Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
November 12th, 2009 -- Posted in Desserts, wheat substitutes | No Comments »I was looking for a simpler good chocolate cake recipe. I had found one but it called for yogurt and cola (which I don’t always have in the house) . This more simplified recipe comes from “Living Without”, a magazine for people with allergies and food sensitivities, especially gluten-free. It is from the April/May 2009 issue. They have a website as well: http://LivingWithout.com They give substitutions for common allergens like dairy, egg, peanut, soy, and tree nuts as well.
See “Gluten Free Cooking and Baking Tips” page to improve the texture of your gluten-free baking.
The magazine article suggested making it into a three-layer (8 or 9 inch) cake but most of my cake pans were in Tennessee so I found it fit nicely in one 9 x 13 pan. You can also use them for cupcakes.
Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup brewed hot coffee (you can’t taste it when it is done…my husband dislikes the flavor of coffee and he couldn’t tell it was in there)
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup hot water
- 3 cups gluten-free all purpose flour blend (Gluten Free Flour Blends” page)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 cup softened/room temperature butter, margarine, or Spectrum Organic Shortening (I used butter)
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs (room temp)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and dust cake pan(s) (if doing round do three 8 or 9 inch pans).
- Whisk together coffee and cocoa powder. Add hot water and whisk until smooth.
- In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients EXCEPT sugar (they suggest to sift the dry ingredients but I didn’t and the cake was fine).
- Use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy (approximately 5 minutes).
- Add eggs (one at a time or be a daredevil like me and do all four at once) to the butter/sugar mix.
- Add vanilla to the butter/sugar mix and cream well. (Scrape the sides if you have ‘t already)
- Add half the dry ingredients to the butter/cream mix and blend until well-combined.
- Add half the coffee/cocoa mix to the main bowl and blend until well-combined.
- If you are like me, you will now combine in one final mixing step BOTH the dry and the wet ingredients, which I did. If you are more cautious, follow their directions of first blending the remaining dry ingredients and then blending in the remaining wet.
- Mix on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes)
- Spoon batter equally into the cake pan(s).
- Place in oven and bake for about 40 minutes for a layer cake. I think it was closer to an hour for the 9 x 13. Keep a watch on it and check for doneness using a toothpick or clean knife.
- Cool the cake in the pans for 20 minutes before removing (if you are going to remove them).
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
For egg-free version: replace the four large eggs with 6 tablespoons of applesauce mixed with 2 teaspoons baking powder + 4 teaspoons warm water mixed with 1 tablespon gluten-free egg replacer. (I used eggs.)
One final note on frostings…after putting all this work into making a gluten-free cake I beg you to not use one of those horrid (maybe tasty, but horrid for you) canned frostings. They are so packed full of preservatives (think Twinkies) and sometimes hidden gluten, do yourself a favor and serve the cake naked (or dust with confectioners sugar or powdered cocoa). You can also try making your own frosting or there are some higher-end packages you can purchase. Just try to avoid all those preservatives. They may preserve our foods but I don’t think they much help us preserve our health.
I have more recipes to share. I would be interested in knowing what recipes you would like to have. Here’s to your health!
Please note that Donna is not paid to endorse Living Without Magazine. She is a happy subscriber.
