Decadent GF Chocolate Layer Cake

When I first started this blog, I sang the praisesof Ina Garten’s Double-Chocolate Layer Cake.  It is, indeed, to die for.  My husband declared it his favorite cake, and he requests it for his birthday and Valentine’s Day.  Unfortunately, it is also chock-full of gluten, so I regretfully retired the recipe when I got serious about my allergy.

Last November, though, because I couldn’t bear to see my dear J go cakeless on my account, I created a gluten-free, slightly healthier version of Ina’s masterpiece.  It was my first effort in converting a regular baked good to gluten-free baked good, and it was a huge success.  No one guessed it was gluten-free.  It was awesome!  In fact, this small triumph boosted my courage enough to attempt that gluten-free carrot cake at high altitude over Christmas (also a total success).

Starting with Ina’s recipe, I substituted Pamela’s Ultimate Baking Mix (found at Whole Foods, Amazon.com, and health food stores everywhere) for the flour, switched vegetable oil for coconut oil and white sugar for Sucanat, altered the leavening ingredients, and increased the frosting to cake ratio.  For what it’s worth, I also used duck eggs, which are supposed to be superior for baking, and I froze my layers before frosting them. 

I wish the pictures did the cake justice, but I had to take them after dark.  Still, if you want a rich, moist, deeply chocolaty, not-too-sweet cake that you can serve to anyone, regardless of health/allergy needs, you need to try this. 

 

Decadent Gluten-Free Chocolate Layer Cake

Cake
1 3/4 cup Pamela’s Ultimate Baking Mix
2 cups Sucanat or Rapadura (unrefined sugar, different from turbinado)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I like Real Salt and Celtic Sea Salt)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup coconut oil, heated just until melted
2 large eggs (I used duck eggs with fantastic results; they’re especially good for baking)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Frosting
9 oz bittersweet chocolate
3 sticks (3/4 pound) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg yolk (actually, I used 1 1/2 yolks, but you could get away with 1)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
4 teaspoons hot water

Cake
Preheat oven to 350.  If you’re using high quality nonstick pans, simply butter and “flour” (using Pamela’s or cocoa) two 8-inch round cake pans.  If you have regular pans, butter the pans, line with parchment paper, and butter again.  Then dust them with Pamela’s or cocoa, tapping out the excess.  

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, mix Pamela’s, Sucanat, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt at low speed.  In medium bowl, whisk buttermilk with melted coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla.  Slowly beat the liquid mixture into the dry ingredient until just incorporated, then slowly beat in hot coffee until fully incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pans.  Bake for 30 minutes, or just until a toothpick comes out clean.  Be careful not to over-bake them or the cakes will be dry.  Cool cake in pans 30 minutes, then invert on rack to cool completely.  Peel off parchment paper, if using.

For best results, individually wrap and freeze the layers for 24 hours, removing shortly before you wish to frost them.  This step isn’t necessary, but it seems to produce a moister final product, and it makes frosting easier (something that can be difficult with gluten-free cakes).

Frosting
Melt chocolate in a double boiler or over very low heat, stirring, until melted.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat butter at medium speed until pale and fluffy.  Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat for 1 minute.  At low speed, slowsly beat in confectioners’ sugar, about 1 minute. 

In small bowl, dissolve instant coffee in 4 teaspoons of hot water.  Slowly beat coffee into the butter mixture.

Mix the cooled chocolate into the butter mixture until just combined.

Assembly
Set a cake layer on a plate with flat side up.  Spread 1/3 of the frosting on top.  Top with the second cake layer, rounded side up.  Finish frosting.

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Death by Chocolate

 Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. 

At least, I’m planning to.

A decidedly gluten-full chocolate cake lies in wait in my oven at this very moment, and the ingredients for the chocolate frosting beckon to me from my mixing bowl. 

Yes, a night of wickedness is in store. 

I’ll regret it in the morning, but, you know, if I don’t make it until tomorrow morning, if my time should come in the middle of the night, I’ll be really glad that my last meal included this cake.

I wanted to surprise my husband with something special tonight, and I think this cake will be perfect.  He loves this cake.  It’s so moist and chocolaty and, surprisingly, not too sweet.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s cake, so it has to be sweet.  But it’s not tooth-achingly, cloyingly so like some chocolate cakes.  This one strikes the perfect balance. 

I wish I could claim that this is my own personal recipe, but I can’t.  I can’t even pretend to have improved upon the original.  I make it exactly as written, because it’s simply perfect that way. 

Well, come to think of it, I have discovered one way to improve it, but it’s so non-invasive it probably doesn’t count.  The very best way to make this cake is to increase the cake ingredients by 50% and fill 3 cake pans, then double the frosting ingredients.  Result: an impressive 3-layer cake with an even more perfect cake-to-frosting ratio.  Of course, this is only practical if you have lots of people to eat your labor of love. . .or if you don’t mind gaining 7 pounds in a weekend. 

Since I’m only cooking for 2 tonight, I’m forgoing the extra layer and frosting and preparing the recipe as originally written.  To give credit where credit is due, I should mention that I discovered this recipe by Ina Garten in Food & Wine Magazine at least a year ago, maybe more. 

Please join me in my badness and make this cake too.  Then we can feel rotten about our lack of self-control together.

Double-Chocolate Layer Cake

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or table salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

6 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup + 1 tablespoon confectioners’ (powdered) sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
2 teaspoons hot water

Cake
Preheat oven to 350.  Butter two 8-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper; butter paper.  Dust the pans with flour, tapping out excess. 

(I now skip the parchment paper step because I have really high quality nonstick cake pans.  If you do choose to use parchment paper, please note that it is not the same thing as wax paper.)

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt at low speed.  In a medium bowl, whisk buttermilk with oil, eggs, and vanilla.  Slowly beat into dry ingredients until just incorporated, then slowly beat in hot coffee until fully incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pans.  (It will be quite thin and runny.  Don’t be alarmed.) 

Bake for 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.  (Be careful not to overcook.  The oven in our new place runs hot, so I checked it after 31 minutes, and it was already done.  Consider checking yours early too.) 

Cool cake in pans 30 minutes, then invert on rack to cool completely.  Peel off parchment paper (if using).

Frosting
Microwave chocolate at high power in 30-second intervals, stirring until melted.  (Obviously, you can also do this on the stove, as I prefer.  I’m wary of microwaves.)  Set aside to cool to room temperature.

In an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat butter at medium speed until pale and fluffy.  Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat for 1 minute.  At low speed, slowly beat in confectioners’ sugar, about 1 minute.  In small bowl, dissolve instant coffee in 2 teaspoons of hot water.  Slowly beat coffee and cooled chocolate into butter mixture until just combined. 

(Note: absolutely do NOT mix coffee and chocolate together before adding them to the butter.  Your frosting will be lumpy if you do this.  As they say, ask me how I know.)

Assembly
Set a cake layer on a plate with flat side up.  Spread 1/3 of the frosting on top.  Top with the second cake layer, rounded side up.  Frost the top and sides of the cake.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before slicing.  (I always skip the refrigeration step and never have any problems, but you’re free to do as you please.)

The frosted cake can be refrigerated for 2 days.  Let stand for 1 hour before serving.

Note: If you’d like to put your cake on a cake stand or other platter and you care about the final presentation, slip strips of wax or parchment paper underneath the edges of the cake all the way around before frosting it.  Then, when you’ve finished frosting, carefully pull away the pieces of paper.  Like this:

I found this tip a long time ago, and it works like a charm. 

Well, my cake is out of the oven now, so I’d better get moving.  Adieu!

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