• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Start Here
  • Baking 101
  • Recipes
  • Shop

The Bake School

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Start Here
  • Baking 101
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Start Here
    • Baking 101
    • Recipes
    • Shop
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Cakes

    Published on: June 26, 2018 by Janice Lawandi; Updated on: January 23, 2025 10 Comments

    Gluten-Free Buckwheat Chocolate Cake

    728 shares
    • Facebook32
    • Reddit
    • Flipboard
    Jump to Recipe
    Slicing and serving a chocolate cake topped with whipped cream and whole strawberries.

    Learn how to make the best buckwheat chocolate cake with this easy recipe. This gluten-free chocolate cake is a play on the "fallen" chocolate cake made from whipped eggs and sugar with melted chocolate, ground almond, and buckwheat flour folded in before baking. It's delicious with whipped cream and berries or ice cream.

    Single layer gluten free chocolate cake topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries
    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    When I worked on this recipe, I wanted a simpler chocolate cake than the typical chocolate layer cake with berries. I was aiming for a single-layer chocolate cake that is quite similar to a flourless chocolate cake of sorts but with a little (buckwheat) flour added to the mix. The buckwheat flour in this recipe not only gives this chocolate cake more flavour, it also helps give the inside of the chocolate cake a little more structure so that, when you underbake it just like you would a real flourless chocolate cake, the cake sinks and settles, but not too much, so it doesn't become overly dense like some other recipes.

    Jump to:
    • What You Need to Make This Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
    • How to Make a Chocolate Cake With Buckwheat Flour
    • Baking Tip: Volume Without Separating Eggs
    • More Gluten-Free Baking
    • 📖 Recipe

    What You Need to Make This Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

    The beauty of fallen chocolate cake recipes like this is you likely have most (or all) the ingredients you need in your pantry and fridge. Here's what you need:

    Ingredients to make a buckwheat chocolate cake measured out in small bowls.
    • butter—I bake with unsalted butter. If using salted, you may want to adjust the amount of salt you add
    • chocolate—I baked this cake with a dark chocolate that is bittersweet (70 % cocoa solids). The flavour and sweetness of the chocolate will have an impact on the sweetness of the cake so use a chocolate you like! The major ingredient is chocolate, which means you MUST use the best dark chocolate for baking because it provides both flavour, structure, and texture to this dessert. For this recipe, I used Cacao Barry Ocoa 70% dark chocolate, which is a professional quality dark chocolate that you can buy in IGA grocery stores in Quebec and online from Vanilla Food Company
    • eggs—I always bake with large eggs. If you use smaller or larger eggs, this may have an impact on the texture of the final dessert
    • sugar—I used granulated sugar because I find this gives the best volume when whipping the eggs.
    • flour—I used gluten-free buckwheat flour. As you can see it is a whole-grain flour, unbleached
    • ground almonds—you can use either ground blanched almonds or unblanched. This doesn't matter
    • salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal Fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the cake may be too salty.

    Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

    How to Make a Chocolate Cake With Buckwheat Flour

    Melting chocolate over a pan of simmering water and whisking dry ingredients separately in a bowl.

    Step 1—Begin by combining the chocolate and butter in a bowl above a pan of gently simmering water (image 1). Let it all melt together, stirring often, until smooth and glossy (image 2). Set it aside to cool slightly while you whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl (image 3).

    Whipping eggs with sugar to the ribbon stage in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. The mixture falls off the whisk when lifted above the surface of bowl and forms a ribbon on the surface.

    Step 2—Place the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (image 4) and whisk them until frothy before slowly drizzling in the granulated sugar (image 5). Continue whipping until the mixture is very light in colour, creamy, and ribbony (it forms a ribbon when dripped onto the surface as in image 6).

    Folding dry ingredients and melted chocolate into whipped eggs and sugar before transferring chocolate cake batter to a springform pan and smoothing the surface with a mini offset spatula.

    Step 3—Immediately fold the dry ingredients in with a large spatula (image 7) and then the melted chocolate (image 8). The batter will be thick (image 9). Transfer the mixture to a prepared springform pan (image 10).

    Tip: Because I wanted a taller chocolate cake, I opted to use an 8-inch springform pan. Make sure to take the time to prepare the cake pan properly: I buttered the pan all over, lined the bottom with parchment paper, and then dusted the sides with buckwheat flour to make sure that this cake would unmould perfectly from the sides, which it did, as you can see in the photos!

    Buckwheat chocolate cake before and after baking, and after cooling so show how it sinks.

    Step 4—Make sure the top of the cake is smooth before placing it in the oven (image 11). Bake the cake until it domes on top and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan slightly (image 12). The cake will fall and crack as it cools (image 13). This is normal!

    Note: Like with flourless chocolate cakes, it's best to let this cake cool completely and then sit overnight before cutting into it. The cake will sink and settle, and the top will crack a little, and the texture inside of the cake changes as the flavour improves. This recipe makes a great make-ahead dessert. I stored it unwrapped overnight, but feel free to store it under a cake dome. I served this moist chocolate cake with a thick layer of whipped cream and lots of berries. It's the perfect dessert to celebrate summer.

    Single layer chocolate cake with a cracked sunken surface

    Baking Tip: Volume Without Separating Eggs

    A lot of flourless chocolate cake recipes have you separate the whites from the yolks so that you can whip the whites to stiff peaks and fold them into the batter to lighten the mixture. I hate that, and I bet you do too.

    Rather than beat the whites separate from the yolks, I opted to make this chocolate cake like I would make a génoise cake, whipping the whole eggs with the sugar until it's at the ribbon stage, a foam so stable, light, and thick that it forms a "ribbon" when drizzled off the beater onto the surface of the whipped mixture. This stable foam is perfect for providing enough rise to this easy gluten-free chocolate cake recipe. No separating of eggs is required!

    More Gluten-Free Baking

    Check out these other gluten-free baking recipes if you are looking to bake more desserts without gluten without compromising on taste and texture:

    • A plate of puffed rice and marshmallow treats cut into squares.
      Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats
    • A plate of amaretti cookies.
      Orange Almond Amaretti Cookies
    • Pavlova cake filled with whipped cream, lemon curd, and raspberries being served.
      Pavlova
    • A grey-rimmed ceramic plate with two banana muffins, one split open and buttered.
      Banana Muffins with Oats (Gluten-Free)

    If you tried this recipe for the best buckwheat chocolate cake (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

    📖 Recipe

    Single layer gluten free chocolate cake topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries

    Gluten-Free Buckwheat Chocolate Cake

    AuthorAuthor : Janice Lawandi
    This moist buckwheat chocolate cake is topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries and you won't believe it's gluten-free! The cake is quite similar to a flourless chocolate cake, but made with a little buckwheat flour and ground almond. It's perfect for serving as a single layer cake with summer berries and lots of whipped cream.
    5 from 5 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 45 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10
    Calories 436 kcal

    Equipment

    • 8-in springform
    • 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
    • OXO balloon whisk
    • Cooling rack
    Need measurements in CUPSUse the button options below to switch from Metric to US measurements! It's that easy!

    Ingredients
     
     

    Gluten-free chocolate cake

    • 150 grams unsalted butter
    • 175 grams dark chocolate (70 % cocoa content)
    • 4 large egg(s)
    • 150 grams granulated sugar
    • 63 grams buckwheat flour
    • 75 grams ground almonds
    • 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt

    Whipped cream

    • 250 mL whipping cream (35 % fat)
    • 25 grams icing sugar

    Garnish

    • 450 grams fresh strawberries

    Instructions
     

    Gluten-free chocolate cake

    • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175 °C). Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan, then line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Use a tablespoon or two of buckwheat flour to flour the buttered sides of the pan. Set the pan aside.
    • Melt the butter with the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Mix until perfectly smooth, glossy, and even. Take the bowl off the heat and let cool slightly.
    • Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs with the granulated sugar to the ribbon stage when the mixture is very pale in colour and extremely light in texture. This takes about 10 minutes.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, ground almonds, and salt. Fold this dry mixture into the fluffy egg mixture. Then fold in the melted chocolate and butter.
    • Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Smooth the top and tap the pan to remove any large air pockets.
    • Bake the cake for about 45 minutes until the surface is set but the inside is still a little underbaked.
    • Let the cake cool for 10 minutes then unmold it onto a plate and let it cool and rest overnight. The cake will crack and settle in this time. That's normal!

    Whipped cream

    • When you are ready to serve the cake, whip the cold whipping cream in a large bowl. When the whipped cream is still a little soft, add the icing sugar and finish whipping the mixture to form thick whipped cream. Spread the whipped cream over the chocolate cake.

    Garnish

    • Top the whipped cream layer with a pile of washed berries. Serve immediately.

    Notes

    • For the dark chocolate, I used Cacao Barry Ocoa 70 % dark chocolate.
    • You can serve this cake with whipped cream as written, or ice cream (like this vanilla bean ice cream or this dark chocolate ice cream). This would also be excellent with mint chocolate chip ice cream!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 436kcal
    Give backIf you enjoy the free content on this website, buy me a pound of butter to say thanks!

    More Cake Recipes

    • Slicing an orange cake with poppy seeds to serve it.
      Orange Poppy Seed Cake
    • A piece of gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting and lemon curd served on a dessert plate.
      Moist Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Lemon Curd
    • Slicing a blueberry crumb cake.
      Easy Blueberry Crumb Cake
    • A slice of double chocolate banana bread on a plate.
      Chocolate Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

    Baking resources

  • Baking conversion charts
  • Baking ingredients and pantry staples
  • Baking substitutions
  • Common baking conversions
  • Choosing baking pans
  • How to measure ingredients for baking
  • Mixing methods
  • Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Srammk says

      October 30, 2024 at 11:28 am

      does it gave to be left overnight? I don't have time for that.

      Reply
      • Janice Lawandi says

        October 30, 2024 at 11:36 am

        Hi! Great question! I actually retested this recipe recently and baked the cake in the morning and served it a few hours later on the same day and it was perfect, so it doesn't have to sit overnight before serving.

        Reply
    2. Helen says

      March 03, 2024 at 8:28 pm

      I made this for a family lunch party where there was a young family of 4 w gluten issues.

      I've been baking for 60 years (!) and I can eat wheat products. Yet I always become anxious when baking gf desserts. And I just don't like the odd (to me) taste of gfree a.p. flour. Even the good ones.

      Yet this cake was amazing! We all loved it. Thank you, Janice! I may make it my go-to chocolate cake recipe.

      I made it pretty much as was written, but I used Camino semi-sweet chocolate. I worried it might end up too sweet, but it was not.

      I made 1.5 x the recipe, and used a 9-inch springform pan. It took a long time to bake, and that worried me. I checked it with a long wooden skewer a few times, and it was repeatedly wet inside. Finally, the skewer came out *fully* clean. Whoops! I shud have baked it a wee bit less. Say until there were still a few moist crumbs on the skewer. Next time!

      I used finely ground whole almonds (with skins) and processed them very finely with all of the weighed BW flour (Good Earth brand).

      I wasn't sure if I was supposed to use almond flour, or not, bc when I clicked "ground almonds", almond flour was described. But I stayed with ground almonds.

      To be on the safe side, I added 1/2 tsp of double-acting bp to my increased recipe. Another link had suggested putting a pan with water at the oven's bottom, so I did that, too.

      When I make it again, and if I increase it, I may use 2 x 8" round pans. (Luckily, I own the old-fashioned pans with the movable bar at the bottom).

      I buttered the pan as directed, and it came out very easily - even at the sides.

      I wrapped the baked cake snugly in plastic wrap overnight, and left it on the counter (no pets!) it was perfect the next day.

      I made a lovely white buttercream frosting, and frosted the top with it - I did that for the sake of the 3-year old girl. If it had been just adults, I wud have sprinkled it w icing sugar, and served a side of fresh berries and whipped cream.

      The outer crumb was delicate, so I just plopped on little piles of frosting, and then smoothed them lightly together. Worked fine.

      This cake was easy to make and so very, very delicious. A nice texture, too. The chocolate flavour was even better than my two old time recipe faves! Who knew?

      I now plan to become closer friends w BW flour. I have never used it before, but we have had delicious BW crepes in Brittany, France about 15 years ago.

      Thanks, again. This recipe rocks!

      Helen K, southern Canada.

      Reply
    3. kelly ch says

      February 02, 2021 at 9:08 pm

      The cake is delicious. Thank you for the recipe. I added buckwheat and almond flour to the melted chocolate mixture, then folded in the egg mixture.

      45 mins is too long of a baked time. The cake got baked in 35 mins at 350 degrees.

      Reply
    4. Janice says

      September 04, 2019 at 7:20 am

      Can ground almonds be used to substitute the buckwheat flour?

      Reply
      • Serena Lim says

        April 30, 2020 at 7:42 am

        Dear Janice,

        Thank you for the lovely recipe. I would like to check the following:
        1) can the 175 grams Cacao Barry Ocoa 70% dark chocolate subsitute with Cacao Barry Extra Brute

        2) Can the 63g buckwheat flour subsitute Almond Flour? so I will be using all Almond Flour. Please advise thank you

        Reply
        • Janice says

          April 30, 2020 at 8:05 am

          Hi Serena,

          Ocoa 70 % is a dark chocolate that would contain both cocoa solids and fat (cocoa butter), as well as some sugar, like most 70 % chocolates. In this recipe, the best substitute would be a different 70 % dark chocolate or any bittersweet chocolate.

          Extra Brute is a cocoa powder so it would not make a good substitute.

          For the almond flour, that could work (might be a little more fudgy, but not in a bad way!), or you could add in some regular all-purpose flour! Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes!

          Reply
    5. elodiesucree says

      June 28, 2018 at 2:21 pm

      Un superbe gâteau, il doit être succulent, merci pour cette très alléchante réalisation, gros bisous, très bonne soirée ?

      Reply
    6. Gabby says

      June 28, 2018 at 10:07 am

      That looks so good, perfect for the summer! and I agree, separating the eggs is such a pain. haha

      Reply
    7. Marlene says

      June 27, 2018 at 8:23 am

      You've outdone yourself with this one! I've been making a flourless chocolate cake for years that involves separating the eggs and processing them separately. I will definitely be trying this cake as the method sounds like it will save me time (and dishes!). Such a beautiful presentation, simple but elegant.

      Reply
    5 from 5 votes

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    This is a picture of Janice Lawandi

    Hi, I'm Janice!

    I am a baking-obsessed recipe developer with a PhD in Chemistry who writes about baking and the science of baking.

    More About Me

    Join the Community

    If you enjoy the free content on this website or have questions, consider joining the Bake School Community!

    Easter Treats

    • Strawberry jam with rhubarb smeared on a piece of toast on a plate.
      Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
    • Freshly baked rhubarb crumble ready to be served.
      Rhubarb Crumble
    • Rhubarb upside down cake sliced to serve it.
      Rhubarb raspberry upside-down cake
    • Serving rhubarb muffins on plates with a side of butter.
      Rhubarb muffins with sour cream and streusel
    • Let's bake with rhubarb-best rhubarb recipes roundup
      What to bake with rhubarb
    • Bluebarb or blueberry rhubarb crumble with a marzipan oat crumble topping in a blue baking dish with a fluted edge
      Blueberry rhubarb crisp with marzipan crumble

    Berry Baking

    • Milk crumbs on a Momofuku Milk Bar style cake-layers of blackberry curd, almond cake, and almond frosting
      Blackberry almond cake — Milk Bar style
    • raspberry amaretti semifreddo slice
      Almond raspberry semifreddo
    • Vanilla cardamom tapioca pudding with strawberries
      Homemade tapioca pudding recipe with fresh strawberries
    • A pan of baked honey blueberry muffins with streusel topping.
      Honey blueberry muffins
    • A plate of raspberry financiers.
      Raspberry Financiers
    • Honey-kissed-strawberry-rhubarb crumbles
      Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble With Honey

    Eggless chocolate cake

    Chocolate layer cake with cream cheese frosting and chocolate sprinkles on a cake stand.
    Learn to make an eggless chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting!

    Baking conversions

    Buy the baking conversion charts NOW!

    As seen on

    Logos of online and offline publications that featured the Bake School and Janice Lawandi.

    How to poach pears

    Poached pears on an enamelware plate.
    This easy poached pears recipe is simple and you can use the poached fruit for salads, appetizers, and desserts!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Meet Janice Lawandi
    • FAQ
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and conditions
    • Accessibility
    • Press

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services
    • Portfolio

    As seen on

    Logos of online and offline publications that featured the Bake School and Janice Lawandi.

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    COPYRIGHT © 2025 · THE BAKE SCHOOL

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.