Gluten Free Air Fryer Chocolate Cake

This Gluten Free Air Fryer Chocolate Cake is rich, tender, and incredibly easy to make. It’s a simple, small batch dessert made with just a handful of pantry ingredients, and bakes up perfectly in the air fryer. It's warm, rich, and just what you need when that chocolate craving hits.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I’ve tested this Gluten Free Air Fryer Chocolate Cake with my homemade gluten free flour blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, and King Arthur Measure for Measure - all with great results. Each one creates a light, tender crumb that bakes beautifully in the air fryer. Other gluten-free blends may work just fine too, but I haven’t tested them in this specific recipe.

Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder: I highly recommend using Dutch-processed cocoa in this recipe. It creates a richer, fudgier flavor and gives the cake a deeper color. Using natural cocoa may result in a drier texture and a lighter crumb. Be sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder.

Neutral Oil: Oil helps create a lighter, softer texture in chocolate cake compared to butter. Since it stays liquid at room temperature, it coats the flour more evenly, resulting in a tender, delicate crumb. Use a neutral oil like vegetable or grapeseed oil. I don’t recommend coconut oil.

Hot Coffee: Adding hot coffee to chocolate cake brings out the rich, deep flavor of the chocolate. The slight bitterness of the coffee also helps balance the sweetness. If you'd rather skip the coffee, you can use hot water instead - it will still turn out delicious.

Add-Ins: These are completely optional, but a great way to customize your air fryer chocolate cake. Fold chocolate chips, toffee, nuts, or candy pieces into the batter before baking. For a gooey center, add a spoonful of peanut or nut butter before baking.

What is an Air Fryer?

An air fryer is a compact countertop appliance that cooks food by rapidly circulating hot air - kind of like a small but powerful convection oven. It’s known for making crispy foods without deep frying, but it’s also surprisingly great for baking.

Like any kitchen tool, air fryers vary from model to model. Some come with large baskets, digital screens, preset cooking modes, or even baking trays and rotisserie features.

Mine? It’s as basic as it gets - just a temperature dial and a timer. No digital presets or fancy extras, which honestly makes it super easy to use. You set the temp, turn the timer, and let it go. For straightforward recipes (like this gluten free chocolate cake), it’s all you really need.

How to make Gluten Free Air Fryer Chocolate Cake

The batter for this air fryer chocolate cake comes together quickly - I just use a small bowl and a whisk. Be sure to use oven-safe ramekins or mugs that fit comfortably in your air fryer basket. I like using 6-ounce coffee mugs I picked up at a thrift store, but 6-ounce ramekins work just as well.

I have not tried baking this Gluten Free Air Fryer Chocolate Cake in an actual cake pan. If you do, please share the results in the comments.

1. Step 1: In a small bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. If the cocoa powder is lumpy, be sure to sift it together. Set aside.

2. Step 2: In a separate mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar, oil and room temperature egg. Add a splash of vanilla extract if you like. Mix together until combined.

3. Step 3: Retrieve the bowl of dry ingredients and add them to the wet mixture. Stir with a whisk or spatula until the batter is smooth and fully combined, with no streaks of flour remaining. The batter will be very thick.

4. Step 4: Gradually pour the hot coffee (or hot water) into the batter, stirring continuously as you go. The batter will thin out - that’s completely normal.

5. Step 5: The gluten free air fryer batter should be smooth. At this point preheat the Air Fryer to 300F.

6. Step 6: Retrieve your ramekins and divide the cake batter between them. I aim for approximately 75 grams of cake batter per ramekin.

7. Step 7: Place the ramekins in the fully preheated air fryer.

8. Step 8: Cover the ramekins loosely with a large piece of foil to prevent the tops from baking too quickly and giving the illusion that the cakes are done while the centers remain undercooked. To keep the foil from flying around in the air fryer, I like to place two butter knives on top to weigh it down. Bake the covered cakes for 10 minutes.

9. Step 9: After 10 minutes, carefully open your air fryer basket and use tongs to remove the foil. If you used knives to weigh it down, be cautious - they’ll be very hot.

10. Step 10: Place the basket back into the air fryer and continue baking the air fryer chocolate cake for another 7-8 minutes for a total of 18 minutes. Insert a toothpick or cake tester into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, the cake is done. Baking times can vary if you use larger or smaller ramekins! Please keep this in mind.

Serving Ideas

There is no wrong way to serve this delicious gluten free air fryer cake. Here are a few great ways to serve it, depending on what you are in the mood for:

• Simple & Warm (Straight from the Air Fryer): Let the cake cool for about 5 minutes, then serve it warm in the ramekin with a dusting of powdered sugar. It’s cozy, fuss-free, and perfect for a casual treat.
• With Ice Cream (Highly Recommended): Top the warm cake with a scoop of vanilla or coffee ice cream. The contrast between warm cake and melting ice cream is unbeatable, especially for a rich chocolate cake.
• With Fresh Berries or Whipped Cream: Add a dollop of whipped cream and a few fresh berries (like raspberries or strawberries).
• Frosted (Once Cooled): Let the gluten free air fryer chocolate cakes cool completely, then top with a layer of your favorite frosting. This is a great option if you unmold the cakes and want to serve them more like traditional mini layer cakes.

What to do with Leftovers

To store any leftover air fryer chocolate cake you may have, let it cool completely, then cover the ramekins tightly with plastic wrap or transfer the cake to an airtight container. Keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. Before serving, you can warm individual portions briefly in the air fryer or microwave to bring back that fresh-baked softness. (If you topped your cakes with frosting I don't recommend heating them up because the frosting will melt)

Note about Salt in my Recipes

I use Diamond Kosher Crystal Salt in all of my recipes unless otherwise stated. If use use a different brand or kind of salt in your kitchen please adjust accordingly since some salts can be saltier. If you use Morton’s Kosher Salt please be aware that their salt granules are smaller in size, denser, and crunchier and twice as salty.

Baking in grams

I share my recipes in grams and by weight since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and easy to use. You can purchase them on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. For small amounts under 10 grams, I like to use this Precision Pocket Scale. Measuring cups are very inaccurate which can cause significant errors when it comes to gluten-free baking or baking in general. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons. To learn more about Baking with a digital scale, make sure to check out my post about Baking by weight.

Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures

All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.

If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Convection oven can cause baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Since takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.

Substitutions and Modifications

Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. I test my recipes several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you find on our website.