Recipe Roundup

Our 21 Best Cake Recipes for Alternative Diets

Gluten-free almond cakes. Dairy-free chocolate cakes. Vegan cupcakes. There's a dessert here for everyone.

By The Editors of Epicurious

June 9, 2016

Slices of chocolate macaroon cake on small plates with the remaining whole cake on a serving platter.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
1/21
Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake
If you're looking for the ultimate crowd-pleaser of a vegan dessert, this chocolate cake is the top-shelf choice. Even guests not following a vegan diet may declare it the best chocolate cake they've ever eaten.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Anna Stockwell
2/21
Flourless Pistachio Cake With Strawberry Meringue
This gluten-free looker combines a tender pistachio cake with a cloud of pink strawberry meringue. Cut into it to see the stunning bright green and pink layers.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle
3/21
Almond-Apricot Food Processor Cake
Store-bought gluten-free flour make this easy cake come together in a snap.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
4/21
Double Chocolate Cake With Peppermint-Chocolate Frosting
This festive winter cake relies on applesauce and—believe it or not—mayonnaise to make a dairy-free chocolate dessert that’s perfect for the holidays. To keep it vegan, opt for a vegan mayo which will work just as well as regular.
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Photo by Alex Lau
5/21
Olive Oil Cake
Olive oil cake only improves the longer it sits—this dairy-free version will keep on your counter for days (not that it’ll last that long).
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Photo by Martin Poole
6/21
Raspberry and Coconut Breakfast Loaf
Dairy-free and gluten-free, this cake relies on dried coconut and ground almonds for flavor and texture.
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Photo by Alex Lau
7/21
BA's Best Chocolate Macaroon Cake
This is a gluten-free and dairy-free cake version of the chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons that are a Passover staple. Any nut will work in place of the almonds.
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Photo by Jon Edwards
8/21
Vanilla Chai Cupcakes
Like a soy chai latte turned into cake, these tiny desserts are moist, tender, and lightly spicy, thanks to the combination of ginger and cardamom. Go ahead and pair with a steaming hot chai latte...you won’t overdo it.
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Photo by Alan Benson
9/21
Flourless Apple, Almond, and Ginger Cake
Introducing: The best gluten-free cake for fall that ever lived.
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Photo by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott
10/21
Fallen Chocolate Cake
Made without a speck of flour, this airy chocolate cake is topped with a mascarpone-enriched whipped cream. Heavenly.
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Photo by Rebecca Bent
11/21
Vegan Apple Cider Cupcakes
This is the quintessential fall cupcake turned vegan. Prepare the apple cider just as if you were going to drink it, boiled with plenty of whole cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.
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Chris Gentile
12/21
Double-Deep-Chocolate Hanukkah Layer Cake
How does this dairy-free double-layered chocolate cake stay moist without cream or butter? It leans on coconut milk for moisture. Espresso powder in the frosting brings out a deeper flavor that plays off the chocolate brilliantly.
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Romulo Yanes
13/21
Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
There’s a secret ingredient here that gives this vegan cheesecake its silky, creamy texture: tofu. (The protein boost it supplies is just a bonus.)
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Photo by Peter Frank Edwards.
14/21
Spiced Honey Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
This gluten-free dessert gets the show rolling with a thick cream cheese frosting and beautiful edible flowers.
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