This small gluten free chocolate cake makes a mini 6-inch cake that is soft, moist, full of chocolate flavor, and ideal for two people! The almond flour cake makes a great cake for small celebrations, birthday's, and Valentine's Day. Finish the cake with strawberry butter free frosting for a delicious combo!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time22 minutesmins
Total Time32 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chocolate, Gluten Free, Mini Cake, Small Batch, Strawberry
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line the bottom of a 6-inch round cake pan with a piece of parchment paper. Lightly grease the pan and the paper.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking powder and soda, and salt.
In a medium mixing bowl, add the sugar, egg, melted coconut oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Whisk until completely combined.
Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the top of the wet ingredients. Stir until no dry streaks remain. Add the hot coffee (or water), and stir until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the cake is springy to the touch, the sides are pulling away from the pan, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Cool the cake in the pan set on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes, then transfer to the rack to cool completely.
Strawberry Butter Free Frosting
While the cake is cooling, prepare the strawberry butter free frosting. You may have leftover frosting depending on how much you like to frost your cake. Leftover frosting can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Frost the completely cooled cake, decorate with sprinkles (optional), and Enjoy!
Notes
Xanthan Gum - This is optional, but recommended. Xanthan gum makes the cake soft and light. Without it, the cake may have a tighter crumb. A little goes a long way.
Cocoa Powder - My preference is Dutch process cocoa because it has a bolder chocolate flavor and isn't as acidic. You can swap in natural cocoa if you prefer.
Coffee - The hot coffee enhances the flavor of the cocoa. I recommend a medium brew so it does not overpower the flavor. Otherwise, hot water will also work.
Cake Pan - The cake can also be baked in a 6-inch square cake pan. Or 6 cupcakes.
Storing - The cake will stay moist covered at room temperature for a day. After that, you will want to refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days. Beyond that, the cake may start to dry out.
Freezing Baked Cake - The baked cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap the cake tightly with plastic wrap then slip into a Ziploc bag. Thaw the wrapped cake in the refrigerator.
Frosting - For more frosting ideas, check out the frosting recipes on the blog.