Gluten Free Dark Chocolate Layer Cake

Hi. Just look at that cake.  It was pretty and sooo delicious.  I haven’t had a good chocolate cake (maybe even NO chocolate cake) in a couple of years.  I do love my fudgy brownies recipe for a good chocolate hit, but this cake gives me more options.  It turns into great cupcakes also, which I’ll post tomorrow.  

But for birthdays, you can’t go wrong with this one.  It’s light, not dry in the slightest and is so dark chocolately. It just makes me happy. I made it a Birthday cake, an Easter cake and a Happy Wednesday cake just because it was so good.  I use and love Hersey’s Dark Chocolate, but I’m pretty confident that you could use regular cocoa and get away with it.  Either way, make it today! Happy Thursday!

Dark Chocolate Layer Cake

Rich and airy gluten free dark chocolate cake

Yield: 3 – 6-inch layers

Preparation time: 15min

Cook time: 25min

Ingredients:

• 225 grams all-purpose gluten free flour
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum if not included in you flour mix
• 30 grams dark cocoa (I use Hershey's Special Dark)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 113 grams butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• ¾ cup buttermilk (non-dairy is fine, I used cashew milk + vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup strong instant coffee

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Prepare 3 6-inch pans with butter, cocoa and a parchment circle on the bottom.

2. In a small bowl, mix together flour, xanthan gum if using, dark cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder.

3. Cream together butter and sugars.

4. Mix together the egg yolks, oil, buttermilk and vanilla.

5. Whisk the two egg whites until soft peaks. (Or use a stand mixer for this)

6. Mix the batter together, alternating dry and wet ingredients, starting with adding a third of the flour mixture to the bowl. Combine. Add half of the wet ingredients. Combine. Add another third of the flour mixture and combine again. Add the other half of wet ingredients and then the rest of the dry, mixing after each.

7. Add the warm coffee, mixing to combine.

8. Fold in egg whites. Be gentle with the batter after this step, so as not to lose an air from the egg whites.

9. Divide the batter between 3 6” pans and bake at 350 until done (about 25 minutes). A toothpick will come out without wet better.

10. Let cool in the pan 15-20 minutes then move to cooling racks to cool completely before building a layer cake.