There’s a chill in the air in the mornings now and fall is definitely on its way. I always seem to turn toward rich, decadent desserts like this chocolate cake when summer ends. I’ve been wanting to try a gluten-free chocolate cake for a while and was *so* glad I did. This recipe uses a gluten-free flour blend which is nice if you don’t want to have 20 jars of alternative flours sitting in your cupboard. I filled it with a sweet coconut and almond butter cream I made with Big Spoon Roasters Almond Coconut Butter which is just delightful in this cake and on its own. And of course, I covered it in my favorite chocolate and creme fraiche buttercream and toasted coconut. Also delightful.
In other news, we bought a farm. I mean, what?! A farm. A tiny farm, but its still a farm. If you can’t tell, I’m still trying to adjust to that reality! We move in sometime next week so I’m neck-deep in boxes and bubble wrap at the moment. The farm is just southeast of Seattle, has stables for horses we don’t have (yet), fruit trees, and a couple of gorgeous acres to explore. We have lots of plans for gardens and renovating our little 1920’s farmhouse, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ll soon be sharing some photos of the new place and our progress as we make it ours.
You can find this lovely cake stand from Beanpole Pottery here!
Cake recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour
- 1½ cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar
- 1½ cups (180 grams) gluten-free flour blend, such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 or King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup (120 grams) Dutch-process cocoa
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon instant espresso mixed into 1⅓ cups water, or 1⅓ cups hot, strong coffee
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- toasted coconut for decorating, if desired
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter 3 x 6" or 2 x 8" cake pans, line with a round of parchment paper, dust with cocoa powder and tap out the excess.
- In a medium mixing bowl (not the bowl of your stand mixer), whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the oil, eggs, water, and vanilla until blended, about 3 minutes.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients 1 cup at a time, beating for 1 minute and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Once all of the dry ingredients have been added, beat at medium-high speed for 2 minutes until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
- Bake the cakes for 30 to 33 minutes, about 3 to 4 minutes past the point where a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven, and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan and turn them out of the pans to cool completely on a rack.
- To assemble // Once the cakes are completely cool, level them if desired. Fill a piping bag or ziplock bag with the corner cut with about ½ cup chocolate buttercream. Place the first layer on a cake board or serving plate and pipe a circle of chocolate buttercream around the edge. Fill the circle with almond coconut cream, sprinkle with toasted coconut (if desired), and place the second layer on top, gently pressing to seal. Repeat, then ice the outside of the cake with the chocolate icing and decorate as desired. Will keep refridgerated for 3 days, serve at room temperature.
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup Big Spoon Roasters Almond Coconut Butter
- 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- milk, as needed
- Mix the butter and Almond Coconut butter together until combined, then add the remaining ingredients until smooth, adding milk as needed. Cream should be a spreadable, but not runny consistency.
- 7 oz good-quality dark chocolate (60-70%), melted and cooled
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (30 grams) cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons hot water
- ¼ cup creme fraiche (or sour cream)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave, heating in 15 second incrememnts and stirring to prevent the chocolate from burning. Set aside to cool.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for 6 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa, hot water, creme fraiche, vanilla extract, and salt and beat for 3 minutes. Add the cooled dark chocolate and beat for 1 minute, until smooth.
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 ounces best-quality dark chocolate (70% works well here), chopped
- tiny pinch of cinnamon, to taste
- Pour the chocolate into a medium bowl and set aside.
- Heat the heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan until it is just starting to bubble, but do not allow it to boil. Remove it from heat and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for 1 minute before stirring, then stir until smooth. Add a pinch or two of cinnamon, to taste, and cool the ganache to a pourable consistency before spooning over the chocolate cake.
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