This gluten free devil’s food cake gets its dark color from the use of unsweetened cocoa powder and plenty of baking soda. While baking soda can be bitter when used by itself, the addition of acidic ingredients such as chocolate (even though it’s just slightly bitter) balances out, creating a dark color. Baking powder is added to provide additional leavening without the flavor of too much baking soda.
How to Make Dark Chocolate Cake:
This gluten free devil’s food cake gets its dark color from the use of unsweetened cocoa powder and plenty of baking soda. While baking soda can be bitter when used by itself, the addition of acidic ingredients such as chocolate (even though it’s just slightly bitter) balances out, creating a dark color. Baking powder is added to provide additional leavening without the flavor of too much baking soda.
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Carla’s Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend Recipe
Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1-3/4 cups Carla’s Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon gluten free baking powder (Rumford’s)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons butter (or 1/2 cup refined organic coconut oil + 2 tablespoons water, at room temperature, plus more for pans)
- 1-3/4 cups granulated sugar (organic for vegan)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (NOT Dutch-processed) (365 organic)
- 3 large eggs* at room temperature
- 1-1/2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee (or strongly brewed coffee instead of water) )(optional)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- For the Chocolate Ganache:
For the Ganache
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (Kirkland – white bag is dairy-free) (or finely chopped chocolate)
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk (or heavy cream)
- 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil (or unsalted butter), softened
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
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Oil two 9-inch round cake pans; line the bottom with parchment paper and oil the top of the paper; set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven.
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Using your electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the butter (or oil and 2 tablespoons water) with the sugar until fluffy, about 6 minutes.
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Whisk together the flour blend, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
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To the butter-sugar mixture, add the cocoa powder and mix on medium speed until combined.
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Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing just long enough to combine before adding the next.
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Alternate adding a quarter of the dry mixture with one-third of 1-1/2 cups of water, as well as the vanilla.
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Distribute the batter between the two pans and shake gently to level out.
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Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cake does not leave an indentation when lightly pressed near its center.
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Allow the cake to cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
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One at a time, invert a cake layer onto your hand and remove the paper and discard. Then, place the layer directly on the wire rack to cool.
To Make the Ganache:
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Microwave or heat in a saucepan, the milk (or cream) and butter (or oil) until hot. Add chocolate chips and stir until the chips melt and the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Stir in the vanilla and chill in the refrigerator until it turns cold. Then wait a little longer until the consistency is thick enough to spread to frost a cake, but is still of a pouring consistency.
To Assemble the Cake:
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Pour on an upside down cake layer and top with the other layer. Pour more ganache on top of the final layer and allow to slightly drip down the sides of the cake, spreading as you go to frost the sides. Refrigerate until it sets and smooth out more if desired.
Tips
*For Egg-Free:
Replace each egg with 1 tablespoon fat such as butter and 2 tablespoons liquid from a can of white beans (my favorite flavor is cannellini/white kidney beans). For dairy-free, substitute 2-1/2 teaspoons refined coconut oil and 1/2 teaspoon water for the 1 tablespoon butter.
You see, butter contains 16% water. Therefore, you always want to replace the water with another form of fat. You do the same thing with dairy-free substitutes.
For Dairy-Free:
Replace butter with 84% refined coconut oil and 16% water, or 75% refined coconut oil and 25 % full-fat coconut milk. They even make organic refined coconut oil. I use BetterBody Foods. Using refined coconut oil instead of unrefined avoids coconut flavor.