Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Cake - Rhian's Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why do gluten free cakes not rise? ›

You may not have used enough raising agents. I do recommend experimenting with double action baking powders. Otherwise try using 25 percent more chemical raising agents (baking soda or baking powder) if you're converting a recipe to gluten free.

Gluten-free baked goods often benefit from extra liquid to hydrate the flour blends, eliminate grittiness, and achieve a less dense or dry texture. However, it's very important to drive off this extra moisture during baking, or you'll wind up with a gummy texture.

CAKE NOT RISING

This can be caused by a few things already mentioned such as using the wrong egg replacer or over mixing. I always recommend using fresh raising agents. Generally, baking soda and baking powder only stay active for 3 months after opening.

Simple Mills Almond Flour Baking Mix, Vanilla Cupcake & Cake Mix - Gluten Free, Plant Based, Paleo Friendly, 11.5 Ounce (Pack of 1)

We often reach for almond flour in baking recipes when we're looking for a light, fluffy, cake-y texture with neutral flavor, because almond flour has a milder flavor than almond meal, and tends to fluff up nicely when baked!

This helps to reduce the risk of your cake crumbling and falling apart. If the flour you are using doesn't already contain xanthan gum, combining quarter of a teaspoon to every 200g/7oz of gluten-free flour will help to improve the crumb structure of your bake. You can also use guar gum or a combination of the two.

Gluten-free flour blends don't have the same elasticity as flour containing gluten so often the cakes don't rise as much or will sink after rising. To combat the flat cake problem, I add ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda to the recipe even when using a self-raising gluten-free flour blend.

Let Your Batters & Doughs Rest

We recommend covering your batters and doughs and letting them rest for at least half an hour. Note: This will also help batters become thicker and doughs to firm up.

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

The reason that you'll see apple cider vinegar or vinegar in a lot of vegan baked goods is because it helps with the leavening. It's an acid and it helps the cakes to rise.

Why don't vegan cakes rise? ›

Vegan Cake Troubleshooting

Reduce sugar content. Increase baking powder and baking soda. Usually caused by batter being too thin or lack of leavening power.

This can happen for a few reasons, but the biggest reason is that your ingredients weren't room temperature. If your ingredients, even vegan ingredients, aren't all room temperature (i.e. some are cool, some are warm, some are hot), the cake will come out gummy.

When it comes to cakes I always recommend using a commercial egg replacer but these are some of the most common alternatives. 2 tbsp water + 2 tsp baking powder + 1 tbsp vegetable oil (combine before adding to dry ingredients). Replace up to 2 eggs max. And add one additional tbsp water to the recipe.

So, if the recipe calls for solid butter, you could use shortening, lard, Â Earth Balance or solid coconut oil. Â If the recipe, calls for melted butter then you can use vegetable oil, or you can melt the shortening, lard, Earth Balance or coconut oil.

Both cake mixes are vegan, though they required some easy plant-based subs for fresh ingredients. In the coconut cake, for example, the milk can be swapped for coconut milk, the butter for vegan butter or coconut oil, and eggs for any egg replacement.

Eggs are natural leaveners that help boost the rise and volume of bread. Eggs also add moisture, flavor, and protein to gluten-free bread recipes. If you select a gluten-free bread recipe that includes eggs, you have a better chance that the resulting bread will have good color, more volume, and softer texture.

You have to have the correct balance of structure (gum or other binder) and liquid. To troubleshoot gluten free dough with too much binder, add more water or other liquid and allow it to rise again. If your dough doesn't rise enough, you can also add additional yeast the next time you make it.

If gluten-free cakes aren't falling apart, they often turn out heavy and unpleasantly dense. That's because gluten creates little pockets of air, so baked goods turn out springy and fluffy; gluten-free flours and grains are lacking this crucial element.