Gluten Free Hot Cocoa Snack Cake

This Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Snack Cake is a rich chocolate cake made with hot chocolate and cocoa, filled with toasted marshmallow cream, and topped with a Hot Chocolate Buttercream. The perfect cake to enjoy on a wintery day along with a hot cup of cocoa. If you love Hot Chocolate, you will love this cake.

A decadent chocolate cake filled with Toasted Marshmallow Cream and topped with a delectable Hot Chocolate Frosting. Perfect for a chilly winter day (or any day)

If you love a good chocolate snack cake but try to stay away from dairy and eggs, make sure to check out my vegan gluten free chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting.

How to make a Gluten Free Hot Chocolate Snack Cake

To give the gluten free cocoa cake some extra chocolate flavor, we are adding prepared Hot Chocolate to the cake batter. Make sure the Hot Cocoa cooled completely before adding it to the cake batter.

If you would like a very even snack cake, I recommend using Cake Strips. It's a piece of fabric that goes around the outside of your cake pan. This will bake the cake evenly and prevent it from forming a dome. You can find them in the baking aisle of your favorite craft store or online. The cake strips need to be soaked in water for 15 minutes before placing them around your cake pan.

This cake can be made with your stand mixer, a hand mixer, or even with just a whisk.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8x8 cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Leave some overhangs on the sides for easy removal of the cake. You may use a 9x9 pan but your cake will be a bit thinner.

Step 2: In a small saucepan set over low heat, warm your milk and stir in the cocoa powder. Remove the Hot Chocolate from the heat and allow it to cool completely. The hot chocolate will give the Hot Cocoa Snack Cake an extra chocolate boost.

Step 3: In the bowl of your stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) or a large mixing bowl, sift together the gluten-free flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, dry hot cocoa mix, granulated white sugar, light brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, and instant espresso (if using). The sifting helps to remove any lumps there may be but also makes sure everything is combined.

Step 4: In a small bowl combine the neutral oil, egg, egg yolk, cooled Hot Chocolate and room temperature water and whisk until combined. The extra egg yolk makes this cake very tender.

Step 5: With the mixer running on low, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix for 1 minute on low speed. Stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix on medium speed for an additional minute.

Step 6: Add the gluten free hot cocoa cake batter to the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Your cake will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake should spring back when touched.

Step 7: Remove the hot cocoa cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a cooling rack.

How to toast Marshmallow Creme/Fluff

The Toasted Marshmallow Cream for this Gluten Free Hot Cocoa Snack Cake starts with toasting the marshmallow creme/fluff. You can toast it with a kitchen torch or under your broiler. Regardless of which method you choose, make sure to allow for it to cool down before adding to the filling.

Step 1: Line a sheet tray with foil and lightly spray with nonstick pan spray. The nonstick spray helps to remove the toasted marshmallow creme easily from the tray.

Step 2: Remove the Marshmallow Creme from the jar and spread it evenly on your foil-lined sheet tray.

Step 3: With a kitchen torch (or your broiler) toast the marshmallow creme to your liking. Make sure to stir the marshmallow a few times.

Step 4: Allow for it to cool (especially if you put it under the broiler) before adding it to the Toasted Marshmallow Filling.

How to make Toasted Marshmallow Filling

To achieve the right texture of the cream filling, I recommend using vegetable shortening. You may use all butter if you do not want to use shortening.

Step 1: In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and the shortening and beat until light and fluffy. Make sure to scrape down the sides and the paddle.

Step 2: With the mixer on LOW gradually add in the powdered sugar and continue to mix until all the sugar is incorporated. Add in vanilla extract and milk and mix for one minute.

Step 3: Add your Marshmallow Fluff/Creme and mix at medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Your frosting should look similar to cream cheese frosting or a Vanilla American-style buttercream.

Keep the toasted marshmallow filling at room temperature until ready to fill your Gluten-Free Hot Cocoa Cake.

The recipe for Toasted Marshmallow Cream Filling gives you a generous amount to work with. Any leftovers you may have can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or frozen for up to 2 months. This filling works fabulously for oatmeal cream pies or sandwiched between my Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies.

Please do not skip the step of dissolving the Hot Cocoa Mix in the Heavy Cream ahead of time. This helps the sugar in the hot cocoa mix to dissolve. Otherwise, the buttercream will be gritty. Additionally, the added sour cream is optional but personally, I felt like it balanced out the sweetness and lightened up the frosting.

Hot Chocolate Mixture

In a small saucepan set over low heat, warm your heavy cream and stir in the cocoa powder. Remove the Hot Chocolate from the heat and allow it to cool completely.

Hot Cocoa Buttercream

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, mix the room temperature butter until light and fluffy. Make sure to scrape down the sides and the paddle.

Gradually add the powdered sugar, unsweetened cocoa, and kosher salt and mix until combined. This may look very dry.

Combine the cooled hot chocolate, vanilla, and milk and slowly add to the bowl of your stand mixer running on low. Mix at medium speed until light and fluffy,  scraping down sides of the bowl if necessary. If using, mix in the sour cream to lighten up then frosting. Set frosting aside until ready to frost your Gluten Free Hot Cocoa Snack Cake.

If your frosting looks very stiff and not smooth at all, please add an additional 1-2 teaspoons of milk and mix to combine.

How to assemble the Gluten Free Hot Cocoa Snack Cake

Desserts with several components can be stressful to make. I recommend starting with baking the hot cocoa cake. While the cake is cooling, make the Toasted Marshmallow Cream and Hot Cocoa Buttercream Frosting. Since we are working with a single-layer cake, it should cool fairly quickly (depending on the temperature in your kitchen). Make sure that it is fully cooled or your filling will melt into the cake.

Step 1: Remove the cooled cake from the cake pan and transfer it to a serving platter.

Step 2: Mentally divide the cake into 9 equal pieces. (you can lighly scorche the cake top but do not cut it!)

Step 3: Using a cupcake corer, melon baller, or a small pairing knife, scoop 9 equally placed holes into the top of the cake. Don’t cut all the way through the cake. Make sure to center them so every slice of cake has one cavity for the toasted marshmallow cream. If your cake is too soft, you may place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Step 4: Transfer around ¾ of the toasted marshmallow cream filling into a piping bag or Ziplock bag. Cut off the tip or corner and fill each cavity with a generous amount of Toasted Marshmallow cream filling.

Step 5: Top the filled Hot Chocolate Cake with the Hot Chocolate Buttercream and spread over the top of the cake. Top with the leftover toasted marshmallow cream filling and swirl it into the hot chocolate buttercream to give the swirly look.

Store the cake, covered, at room temperature, or in the refrigerator if your kitchen is on the warmer side. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions for Hot Cocoa Snack Cake

Which cocoa powder do you recommend?
In this recipe, I use Valrhona Cocoa Powder. A very pure and intense cocoa taste, with a very warm red mahogany color, leads to an intense chocolate flavor in any recipe. It is soy-free, vegetarian, kosher, and non-GMO. It is a dutch processed cocoa powder. The dutch-process cocoa powder creates which some people consider a richer, fudgier flavor in baked goods.

Can I freeze my Gluten free hot cocoa snack cake?
Freezing cake can always be tricky. Make sure to place it in an airtight container and freeze up to one month. Allow thawing in your refrigerator.

Can I turn this cake into a layered cake?
This recipe can easily be turned into cupcakes or doubled to make a 9 x13 cake or 2 x 9” cake rounds for a layered cake.

I don't have celiac, therefore can I make this cake?
Absolutely! Substitute the gluten-free flour for 135 grams of "Regular All Purpose Flour"