This morning, I stood in the center of my kitchen — surrounded by spices, memories, and decades of my life in food. I was cleaning out shelves, tossing old ingredients, and carefully reorganizing my workspace. But this wasn’t just any spring cleaning. It was the official transformation of my kitchen into a 100% gluten-free zone.
It hit me harder than I expected. This is the end of an era.
I started this journey as a young woman selling cookie baskets while juggling culinary school. Those cookies helped pay tuition and sparked the fire that would lead me to late-night fried chicken and waffle deliveries for drunk college kids and tipsy locals. I slung chicken plates under tents in parking lots, laughed through grease burns, and built not one, but two food trucks with my own two hands, the help from my father, my son and a few amazing mechanic friends of mine (shout out to Reco and Adrian.)
My life was delicious chaos.
But seasons change — and so do we.
Today, I’m sober. I’m softer, slower, more centered. My food is healthier. My ingredients are sustainable. My mission is wellness — for myself and the people I feed.
And now, I’m also doing something I never thought I’d have to do: adjusting to life with celiac disease. Which I’ve actually been living with for over 10 years now, just never fully supported the diet. Now I have no other choice. Life will depend on it.
This change is a necessity. For my body, for my health, for my peace of mind. Gluten isn’t just a trigger — it’s a threat. And while this shift comes with its own grief (farewell, flaky croissants and crusty baguettes), it also comes with clarity and intention.
This kitchen, now free of gluten and filled with purpose, reflects all of that. It’s not just a dietary shift. It’s a soulful one.
And yet, I still believe in indulgence. In sweetness. In cake.
So in honor of all the memories and all the meals that came before, I’m sharing the cake I’m making today: rich, deeply chocolatey, gluten-free, dairy-free, and unapologetically moist. Because when life hands you lemons… make chocolate cake.
Super Moist Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (with xanthan gum) I use King Author’s Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 ¼ cups plant-based milk (like oat or almond)
1 cup coconut sugar or cane sugar ½ cup avocado oil (or melted coconut oil)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
½ cup boiling hot water OR Very hot coffee
Optional but amazing:
½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips (stirred in at the end for gooey pockets of joy)
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease or line an 8” round cake pan or loaf pan with parchment.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, combine applesauce, plant milk, sugar, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.
Mix until smooth.
Gradually add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.
Pour in the hot water and mix gently — the batter will be thin, but that’s the secret to its moistness.
Fold in chocolate chips if using. Pour into your prepared pan. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean (a little crumb is good!).
Let cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then remove and let cool completely before slicing.
Serve it plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or with a dollop of coconut whip and berries. This cake is for celebrating change — and honoring where you’ve been.
Every day, I’ll be posting a piece of my journey along with a recipe like this one. Because our kitchens tell the stories of who we are — and who we’re becoming. This is me, gluten-free, grounded, and grateful.
With love and cake,
Amber
The Culinary Farm
The Culinary Farm 
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