Scenes from a Small Kitchen: Sunday

Swirly Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

Feedback: gluten-free, egg-free chocolate cake recipe

I am SUPER chuffed! :-) 

A reader left marvellous feedback on my Mom and my's collaborative gluten-free, egg-free chocolate cake recipe (thank you!!)

I'm overjoyed it was so useful to her and her son, as I think it must be especially difficult for children who have many food allergies, as they can't partake in "regular" food with their friends (and may not understand why).

Check out her fantastic tips for incorporating dairy into the cake as well:

Rahel from TX said...

This cake is actually BETTER than a regular chocolate cake! Fantastic soft, crumb (no gumminess!) and great taste. It is the BEST gluten-free, egg-free cake I have EVER made since I started baking 4 years ago for my 5yr old with a lot of food allergies! I cannot thank you enough for posting it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! God bless you and your mom for sharing this recipe with the world :-)

These are my notes with some changes, mainly to incorporate dairy:

** about 60-80 ml milk instead of water

** 60-80ml (5 tablespoons) melted butter instead of vegetable oil

** instead of 200ml sugar, 120 ml sugar+60ml condensed milk, which is sometimes a good egg substitute for baking.

** I used King Arthur’s GF multi-purpose baking flour

Gluten-free, Egg-free Chocolate Cake

This recipe from my Mom is just wonderful. 

It never flops. 

It gives you the most moist and tender crumb around, and it stays soft for days. It's chocolatey and delicious without being too sweet either. 

You can whip it up from start to finish in under 35 minutes.

And best yet: when served to people who don't know it's gluten-free, and are expecting some sort of "different" taste.....all resistance crumbles!

Mom's Choccie Cake

Prep Time: 10 - 15 minutes

Baking Time: 20 minutes

Yields: 1 bundt cake (serves 8 generously)

Ingredients:

• 2 large bananas
• 250ml gluten-free cake flour (e.g. in SA, Nature's Choice GF Cake Flour)
• 125ml lukewarm water
• 60ml vegetable oil (something neutral, like sunflower, works best)
• 60ml cocoa powder
• 200ml sugar
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 178 degrees Celsius.
2. Mash bananas with a fork in the bottom of a mixing bowl.
3. Use an electric mixer to mix in the sugar.
4. Add in the remaining ingredients, and mix until just lump free.
5. Grease a bundt cake tin, or a rectangular baking dish (approx. 28cm x 17cm).
6. Add batter and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes, or until a cake skewer inserted comes out clean and the cake has pulled away from the sides ever so slightly.
7. Remember, ovens vary in their hotitutdes, so err on the side of caution and check with a cake skewer/toothpick rather than relying only on time.

Frosting/Icing:

• 80 grams of 70% dark chocolate
• approx. 2 Tbsp milk

Method:

• Heat on a low stove, stirring occasionaly, or use the microwave on a low setting to melt it slooowly (don't burn the chocolate...it'll make you want to cry!)

Born-up-a-gluten-free-tree (or bon appetit!)

Chocolate Cake is SO 2009

"Time is a companion

that goes with us on a journey.

It reminds us to cherish each moment,

because it will never come again.

What we leave behind is not as important

as how much we have lived."

~ Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: Generations ~

Chocolate Cake Recipe
(gluten-free)

It sank in the middle but it tasted yum and that's all that matters to me!

Ingredients for cake:

• 3 eggs
  
• 220ml sugar (I substitute 220ml honey)
• 60ml oil (I use cold-pressed sunflower/olive oil)
  
• 1 cup cake flour (I use Nature's Choice gluten-free cake flour)
  
• 60ml cocoa powder (I use Nomu cocoa powder [90ml if using honey instead of sugar to compensate for the extra liquid])
  
• 125ml hot water
  
• 10ml baking powder (I use 1/2 tsp bicarb + 1 tsp creme of tartar)
• 2ml salt
• 5ml vanilla essence (I leave this out entirely)
• P.S. For a never-fail, moist cake; stick to the original ingredients. If you don't mind a cake that sinks slightly in the centre but prefer not to use sugar, then use the substitutions).
  

Method:

• Whisk eggs and sugar (or honey) together.
  
• Whisk in oil.
  
• Melt cocoa powder in hot water and allow to cool slightly. Then whisk it into the sugar (or honey) and egg mixture.
• Add in the vanilla essence if you are using it.
  
• Mix in flour, salt and baking powder (or bicarb + creme of tartar).
• Bake in a buttered oven dish for 25 - 30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

Ganache Icing Ingredients:

• 100g dark chocolate (at least 50 - 70% cocoa solids)
  
• 2-4 Tbsp cream
  
• 1 Tbsp honey
  
• 1 tsp butter

Ganache Method:

• Melt the dark chocolate into the cream on low heat.
• Add honey if you'd like a sweeter taste.
• Add butter once off the heat to give the icing a nice sheen.
• Sprinkle with almond nibs to decorate.
  

Born-up-a-tree, thanks for reading/commenting in 2009
and have a fun (but safe) New Year's Eve!
xxx