Two Chocolate Cake Recipes - Both gluten free

One Simple and Quick and One a bit more elaborate

Who doesn't think of chocolate in February?

Here I share two chocolate cake recipes.

Why two?

Both are gluten free and both delicious.

The difference is that one is more elaborate in technique, with more steps. When COVID hit and I began teaching online cooking classes, I had to take a step back from how I cook and break down techniques and take shortcuts for both my participants and also to create a recipe in one hour or less. So here I share with you the process of two chocolate cakes.

There is a quick and easy one and a more elaborate one that has a bit more depth and a bit more steps.

You choose!

Please share with me your photos and comments if you make either!

This is for a small 8” pan.

A special way to present this cake is to cook it in individual ramekins and serve warm out of the oven.

You can use a larger pan, but you will need to double the ingredients and bake for about 30 minutes. I like to put the pan in a water bath.

Simple Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Directions

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Butter and a 9-inch cake pan. Line bottom with parchment.

Wrap the bottom of the pan in foil to make it watertight for a water bath.

Or us 8 small individual ramekins.

In a large bowl, using a mixer or by hand, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Melt chocolate in a pan on top of the stove. Pour warm chocolate over the butter and beat until smooth. Whisk in egg yolks one at a time. Stir in potato starch.

Add the vanilla

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.

NOTE: If you plan to hold the mixture for longer than 30 minutes before placing it in the oven, add a pinch of cream of tartar as this will help egg whites form a stable foam.

Add sugar or stevia.

Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture very gently.

Scrape the batter out of the bowl, and spread it in the pan or ramekins.

Place the pan in a deep cooking pan with boiling water with about 2 inches of water in it.

Bake for 50-60 minutes.

Cake will rise and the top will be dry.

Remove pan from oven, place on a rack and allow to cool completely, about 2 hours. Cake will sink a bit.

Unmold cake, peel off parchment, then invert onto a serving dish so the crackly surface is on top. Serve with whipped cream and raspberries .

Ingredients

10 tablespoons/141 grams unsalted butter softened, plus more for pan

1 packet or 8 drops stevia or 3/4 cup of sugar 228 grams ( I use date sugar or date puree or monk fruit powder)

12 ounces/ 340 grams 70 percent “the best you can find ” dark chocolate

4 teaspoons 13 grams vanilla

8 extra-large eggs, separated

2 tablespoons/20 grams potato starch

Cream of tartar ( to stabilize the egg whites if you are not cooking the batter immediately

This is adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s

Directions

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish ah with a piece of parchment paper.

Whip the cream in a large mixing bowl until soft peaks form.

Chill in the fridge.

In a double boiler with water over high heat. Gently get the water simmering and place a metal bowl that fits nicely over removing the bowl from the water and set it aside but keep the water simmering.

Combine the eggs, egg yolks and sweetener in a mixing bowl.

Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk by hand until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is slightly warm, about 5 minutes.Then with a hand mixer, whip the eggs and sweetener on high until the mixture is light yellow, foamy and triple in volume, )6 to 7 minutes).

Scrape the melted chocolate out into a large mixing bowl.

Add one-third of the whipped eggs mixture to the bowl with the chocolate and use a rubber spatula to gently fold the eggs into the chocolate. Gently and do not mix too much. Add another third of the egg mixture and fold it , very gently.Add the remaining egg mixture, gently. Now add the whipped cream. Folding in gently, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the ingredients are fully combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Place the baking dish in a deep roasting pan and fill the larger dish or pan with one-inch of hot water. Cover the larger baking dish tightly with aluminum foil, so that both dishes are covered. Pierce the foil in several places with a sharp knife and put the cake in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. This allows some of the steam to escape.

Remove the cake from the oven and carefully remove the foil. Replace the foil and return the cake to the oven to bake for 30 more minutes, until the center of the cake is set. Remove the cake from the oven, lift the baking pan out of the water bath and place it on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

Cover the baking pan tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Two hours before you are ready to serve the cake,

Cut and serve the cake.

Dorie suggests a hot fudge sauce or I serve with ginger or cinnamon whipped cream and crystallized ginger, or fresh berries.

Chocolate Cake Valentines Day

Ingredients

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 pound bittersweet chocolate (70% + cacao), broken in pieces

¾ cup brewed espresso

4 extra large eggs

4 extra large egg yolks

1/2 cup monk fruit powder or date sugar