Gluten Free Chocolate Birthday Cake

Everybody, and I mean everybody deserves velvety rich, gooey chocolate cake on their birthday. Contrary to popular belief, the hardest part about the gluten-free diet isn't saying goodbye to croissants and soft pillowy French bread. I can live without croissants and good bread. No, what is really truly hard about the gluten free diet is the sense of being left out all the time. Breaking bread together (even the expression contains gluten!) is an important part being in communion with friends and family. When we want to celebrate something, be it as formal and fabulous as a wedding banquet or as humble as a coffee date, eating and drinking together is what we do. And when you can't eat gluten, sometimes you get left out. That's what is really hard about the gluten-free diet.





Which is fine. We get by and try to be graceful about it. But on your OWN birthday, not being able to join in on your own celebration, or eat a slice of your own birthday cake? Now that is just downright unbearable. Which is why the internet needs a really fantastic gluten-free cake recipe. Because there isn't one (I looked!) So here it is! Because on your birthday, you deserve a rich, wonderful cake. Like this one! And you deserve a cake that tastes good enough to serve your friends and family. Like this one. Because everyone should get to celebrate with you and be included on your special day, gluten-free or not.

I made about 5 cakes in the run up to James' birthday, because I wanted to find a gluten-free chocolate cake recipe that I could really love. This one was hands down the winner; it was one of those gluten-free things that people can't believe is gluten-free. Because hello, it tastes so good!




Gluten Free Chocolate Birthday Cake
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Chocolate Whiteout Cake recipe in Baking: From my home to yours (it's the one on the cover!)


This is an American style "butter" cake, which means it has a rich, dense crumb. It is very chocolaty, and totally delicious! Unlike a sponge cake or a chiffon cake, it doesn't get its volume from whipped eggs whites, so it's VERY important to follow these few tips:

- There are quite a LOT of gluten-free flours to choose from. This recipe calls for superfine sweet rice flour, and superfine white rice flour. I have found that these flours yield the best results for cake, and also have the most neutral, cake-friendly taste. If you want, you can swap out the white rice flour for quinoa flour or brown rice flour, but the sweet rice flour is essential, because it is so fine, and because it is so starchy and sticky - it will help the cake hold together and keep it from crumbling. Don't use an all purpose mix unless it is very fine, and definitely don't use any mix that contains baking powder, since this can mess up how the cake rises.

- Sift the flour into the measuring cup, and level off with the straight edge of a knife. This will make the flour fluffy and aerated, and will keep the cake from getting too heavy.

- Sometimes I think some directions (particularly ones about temperature) are silly, and I ignore them. Don't do this! If the butter is supposed to be room temperature, make sure it is at room temperature. If the recipe says to let cake cool completely, let it cool completely.

- This cake was fabulous paired with chocolate buttercream frosting, but I think it would also taste great with a cream cheese frosting, or with Dorie greenspan's Marshamallow frosting. But you can do whatever your heart desires!

Ingredients
1 cup SIFTED superfine sweet rice flour
1/2 cup SIFTED superfine white rice flour
1/2 cup SIFTED unsweetened cocoa powder (dutch processed)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon granulated salt
1/4 teaspoon xanthum gum

1 and 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup superfine baking sugar
3 large eggs, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled (1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips), melted and cooled
3/4 cup buttermilk AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
3/4 cup boiling water
4 oz semisweet or milk chocolate, finely chopped, or 2/3 cup store bought chocolate chips


Getting Ready:
preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and center a rack. Butter two 8x6 inch round, and sprinkle with flour, Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Get out your butter, eggs, and buttermilk, and let them warm up to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

To Make the Cake:
Sift together the 1 cup sweet rice flour, 1/2 cup white rice flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon granulated salt, and 1/4 teaspoon xanthum gum.

In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, beat 1 + 1/4 sticks butter with 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar and 1/2 cup superfine white baking sugar. Beat on medium speed 3-4 minutes, until soft and creamy, and pale in color.

Add in 3 large eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between eggs. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Reduce the mixer speed to low, and beat in 2 oz bittersweet melted chocolate. When it is fully incorporated, add the flour mixture, alternating the addition of the flour with 3/4 cup buttermilk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, and only mix until the the ingredients disappear into the batter. At this point, the batter will be very thick, like frosting.

Still working at low speed, add in 3/4 cup boiling water. Scrape down the bowl, and mix in 4 oz chopped chocolate. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans, and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, rotating the pans at midpoint for even cooking. It's ok with the cakes crack a little bit during cooking. When fully baked, cakes will be springy to the touch, and a fork inserted into the center will come out clean.

Remove from the oven, and let cool 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen cakes, unmold them, and peel off the parchment paper. Invert, and cool to room temperature right side up.

When cakes have cooled to room temperature, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or until cakes are firm. Slice each cake horizontally in half, frost, and fill. Enjoy!