s a keeper!
Hi Jody – can I ask did you do the same quantity of plain flour to gluten free oat flour and flour blend totalling 250g?
Hi Polly – I think I just replaced the gluten free mix (200g) and also used the oat flour (50g), but you would likely be fine either way.
My daughter asked for this cake for her 9th birthday. I made it in a star shape tin. Everyone loves it – it looks and tastes amazing. Just made it again two weeks later – it’s going to be a regular thing. Thanks for the recipe
Hi Dana
I want to make this for Easter celebration (just 5 or 6 weeks away) with 24 people invited.
My mother adores hazelnuts and chocolate. This recipe will undoubtedly do the trick.
If i make 2 x layers of this cake in 2 separate 9″ x 13″ cake pans would :
1. the cakes hold up to stacking since it is larger in size?
2. how much inner filling do I make?
2. how much of the cake recipe do I increase this by?
Thank you in advance for your reply.
J
Hi! I would probably double the recipe size in that case (filling included) Hope this helps!
Hi, this recipe looks amazing! I am diabetic and would like to sub the honey and sugar with erythritol and stevia. Any tips?
ooops. Another question. How do you make applesauce?? Ive found recipes but want to make sure its what you use so we win this comp ;)
Hi Kelly! If you’re up for making homemade applesauce, follow the directions below!
3 lbs. apples (I prefer using a mix of Golden Delicious, Fuji, McIntosh, or Gala)
½ c. water
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
– Prepare the apples by slicing and coring them– no need to peel, unless you want to.
– Place the sliced apples, water and cinnamon in a large pot or saucepan set over medium heat. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.
– Use an potato masher, immersion blender, blender or food processor to “puree” the apples, keeping it slightly chunky. Let the applesauce cool to room temperature, then store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Good luck!
Sorry. I have another question. Instead of granulated sugar, would coconut sugar work??
Hi! That should work! Use coconut sugar on a 1:1 basis in recipes when substituting for white or brown sugar! Good luck!
Being totally dim. 1:1 ?? So just the same amount??
hahaha
You got it Kelly! Good luck!
This may seem like a dumb question, but I assume I can just get raw hazelnuts and roast them ? if so, in the oven or hob and for how long ??
We have a bake off at work soon and we will be the only vegan / gluten free cake. Cant wait!
Hi! If you’re up for it, you sure can! See below!
1. Preheat the oven. Heat the to medium heat, such as 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Arrange the hazelnuts. Spread the hazelnuts out in an even layer onto a baking sheet.
3. Roast the nuts. Place the baking sheet into the oven, and roast for between 10 and 15 minutes. …
4. Remove the shells.
Good luck!
Perfect. Thank you!
Can I replace the almond milk with hazelnut milk? And the oat flour with just as much gluten free flour? Thanks in advance!
Hi! I have not tried it, but that should work! If you try it, report back with the results! :D
This recipe is amazing! I was motivated to try it because I have a vegan daughter who loves baking, and I’ve been informing myself about the effect of gluten on our bodies. Loving chocolate cake, I could not imagine that a vegan/gluten-free chocolate cake could possibly taste as good as I know the original to be, but wow, did this change my outlook on that thought! I used the DIY flour mix you recommend, but due to the fact that I live in Germany and cannot access some ingredients, I used the white rice flour, replaced the brown rice flour with buckwheat flour, and instead of the potato starch I use tapioca starch. The rest of the ingredients were left intact. The results were utterly spectacular! The consistency of the cake was fluffy but not too much, it had just enough moisture, the chocolate filling/frosting was every chocolate-lover’s dream!!! To make sure “it wasn’t only me” I shared it with others, and they could not believe that it was not done with normal flour and eggs! This is my first recipe with you, and it will certainly not be my last! Thank you very much for sharing with us!
I made this cake for my daughters 20th birthday dinner. Seven people came, some were vegan and one was gluten free. The recipe worked beautifully, everyone said it was the best vegan cake they had ever had. There was also let over cake for the next day.
The cake is delicious! When you make cupcakes they are fluffy and moist, simply perfect! But to make a cake – not sure what super sized pan you used, but I needed half the batter and twice the frosting for one normal sized cake. I followed the recipe up to the gram. Once I put half of the batter according to the recipe – it raised to fill the whole form (22 cm in diameter) and I had to cut it in half as otherwise it would have been too thick. Once cut the inside was not fluffy at all – was more like a squeezed sponge (but the toothpick came out clean so it was baked + I baked it for an hour). If you have an idea how to make cake layers as fluffy as cupcakes – I’d me more than happy to know. This cake is a winner anyway, and you may try replacing hazelnuts with cherries – works very well too!
Ok so I made this and it flopped. I am not sure exactly where I went wrong. I actually weighed the ground flax seed and at 18 grams it was only 3 TBSP’s so I went with the 4 TBSP measurement instead of the weight. Did I weigh it wrong? I also had 3 kids helping me so that right there could have done it but it rose so nicely in the oven I figured it was done! At 35 min I tested it with a toothpick and “popped” it. After that it turned out like a solid brick of raw dough. Is that even possible?!?!?! I would like to make it again but I would like to fix what I did wrong. Help!!
I made this and it was fantastic. Even better the next day: moister. I had a bit of trouble figuring out if the cakes were done… but it all worked out. Thank you!
Hello,I am planning to make this cake soon and I was just wondering about the 4flax egg part. Do I add the flax seed,water and 4 eggs or is the flax seed + water mixture a substitute for 4 eggs?
The flax seed and water is a substitute for the eggs. Unless you are not vegan then you can go ahead and skip the flax seed and just use eggs.
The flax + water is a SUB for the eggs.
Due to recently discovered dairy allergies, my family is now (mostly) plant-based. I made this for my husband’s birthday and it was his first birthday ever being vegan. He was not looking forward to eating “plant food” all day. He couldn’t even tell there were no eggs or dairy! It was delicious. We paired it with a coconut milk ice cream off your site.
*I also made your biscuits and gravy for his birthday breakfast. He never thought he’d be able to eat them again so he was thrilled! He said he couldn’t even tell it was plant based. I love your site. You’ve made becoming animal-free so much easier.
I made this on a test run, I am making my uncles wedding cake and the bride is vegan gluten free! So amazing! I did use a bigger pan for one tier which I regret because it made it a little dry but the 8 pan is perfect! I want to do more of a fancy decoration or maybe a frosting I could shape better, any recipe suggestions?
Melia
This is THE BEST VEGAN CAKE IN THE WORLD. I just made this recipe and it’s been a huge success : everyone loved it including non-vegans and non-cake-fans.
I’ve used cashew milk cause that’s all i had and it worked fine;
Thank you very much for this recipe, i can’t wait to make it again
Hi! So my mum has had to recently go gluten free and grain free… makes it super tricky to find a decent recipe for a nice cake. It is her 50th birthday and I would love to know what I could substitute the oats and gluten free flour with. Do I use more Almond meal or use coconut flour? I have no idea what I could use and how much. I know that the texture may be totally different but I am at a loss on what I could do haha. I have a vegan sister and we loved this cake but now we have to make it grain free as well which means no rice, corn etc. Talk about hard! Look forward to hearing from you :)
Thanks,
Justine.
This cake is awesome! My kids and my spouse (who normally don’t like gluten free dessert) and my coworkers loved it!
Just made this cake and it seems to have risen a little. Is it supposed to be light and fluffy! I have followed the recipe to the letter and wonder whether it is supposed to be as dense and moist as it is. I baked it for 50 minutes but the toothpick still came out sticky. So, not wanting a dry cake, I took it out of of the oven. Hopefully the taste will be better than the texture when the frosting and nuts are added.
Hello. I’m a big fan of your site however I was a bit disappointed with the outcome of this cake. It was extremely dense and also completely lacking in sweetness even though I added a bit of extra sugar in an attempt to compensate for using beets instead of apple sauce. I did substitute almond milk with peanut milk and the gluten free flour blend for regular wheat flour but I don’t think any of these substitutions would have made much of a difference.
Hi Renee,
Wheat flour actually takes away from the sweetness of the cake and makes the cake more dense. That’s most likely why the cake didn’t turn out as well as you may have hoped. Whenever substitutions are made, the chef or the recipe creator cannot be blamed for an unpleasant outcome as many ingredients do not substitute well. Next time, try making the recipe as instructed and then determine whether it is good or not.
I absolutely love hazelnut and choco combo! One question though: do i have to use almond blend? I dont have almonds and i was wondering if i can substitute it. Im going to make it tomorrow
This cake recipe is great, so moist and yummy. Everyone we gave it to was so surprised it was vegan! We multiplied the ingredients by 1.5 and put it in one 12″ deep cake tin. Thank you!
I just made this cake as well as the vegan chocolate cake one as a trial for my soon to the 3 year olds birthday cake. My husband who never eats cake tried them both and loved them both (that’s a huge compliment to your recipe!). This hazelnut cake we found a lot sweeter than the vegan chocolate cake and as we are trying to be sugar free I used Stevia as a substitute for the sugar however I did add the maple syrup and the applesauce. When I make it again I won’t add the maple syrup and I think I’ll make my own apple sauce (puree apples should work) as the store bought does have added sugar. The applesauce gives a lovely texture. However I was wondering if sour cream or yoghurt instead of apple sauce would work?? We aren’t strictly vegan but definitely looking for healthy alternatives.
Dana do you have a vanilla cake recipe you could share??
Thanks so much I’ve really enjoyed making your recipes.
This is by far the BEST GF cake I have ever eaten, vegan or not. So amazing – only lasted 1 day in my house! I can’t have oats so subbed oat flour for more of the GF flour blend and it turned out great :)
Made this cake for my dad’s birthday and he loved it! It was moist, dense and rich, and the cake aspect was not too sweet. I think next time though I will omit the sugar from the frosting, as I found adding sugar thinned the mixture a lot and made it hard to work with – and adding more sugar to thicken it up didn’t seem to help. Might use sweetened almond milk instead perhaps next time. What a fantastic recipe though. Super pleased!
Hello! What can i substitute for almond flour? I have coconut flour at home, or would regular flour work?
Help please
Is there anything that would work instead of fruit puree and ground almonds? I am currently on the low FODMAP diet and can’t have either (or beetroot ). Dying to make this if I can though!
I’m not sure what’s happening, but it’s almost like the cake is not cooking all the way through. It’s very mushy and the toothpick is still coming out sticky with batter on it, even after being in the oven for at least an hour. The same thing is happening with the coconut berry muffins, which is also on your website. They turn out perfect when I use wheat flour, but as soon as I switch to gluten free flour, this is what happens. And, I used the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten free flour blend like you recommended.
Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe! My partner has been on a gluten, dairy and egg free diet for more than a year now and I haven’t even manage to put together a decent dessert for him, let alone a cake! But now it was his 40th birthday… I couldn’t possibly come up with a raw cake – though that was pretty much all I could think of. And then I found this. A real magic!! I substituted the oats with coconut flour and used walnuts instead of the hazelnuts as he used to love walnut cake. I’ve put an extra layer of walnut cream in the middle and oh wow. I couldn’t believe that it didn’t have any of the classic cake ingredients and yet it was beautiful and tall, not to mention the taste. I didn’t last long let me tell you. It was a huge success!! :)
Looks like a wonderful cake, do you think it would freeze?
I am a self-avowed good cook and DISASTROUS baker. I was also quite the foodie until I found out I was intolerant to dairy, gluten and eggs. I had all but given up on allergen free baking, or on ever having a satisfying dessert again until trying this cake.
Your instructions are wonderful, so helpful and reassuring for the remedial baker. And the results were breathtaking and delicious. I rimmed the top of the cake with whole toasted hazelnuts as you did, then filled the center top with chopped nuts as there are S ome in my family who I thought might want to take them off. The result was beautiful and DELICIOUS!! Thank you for sharing your talent with us, and for giving me hope that I can bake successfully!! Next stop…gardening! ?
This is AMAZING! I do cupcake and cake catering for weddings and have been getting more requests for vegan, gf etc. What do you think of using regular eggs for a non vegan version, can I replace the flax eggs with them? THANKS!
We’re making this for my son’s school project. He had to make me a cake! We’ll see how it turns out ?
We loved it. made it for my son’s 10th birthday – his choice. I did use WW flour instead of GF, but it was all wonderful. Also a mix of apple and beet sauce, and blended coconut flour instead of white powdered sugar. Thanks for posting. It was a fantastic dessert!
Could you use hazelnut meal as a sub for almond?
That should work!
Hi there!
This cook looks amazing and I am really excited to try it.
A quick question – if I don’t have GF oat flour can I just add in more of bob’s 1-1 to replace it?
Thanks!
I would think so, but I haven’t tried it that way. Let me know if you give it a try!
Is there any way I could use real eggs instead?
This was a HUGE hit tonight… I didn’t have everything I needed for the ganache so I doubled your date caramel recipe and used that as icing. Just delicious. Even my son (that doesn’t like sugary things) ate a portion. I will be making this often!
Hi! I am excited to make this cake! I am making it vegan, but do not need it to be GF. Would regular flour replace the gluten free flour and the oat flour?
Hi, I’m wondering should i double the amount of everything because I’d like to make a 24cm large cake :) Thank you
I just made this for my brother’s birthday, and oh my word, it is probably the best cake I’ve ever tasted!! I’m not even fully vegan OR gluten free, and neither is my family, but I wanted an adventure, and this proved to be so totally worth it. I discovered your blog through Google and I’m excited to try more of your recipes. :)
I made this cake for my birthday and it was THE BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever had! Incredible!
I am not vegan and I bake a lot of layer cakes, cupcakes etc. This was my first attempt at vegan baking and I carefully followed the recipe… It turned out so rich and chocolate-y… I absolutely loved this cake. HOWEVER, I still could not trick my husband into believing that it was a “regular” cake. The first thing he asked was “is this a low fat recipe?”… He had a piece, but did not love it. I wish he did because I do.
Made this for my sons birthday (non-Vegan) – “…best vegan cake you have made. It’s a keeper”. High praise from him believe me.
This is a fantastic recipe and a delicious cake! I made this the other day for Easter and it turned out really well, I followed the recipe almost exactly, but I did however use normal flour instead of gluten free and I chopped the hazelnuts instead of leaving them whole. It was great! Thank you so much.
I just made this for my boyfriend’s birthday! He is the very opposite of vegan or gluten free, and it was my very first time baking a cake from scratch. This recipe was pretty easy to follow! He was hesitant when he saw me pureeing the beets;)
We couldn’t find any cocoa powder that wasn’t outrageously over priced, so I tried to substitute with carob powder. I was a little anxious after tasting the cake alone, but using chocolate chips in the frosting helped to balance it out and it still ended up having a nice chocolate flavor. The cake was not very sweet at all, maybe because I used beet puree instead of applesauce? And I had to use almost 2 cups of powdered sugar to get my frosting to the right consistency — I may try a date frosting recipe I have next time. But the cake being not so sweet and the frosting being very sweet equaled out to the perfect amount of sweetness!:)
I was pleased with this recipe and found it very delicious! So did my non-vegan, gluten, anti-veggie-in-dessert family. Even if they were just agreeing for my sake;)
I made this cake today for my study group tomorrow, and I made one cupcake size to try myself. Yum! I’ve made flour-less cakes before but not vegan. I didn’t have oat flour so substituted with hazelnut meal. This cake seems to have worked out really well and the almond milk/coconut oil gnache is delsih! So much so I used what was left over to make a few choc protein balls. Glad to have come across this recipe today. Thank you.
This looks fantastic! I’m vegan and am planning on making this for my GF friend’s birthday. I do have one question though. I see that the instructions say to put the baking powder in with the “buttermilk” but in most baking recipes I see to put it with the flour so the acid and baking powder react during baking. Is there a particular reason you add it to the milk? Thanks in advance!
Hello. I’d like to do this cake for my birthday! I have never used flax eggs.. I am a bit reticent to use that. Do you know if I can substitute them by chia seeds?
Thanks!
I haven’t tried chia eggs in this recipe, but I’m 90% sure it would work! Give it a test run before the big day to make sure! Happy birthday!
I made this last night – it’s absolutely wonderful! Rich, moist and decadent!! The hazelnuts definitely make the cake! I will make this again – probably cook my cake a bit longer; had 9″ cake pans and cooked for about 31 min. I will also make my frosting a bit more stiff. This cake is an A+!!!
Hi, I’m hoping to make this for my friend who is GF but not vegan and I am wondering could I use brown eggs instead creating my own?
This looks absolutely amazing and i am looking forward to giving it a try.
Hi Dana
What a spectacular cake!! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I plan to make this cake for mum’s birthday. Can I just use all purpose flour be it white or wholemeal ?
Would both flours be the same quantity ? Would it affect the texture of the cake?
Which type of cocoa do you use – Dutch process?
Thanks for your help
I love hazelnuts :)
Thanks for this, I make it in future :)
I made this cake for my birthday and was happy with the taste. I followed the instructions, iced, and put in the fridge overnight. The next day when we took it to the party and cut it up, it wasn’t cake-y anymore but super dense almost like fudge. What happened? was it because I refrigerated it? The taste was still very good though.
Hmm, I’m not sure! It could’ve potentially been because you refrigerated it. I haven’t heard this from anyone else!
I’m allergic to oats. Any suggestions on something I can sub for pay flour? :)
This looks SO good! Is there a way I can skip the powdered sugar for the frosting? I know that’s a little harder to substitute than flax eggs or almond milk, but I’m trying to live entirely sugarfree.
Thanks in advance!
I think you can skip it! It will be more like a straight up ganache though, so beware that it will be pretty rich!
Lovely cake. Thank you.
Dear Dana,
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! The Thanksgiving crowd loved it. Even the skeptical non-vegans in the group were delighted with the taste.
I made the cake twice–the first time as a practice before serving it at Thanksgiving. I did make a few changes the second time around: I found the center layer of whole hazelnuts made cutting the cake very awkward, so in the second cake I used ground hazelnuts mixed with the icing. Easy to slice and delicious.
Something else I noticed was that the gram weights given do not match the conventional measurements. For example, 120 grams coverts to something like 1/2 cup, rather than a full cup. Using the 120 g quantity of cocoa powder the first time around led to a very moist (wet) result. GourmetSleuth.com has a reliable conversion calculator. I haven’t checked any of the other amounts. Perhaps it would be helpful to do so.
The bottom line, however, is that this cake is delicious! Thanks again for the recipe, Dana
Hello! I absolutely loved the idea of huselnuts in a cake! I’m going to make it for cristmas this year( I hope they all like it!) but I have a few questions though. Do I need to use a mixer or will I have to blend all the ingredients together with a whisk? Also I’ve seen that you’d put 2 cakes in the bottom with chocolate between them then chocolate huselnuts cake chocolate cake chocolate and huselnuts for decoration. Which means 4 cakes , how will i do that? Will I need to divide the 2 cakes( after or before they’ve cooled down) or will I have to make two bowls of cake ( double the ingredients for the cake) and bake 4 cakes?
A whisk should work! I actually made a smaller cake first to test these, which is why there’s four layers. So just ignore that. Otherwise you can use this 3-layer chocolate cake recipe as a guide!
I love your recipes but can’t seem to get rid of the really inappropriate scantily clad women in a Victoria’s Secret ad flashing over my screen everytime I come here. Any advice on how I can not have this on my screen. It definitely deters me from visiting your site. Thanks.
Hi, Dana, Can I use soy bean milk instead of almond milk? And for gluten free flour blend, it will be big different taste from bob’s red mill one? Thank u in advance~
The cake is delicious! But evertime I make the icing it’s runny? I wish I knew why, because your pictures look yummy!
Would it be okay to use actual chicken’s eggs instead of flax eggs? I don’t have any flax seed, but have my own happy chickens and get plenty of eggs from them!
Yes! I generally recommend 1 small chicken egg per flax egg.
I made this cake on the weekend and it was amazing. Delicious and most and it even rose! I added some coffee to it too to enhance the chocolate. It turned out amazing by normal cake standards let alone gluten free and vegan!
I used a peanut butter vegan mousse/icing in between layers and a chocolate fudge icing to top it off.
Thanks so much for the recipe I’m definitely adding it to my repertoire.
So wonderful! Thanks for sharing your experience, Tania!
Out of some ingredient so I substituted:
– pumpkin for applesauce
-ground walnuts for almond meal
-cocount milk for almond milk
…turned out delicious. best egg free gf cake recipe i’ve tried to date.
thankyou!
This was my first baked vegan dessert and subd some ingredients i didn’t have. Ended up with an interesting texture but added more apple sauce, almond milk, maple syrup to get it to the consistency you described.. I popped it in the oven and hoped for the best. After an hour of fiddling and adjusting temperatures I was relieved to get a cooked cake. And it was delicious! The chocolate frosting is probably the best I’ve had and will definitely be making in future! Thanks :)
Hiya,
What is the depth of the cake tins you use?
Thanks,
Claire
I believe 2 inches.
Hi Dana, I’ve come across many of your cake recipes and the icings for the cakes require powdered sugar/ icing sugar. I usually like to go for the healthy options like coconut sugar so I was having a look at recipes for powdered coconut sugar and I came across a few, http://thecoconutmama.com/how-to-make-powdered-sugar/
http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2011/11/how-to-make-powdered-coconut-sugar.html?m=1
These recipes in the links above claim that you can use it in replace of powdered/ icing sugar for any recipe that requires it. I was wanted to bake some of your delicious looking cakes and substituting the powdered sugar for the powdered coconut sugar recipes above for a healthier option, would these work out for your recipes?
Thanks, Ella x
So I have never made a layer cake before, let alone from scratch, let along gf/v!!! Let me say it all worked out absolutely perfectly. I ended up sprinkling some salt on the nits between the layers and on top. Yum! Thank you!
Finally had all the ingredients to make the cake. Can’t wait for it to cool and put the frosting on
Thank you for the recipe. Love your website:)
So kind! Hope you loved it, Adrienn!
I made this cake for my birthday party and it was a hit! Hope you can involve more recipes without almond flour because it was a little pricey to make, still amazing though! Much love from Miami.
I’ll keep that in mind! Thanks for sharing, Janie.
I have made this amazing cake twice in the last month for birthdays. I took one frozen to California and iced it there for a party. I made the icing the night before and took it in my checked bag – let it come to room temp. and iced as normal – makes a beautiful cake!! People came back for seconds and liked it better than a bakery vegan cake that I also flew with!!!
It was SO good I made it at home again for another birthday. I have baked a lot in my life and this cake is as “normal” and a good as cake as you can make. Not one person even suspected it was VEGAN and GF! I used you DYI flour mix, I love that recipe, too.
I did used chopped hazel nuts for in between the layers, though it cut better and was more subtle. Congratulations to a GREAT cake that I will bake again and again. It also carries very well on a plane!!
Hi ! Thanks for this recipe :)
I’m not sure, if I make these as muffins in paper liners, do I have to cut each of them in half to pur frosting and hazelnuts, or do I have to put 2 of them, one on another (‘Cause, you know, muffin tins are not really upright, and that would be giant…)
This cake Sounds great! Do you have any idea what I can use instead of Apple sauce? Because I Must follow a low foodmap diet due to my IBS? :-/
I made this cake for the first time a couple of days ago. It was amazing and delicious. I made it to take to a garden party. I actually didn’t separate the layers with whole hazelnuts. But I did use them around the top and alternated it with raspberries. Also, I ended up using a different frosting recipe. I used the chocolate avocado frosting.
It was a hit! Only once slice was left at the end of the party and I brought it home to my husband to enjoy. Thanks again for another fabulously delicious recipe.
made it! i used coconut sugar instead of regular and for the frosting just used almond milk and chocolate and a bit of coconut oil (last minute found out i had no powdered sugar) BUT IT TURNED OUT SO GOOD THE FROSTING WAS CREAMY AND THE WHOLE THING WAS JUST AMAZING. YOU ROCK
Made this lovely cake for my husbands birthday and it turned out great! The combo of the flours leaves it perfectly moist and just so yummy! I decided to whip the icing after chilling instead of adding additional sugar, this worked wonderful and kept the sweetness down.
I think you made an error with the flax eggs tho? I used 4 tsp flax instead of tbsp.
will be saving this recipe for future special occasions! Thank you!
Could you use ground hazelnuts in place of almond meal to impart more hazelnut flavor?
This cake is amazing ! :) I make it for one of my gluten-free friend (and myself…. vegan). Everybody just love it. The hazelnuts and the chocolate frosting are just perfect together !! Your are amazing.
Thank’s so much for charing this delicious cocoa paradise !!! :)
Une perfection dans le palet !!!
Joannie
So wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Joannie!! xo
Hi, I can’t find any gluten free oat flour or oats for that matter in my area, what would be a good substitute? This cake looks amazing I can’t wait to make it!
I always recommend subbing a mix of almond meal and gluten free flour blend!
I’ve been saving this recipe for a special occasion and I finally have an excuse to make it for my best friends birthday! Can it be made a day in advance and still be fine the next day? Looks DIVINE
Oh Dana this cake looks delish!! Thanks again for another amazing recipe. I was going ok until I did the frosting and mine looks like chocolate soup hahaha. I tried beating it to make it ‘light n fluffy’ but no go. Maybe its to do with the ingredients that I used?
I will make another type of frosting for now until I know where I went wrong.
Keep up the great work!
Did you chill the frosting? It can be kind of runny until it firms up…
Me and the fam loved this cake and it didn’t last long although, there are a lot of ingredients in it. It will be my ‘special’ cake that I make now and then. Its taking me some time to get use to this ‘gluten, dairy and egg free’ baking! Thanks again for this delicious recipe Dana!
Of course! Glad you enjoyed it, Wendy!
I absolutely love your recipes and so far have loved almost everything of yours I have made. I have just a general question: we have to eat gluten free at my house (2 Celiacs over here) but we are not vegan. As a general rule, whenever you call for flax eggs, vegan butter or say, almond milk, can I just use regular eggs, butter or milk? Just wanted a little clarification since I’m starting to cook from this blog a lot. :)
This cake was fantastic. Absolutely amazing. I made it for my husband’s birthday, and even his parents (non-vegan) and my mom (non-vegan and possibly the world’s best baker) loved it and couldn’t tell it didn’t have eggs and dairy. I’d highly recommend this recipe and will definitely be making it again.
would i be able to use anything as a replacement for apple sauce?
Extra oil or another fruit puree?
how much do you think?
I made this Cake for Mother’s Day and it was delicious! I think it tasted more like brownies and was very indulgent! My mother thanks you for the recipe. :)
Can’t wait to try this! I think I’m going to go hazelnut all the way and use hazelnut milk and flour. All hail the hazelnut!
Nice! Let me know how it goes, Alyssa!!
hey Dana- would it work to sub coconut butter for the vegan butter or coconut oil in the frosting?
I’d think so, but I’m not sure! Let me know if you give it a try.
Hi,
Can you still use normal egg’s instead of the flax eggs?
Thanks :)
Yes! I say 1 small egg for every flax egg.
hi there! recently made this cake twice, once with non-gf flour and one with! sadly the gluten free blend i used seemed to suck a lot of the moisture out of the cake, and it was really quite dry. was just wondering if the brand of flour you used in particular, the bob’s red mill one, is worth buying? also just to ask because it suggests you add xanthan gum to the flour, would you recommend doing that? thank you!
It’s worth buying in my opinion. It’s super finely milled and is the closest 1:1 swap I’ve found for gluten free baking! Also, I never add xanthan gum. But you can if you want!
Hey love, i hope you receive this before i’m old, becaus i really wanna make this cake. I’ve just got 1 question. Do you think this recipe will work if i sub the almond meal with oat flour?
Hi,
This cake looks great!
I’m looking for a birthday cake recipe for a vegan, sugar-free, and gluten-free birthday boy…
Is it possible at all to replace the sugar in this recipe with agave\dates\stevia?
Thanks!
Dina.
Another question! I only have one 8 inch pan and was wondering if it would be okay to just bake it in one pan and slice it in half after? If so, what temperature should I bake it and how long? Thanks! Can’t wait to make this!
I don’t think it will bake all the way through if you use one 8-inch. Might I recommend a 9×13?
Can we use cacao powder instead of cocoa? Does it make a difference?
Nope! That should work!
This recipe looks incredible but I can’t make it as listed due to my son’s multiple food allergies. Is there a substitute for almond meal?
Wow this looks incredible!! My dad is lactose intolerant and can’t have dairy so you don’t know how happy I am that you have this site – now I can make things he can eat! I was wondering though, since I wouldn’t need to make it gluten free, could I just use all purpose flour in place of the almond meal/ flours and if so how much regular flour would I use? Or is this recipe better without substituting? Thanks!
I just made this cake and it’s one of the best GF cakes I’ve made. I’m not gluten free but love finding nut flour recipes. My icing didn’t firm up the way it should have but I had to perform some mental math involving some leftover squares of a giant dark choc bar so the mistake was most likely mine. I also think the baking time would’ve been best on the longer end as mine was a little gooey (still delicious) in the center. Thanks for a fab recipe!
I made it! Delicious!!! So easy & moist! My substitutions were all whole wheat pastry flour instead of the mixture of flours. The whole family loved it! Thank you for sharing.
Chocolate + Hazelnuts are just the perfect pair, aren’t they? We like the interesting ingredients you use for the cake such as apple cider vinegar, flax seed meal and oat flour! – This looks delicious!
Made this cake for Easter and it. was. amazing!!!! For the cake I followed everything exactly except for adding the hazelnuts (I love them but my sisters can’t eat them) and I used cashew milk instead of almond. I had to bake it for almost an hour and it was still a bit gooey in the middle. I probably could have baked it longer but I didn’t want to burn it. But, I really didn’t care as it was just that much fudgier. :) Seriously good. Also, I must have much shallower 8 inch pans than you have as it was way too much for the two 8″ pans that I have. So, I made an extra little 6″ layer (which may be why it look so much longer to bake) to eat the night before (had to have a taste test right?).
I made a double recipe of the frosting because we really like lots of frosting. This is some of the best vegan frosting I’ve ever had. So good! Again, used cashew milk, used soy-free Earth Balance and used Rice Dream dairy-free chocolate chips. Added a bit more powdered sugar to make it a little more like buttercream instead of ganache.
This is a delicious cake and I can see us making it again and again in the future!
Great, thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe! You are truly talented and creative. I loved the video for the drinking chocolate – so funny.
Hi,
Can I use a regular cake pan instead of round pans?
Love your recipes!
I think so! Just google different cooking times for different baking dishes as I’m not sure how that will change!
This looks amazing, I have developed a new love for Nutella so can’t wait to try this one soon!!!
I have only just recently stumbled upon your blog and I love it! You have amazing recipe’s and photos! I look forward to trying some and seeing what you post next! I have recently started my own blog and your blogger resources are so helpful as I am so not good at technical computer stuff!
Thanks for being awesome!
This recipe turned out great! I didn’t need it to be gluten free so i used AP flour instead of the GF blend, but kept the almond meal and oat flour. For the frosting i had to use canola oil since its all i had but it was still good. i just wish it didn’t harden/get crusty so quickly, but i guess thats just how frosting is?
All in all, amazing vegan cake. I was very impressed. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hmm, not sure! It may be that you added too much powdered sugar? Glad you still enjoyed it!
I think this person is using some of your photos…
http://instagram.com/theayareina
Thanks!
The almost 2 cups of powdered sugar in the frosting seems a large amount – for someone wanting to avoid so much sugar what might one substitute? or is powdered sugar the best to use?
You can cut that back as desired. Just make sure to chill it a little longer until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
Hi Dana. Can i sub the flax egg with chia egg? 1 tbsp chia+2,5 tbsp water?
Hi Miruna! That should work!
Made this as cupcakes this weekend for my birthday. SOOOOOO yummy! Reminded me of Hostess Cupcakes but even more moist and delicious. Topped with dairy free butter cream frosting and everyone (GF or not, vegan or not) LOVED them. Thanks for the great recipe!
This cake is stunning, Dana! It looks super moist, fudge-y, intensely chocolate, and just SO good! And it’s GF & vegan too! I think I’ve pinned this recipe 4-5 times today!
Looks absolutely delicious!
I made this yesterday for Easter and it turned out great! I did make a few modifications: subbed all purpose flour for the gluten free blend (same measurement), used Special Dark cocoa powder, used only about 1/8 cup of maple syrup instead of the full amount called for, and lastly, I coarsely chopped the hazelbuts instead of keeping them whole. I also forgot to add the vanilla, which I would definitely be sure to add next time. I did have to cook it a full 40 mins. Overall, it turned out to be a nice dark chocolate not too sweet cake. I was really surprised with the texture and how well it holds together even when sliced super thinly. I often end up with cakes that ‘deflate’ as they cool when I cook vegan, but there was absolutely none of that with this one. No one would ever suspect there are no eggs in it!
Oh, also, I used Ener-G egg replacer for 4 eggs because I didn’t have any flax seed on hand.
I made this cake today, and am going to assemble it for easter dinner tomorrow however i have a couple questions. I baked my cakes for 10 minutes longer than the recipe called and although the toothpick came out clean the cake is still super moist in the centre. I cut into the middle with a knife and the cake is pretty WET. Being that there is no egg in the cake I know that is not a concern but would you still serve it this way? Im just not sure how “moist” the cake should be and because its chocolate its such fine line between cooked and overcooked I was scared to burn it. Please help
Hi Sarah! Sorry to just get back to you! The cake shouldn’t be “wet” in the middle. The time I suggested should be enough to get it baked all the way through, but I’ve added another 5 minutes as well as a note about subbing any ingredients and the size of your pan. Did you use 8″ cake pans? Did you change anything? Just wanted to make sure nothing was different.
Hi Dana,
I’m honestly not sure what happened as I followed the recipe exactly, using 8inch cake pans. I ended up returning the cakes to the oven for at least 20 additional minutes. In the end the cake was delicious and I would definitely bake it again, just keeping in mind it takes more time in my oven.
Looks delish!!!! I’m not vegan, can I use4 eggs instead of the flax eggs and regular milk?
Should work! Check back if you try it :D
Yes, I think 4 small eggs and regular milk should work!
Ellen, did you try this cake with eggs? I am looking to make a great chocolate gluten free cake made with eggs. Please let us know!
Thank you for measuring the ingredients! I’m from Germany and I’ve recommended your Blog to a friend in the Netherlands and also in England (both are GF & I’m Vegan). Here you won’t really find cups and tablespoons so it takes a lot of the work out of it whenever we want to make one of your recipes.
I’m also a massive fan of the NI at the bottom of the recipes. I use it for Cron-o-meter. You’ve saved me many a headache! Danke! Thanks for all your hard work!
HUBBA!
What a glorious hazelnut cake, Dana! Love roasted hazelnuts, and with the creamy dark chocolate frosting sounds very decadent :)
Cheers,
J+C
That cake is sooooo beautiful!!!! It looks better than the ones that you buy in stores!!!
Wow, this is really beautiful Dana!! I want to just dive right into that cake head first!!! I love chocolate and hazelnuts. Gorgeous.
Love this cake! So rich and delicious!!!
Well this is just crazy pretty! Love all the hazelnuts and the decorating is too cute :)
Holy heavens this looks unbelievable. For sure I would have to invite folks over because I can tell I would keep going back for more.
I really wanted to do a cake for easter!! I might try this one :D
Looks yummy! Do you think I could sub the almond milk for coconut milk?
Thankfifi.x
I think you could! I would recommend coconut milk beverage, or slightly watering down light coconut milk. Report back if you do!
This cake is hardcore gorgeous. I can’t stop looking at it! Love your work lady Dana!
Love YOUR work! Congrats on everything going on in your world! Cookbook, Saveur noms – get it girl!
This looks gorgeous and equally delicuous!! I loved Nutella too until I read about what’s in it:( however I found a delicious Nutella copy cat called Nocciolata that is organic and I’ve never been happier! You have to try it. It’s just as good without the junk from Nutella though still sugary as a treat should be. I recently made banana stuffed muffins with it!
Smart lady! Never heard of that alternative, but I’ll have to check it out!!
Awesome recipe! Just found out my husband needs to be gluten free, egg free, soy free, peanut & almond free, and dairy free. How could I adapt this recipe without using almond milk or almond meal?
Thanks!
What about a rice flour and maybe coconut milk? Just a thought! :) I bake gluten free and brown rice flour is a staple for me as well as coconut milk. Good luck to you on this new journey.
Julie, I would recommend rice or coconut milk beverage. Or even flax milk! As for the almond meal, I would recommend subbing additional (equal parts) GF oat flour and gluten free flour blend! Report back if you give it a try!
So decadent, this beautiful chocolate cake is calling my name! Love all the hazelnuts!
That is heaven in a cake!! I think I’d only let myself have a slice because 444 is enough calories, thank you very much!
ha, definitely an indulgence! but so worth it in my opinion. And a lot of it is from heart healthy fats!
This looks so fudgy and moist and delicious! Also, the combo of hazelnuts and chocolate is THE BEST!
I am near certain this cake is what dreams are made of. Wow.
This cake makes me SO HAPPY, Dana! 1 Bowl?! Chocolate hazelnut?!
Perfection.
And your photos are stunning. I can’t wait to pin them all!
xoxo
SO kind! Thanks Abby!!
This cake looks so rich and amazing! Chocolate, hazelnuts, and guilt-free: some of my favorite things! Can I just pretend you made this cake specially for me? ;)
I used to love Nutella! Sadly, I tried making my own vegan Nutella in my vitamix before and it was an epic chunky fail lol. This cake looks amazing with the crunchy roasted hazelnuts, yummmm
So sad! I think I’m going to give it a try soon so I’ll let you know if I have success!
Yeah I used the recipe from the Vitamix website but I probably did something wrong! You’ll do awesome I’m sure and if you ever post a recipe I will definitely give it another go!
Can you just mail me a slice or the entire cake?! how delicious does this look?!
When I make a cake from scratch it seems like there are at least 50 bowls to wash. Does anyone else have that problem? hahah
Can’t wait to try this and hopefully the one bowl method will help cut back on the dishes!!
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it:) I am also wondering if it is OK to use a non-gluten free flour. Has anyone tried this so I am not wasting ingredients? Would love to make this for Easter!
PS… I really hope you come out with a cookbook soon!
Hi Tara! See my above responses!
We are coming out with a cookbook! This fall. Be stoked! See the above comments for non gluten free recommendations. Best!
Hi, I’m new here (and being vegan) and I must say: *Thank You* not only for the fantastic recipes, but also for mentionning the measures in GRAMS! I’ve been having a hard time converting… No cups and no time or where to find those US things here. So again, one big *Thank You* from Paris/France! (ps. you made my day with this last recipe, I’ll be trying it this week-end for sure)
Of course! Thanks for following along! It’s a newer thing I’ve been doing and I’ve never weighed food before, so bare with me and if anything looks suspect don’t hesitate to point it out! I’m definitely still learning but am so glad it’s helpful for you and other international readers!
This cake looks delicious! I am pinning this recipe so I can give it a try soon. I usually make cookies, brownies or muffins as when I make cakes something always goes wrong, but this one sounds doable and that frosting looks so yummy.
Wow, just wow. Your pics, your food…. speechless.
Thanks Ale!!
I am glad that I am not alone in my current obsession of hazelnuts
Give me ALL the hazelnuts. More hazelnut recipes coming soon, too!
Absolutely gorgeous!
Wow that cake looks insanely fudge-y and delicious! And that frosting…I’m already obsessed, no joke!
I’m allergic to almonds any suggestions to substitute for almond meal here?
Another nut meal, such as walnut would be great. Otherwise, use equal parts extra oats + gluten free flour!
What can we use as a substitute for the almond milk?
another milk?
can I substitute the almond flour with anything else? I’m so gonna make this for Easter! :)
Another nut meal, such as walnut would be great. Otherwise, use equal parts extra oats + gluten free flour!
This cake looks absolutely gorgeous, Dana! Extra hazelnuts on my slice, please!
Nutella with EXTRA hazelnuts? Dreams really do come true. Looks incredible!
Hi Dana! THIS LOOKS SO GOOD IM GOING TO CRY. Suppose I were to make applesauce at home just for this recipe (yes that’s how much i want to eat it + more)…how many apples do you think I’d need to use
mm, 1 large or 2 small? Let me know how it goes!
Love this presentation and recipe! If I wanted to, could I use gluten-ful flour? :)
Yes I do, though I haven’t tried it myself. I would keep the almond meal and oat flour the same, if possible. And sub in unbleached all purpose for the gluten free blend. Good luck!
This looks amazing. I’m not gluten free so if I wanted to make it with regular flour do you think the measurements would stay the same?
Yes I do, though I haven’t tried it myself. I would keep the almond meal and oat flour the same, if possible.
If I were to use regular flour, should it be all purpose or cake flour? Love the recipe!
I would recommend all purpose.
Is flax meal a fine substitute for almond meal? And do instant oats work for the oat flour? I wanna make this with some things I already have! This cake looks like a beauty
Not really. Flax and almonds definitely react different in baking. I think instant oats would work if you grind them into flour. Good luck!
wow this cake looks truly amazing:) there is something about chocolate and hazelnuts that goes so well together :)
Yum! This looks incredibly delicious! I like the pink background too, it’s really fun!
Thanks Lauren! I couldn’t resist. It’s so springy!
MMM! Can’t wait to try this. I love the idea of using whole hazelnuts between layers for a surprise of texture.
Woww! So cool!
That looks fantastic! And perfect timing for me – I need a luscious birthday cake for a group of non vegans, convince them we don’t live on twigs and leaves! ;)
Er, I think there might be a small error in the frosting though? I’m not sure if you want 1/4 cup (65 grams or so) or 5/4 cups (334 g) of butter?
Fixed! Good catch :D
That looks amazing! Who doesn’t love Nutella, I ask you? It’s my obsession. I will eat an entire jar of it if given a spoon and an opportunity. This might be a better option!
Holy moly! That looks delicious- especially that layer of hazel nuts!! xoxo
You beauty! I have definitely been known to (more than twice) buy a jar of nutella and eat the whole thing. The intention is always to bake with it but I get carried away with the spoon. This seems like a better way to eat chocolate and hazelnuts without the empty jar staring back at me.
I did that one time in college! Never again will I buy a jar of that stuff. So tempting! Hope you love this Nutella-inspired recipe!
Such beautiful plating as usual! I always think of adding hazelnut to so many desserts but never as an entire cake. Love this!
The hazelnuts MAKE this cake! Hope you love it, Taylor!
I have made this cake for birthdays and many special occasions – it always comes out perfectly, looks beautiful, tastes amazing, and is loved by everyone (vegan, non-vegan, gluten-free… I mean everybody!). I’ve also made cupcakes – perfection! Sometimes I do not add the 1/2 cup of melted vegan butter to the cake and you would never know it! I highly recommend this cake!