Chocolate Raspberry Fudge Cake
makes single layer 8-9 “
(adapted from regular flour by Scott Phillips of Fine Cooking, 2004)
Easier, quicker and lower fat than my regular chocolate cake that contains a lot of melted chocolate, butter and sour cream and is truly wonderful and evil even in gluten free form.
¾ c my gluten free flour mix
¼ c almond meal -I buy Blue Diamon Almond flour (white) or natural (freckled from skin)
1 oz. (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) unsweetened natural cocoa powder -regular Hershey 1+1/2 tsp baking powder -Rumfords is labeled gf, non gmo and aluminum free
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum 4 oz. (1/2 cup) butter, melted and still warm (or Coconut oil) 1-1/4 cups packed light brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 tsp (10ml) Gluten free vanilla extract 1/2 cup ( 4 fl oz, 120 ml) hot water
¼ c (60 ml) seedless raspberry jam/preserves
2 Tbsp (30 ml) raspberry liqueur or brandy - optional. A student that has become a friend says she can drink the original raspberry liqueur known as Chambord but won’t risk the copies. A miniature containing about 4 tbsps (1/4 c) is about $4 in the liqueur store in NH. Ganache to cover –see below
Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Fudge Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350*. Use a gluten free spray to grease the bottom and sides of an 8x2-inch or 9x2-inch round cake pan or line it with parchment.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the gf flour, almond meal, cocoa powder, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt.
3. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add the eggs and vanilla; stir until well blended. I used a fork to blend, not a mixer, so cake stayed denser and moister.
4. Add the flour mixture all at once and stir just until all the flour is moistened.
5. Pour the hot water over the batter; stir just until it’s incorporated and the batter is smooth. I did use the electric hand mixer for only 20 seconds to make life easier. If you use mixer for longer, cake cracks on top on baking. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
6. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes for a 9-inch pan; 35 to 40 minutes for an 8-inch pan. I also literally dig into the middle of cake with a fork down to the bottom to make sure cake is thoroughly cooked. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge and invert the cake (peel off the parchment if used). Invert it again onto the rack and let cool completely.
7. Put raspberry jam in microwave safe bowl, melt gently in microwave in 20 second bursts, carefully remove as hot jam can burn, stir in liqueur. Brush raspberry mix over top and sides of cake. Let set.
8. Slightly whisk the ganache so it starts holding its shape. Spread over cake, top with chocolate curls, nuts, toffee, fresh raspberries, frozen raspberries in sauce etc.
Ganache: Heat 1 cup of whipping or heavy cream to nearly boiling, add 1 cup Nestle semi sweet chocolate chips (labeled gluten free) and 1 tsp gluten free vanilla extract. Let stand for a few minutes, then stir and microwave more if necessary until a totally smooth sauce is formed (looks like thick Chocolate syrup). You can also use an immersion blender to make the sauce totally smooth. Add 2 tbsp raspberry liqueur or brandy. Chill until ready to use.
Cake Options: Dissolve 1 tsp instant coffee in hot water and add to cake, add 1 tsp instant coffee to cream for ganache or 1-2 tbsp Kahlua or brandy, rum to cream. Add grated zest of orange to cake, add 1-2 tbsp safe orange liqueur or brandy, rum to cream for ganache.
Whip ganache thicker, use Ziploc bag to pipe a wall around inside edge of cake, fill hole with whipped cream and strawberries, or sweetened ricotta cannoli filling, or vanilla jello pudding. Top with second chocolate layer and pour ganache over top layer.
