Kitchen Experiments – Gluten-Free Chocolate Joe Cake

Gluten-Free Chocolate Joe Cake

Did you ever find a recipe that is your go-to recipe whenever you need to make something that you are sure everyone will love?  I have and it is delicious!  I know you may be skeptical since right there in the title it says gluten-free and you have never eaten a truly delicious gluten-free cake before, but I am sure that this cake is going to change your mind!  I have made this cake every Valentine’s day in heart-shaped pans for about 7 years now and I think that if I did not make it my husband would be quite upset!  He recently informed me that I should not mess with this cake because it is close to perfection.  He could probably sit and eat the whole thing if I let him. He did not like the cocoa nibs addition and preferred the smooth texture of the cake, so you can decide if you would prefer not to have anything crunchy in your cake. This is a great recipe to bring to a potluck or picnic as it translates quite nicely into cupcakes or a Bundt cake (either sprinkled with powdered sugar or drizzled with the frosting).

The other surprising thing that you may notice about this cake is that not only is it gluten-free but it is egg and dairy free as well.  OK, now I know you are thinking this lady must not remember what a good cake tastes like but really I assure you that you are going to love it as much as I do.  If you do not know anyone that is gluten-free or you really do not want to go to the trouble of finding gluten-free flour, then you can make this cake with regular unbleached all-purpose flour, just omit the xanthan gum.  If you cannot find the Fearn Brown Rice baking mix, you can use any other gluten-free flour mix, but this is my favorite! Often these mixes already have baking powder in them, but I don’t trust them so I always add the extra.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Joe Cake

1 ½ c. Fearn Brown Rice Baking Mix

¾ c. Cocoa

1 Tbs. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 ½ tsp. Xanthan Gum

1/4 c. Cocoa nibs (Optional)

 

½ c. Prunes, soaked in 1 cup strong, hot coffee for 30 minutes

2 Tbs. flaxseeds, ground

½ c. Water

 

6 oz. Silken Tofu

½ c. Brown Rice Syrup

½ c. Maple Syrup

1 Tbs. Almond Oil (or any Vegetable or Nut Oil)

2 tsp. Vanilla

 

Frosting

1 c. Semisweet Chocolate Chips

6 oz. Silken Tofu

 

Preheat oven to 350^oF. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and coat with flour, tapping out excess flour. (Use a Bundt or cupcake pan greased with non-stick spray.)

In a large bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa nibs (optional).

In a food processor or blender, grind flaxseeds to a fine powder. Add ½ cup water and process until thick and frothy, about 30 seconds.  Add prunes and the coffee they were soaking in, tofu, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, oil and vanilla, and process until smooth.

Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix thoroughly blending until thick.  With gluten-free baking you need to make sure you activate the xanthan gum and the texture of the batter will be much thicker than you are used to with regular flour.  If you are not using gluten-free flour, blend until smooth and then stop.  Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth out the top.

Bake until cakes spring back when lightly pressed, 20-25 minutes.  Cook cakes in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes; then invert onto wire racks, remove pans and cool completely.

Make frosting: In top of double-boiler set over simmering (not boiling) water, melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove from water and set aside.

In food processor or blender, blend tofu until smooth. Add melted chocolate and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until chilled. This is more like a ganache then a frosting.

 

To frost cake, spread about ½ cup frosting over top of one layer. Cover with second layer and spread top and sides with remaining frosting.

Cut into wedges and serve.