Gluten-free Death by Chocolate Cake

Modified from nigella.com

Ingredients

For the cake

• 50g best-quality cocoa powder (sifted)
• 100 dark brown sugar
• 250ml boiling water
• 125g soft unsalted butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 225g gluten-free plain flour (Zoë uses Edmonds)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs

For the frosting

• 125ml water
• 30g dark brown sugar
• 175g unsalted butter (cubed)
• 300g best-quality dark chocolate (finely chopped) (Zoe used Whittaker’s 72% Dark Ghana for this recipe)

Method

Cake

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Grease a 23-24cm cake tin with non stick spray. Line bottom with baking paper.

Put the cocoa and 100g of dark brown sugar into a bowl and pour in the boiling water. Whisk to mix, then set aside.

With an electric hand mixer cream butter and caster sugar together, beating well until pale and fluffy.

In a different bowl stir the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together.

Switch to mixing by hand. Add the vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar then add 1 egg, quickly followed by a scoopful of flour mixture, then the second egg.

Keep mixing and incorporate the rest of the dried ingredients for the cake, then finally mix and fold in the cocoa mixture, scraping its bowl well with a spatula.

Pour mixture into cake tin and bake for about 45-50 minutes or until a cake skewer comes out clean.

This is the most important step… lick the bowl and spoons (you know you want to!)

When the cake is cooked take out of oven and leave in tin for 5-10 minutes, then turn out and put on wire rack to cool.

Frosting

As soon as the cake is in the oven start on the frosting. Put all ingredients except chocolate into a pot over a low heat and melt together.

When melted together remove from heat and add chocolate, while whisking until it is glossy and lump-free.

Leave for about an hour, whisking occasionally. This can also be stored in the fridge and gently warmed until malleable when needed.

Ice cake when cooled. This frosting can be smoothed by using a warmed knife, but I love piling it onto the top of the cake and having those soft peak.