Our household is by no means a gluten free place.  We love carbs and bread but it doesn’t always love us back and for some of our dear friends and family, it actually makes them sick.  Whenever we have friends over, it is always super important to us to make sure we are cooking something that they will actually like and be able to eat.  When I came across this Barefoot Contessa recipe for a gluten free chocolate cake, I just knew I had to try it out for my friend Karen.

There are parts of the recipe that would have scared me a few years back as a new bride.  Terms like double boiler, springform pan, and tempered chocolate would have made me slam the book and put it back on the shelf but today, I am here to tell you, it really isn’t that hard.  You can create a delicious and decadent cake that will have your gluten free friends dancing for joy.

So lets talk about a double boiler first because while recipes like this can call for one, you don’t have to go out and buy a new type of pan.  A double boiler is basically a pan to put water in and then a second pan that sits on top of it.  The bottom pan heats the top allowing delicate items to cook or melt.  We have a small kitchen so I make sure to keep the amount of appliances to a minimum.  In this case, I just put a metal mixing bowl on top of my pot of water.  Be careful though as the bowl can get hot or tip over and cause burns.

Next up is the Springform pan.  These pans are used to make cheese cakes and various other types of yummy desserts.  They have a metal band that locks around the bottom “plate” to create a seal while you are cooking and then releases and comes off.

Lastly having ingredients at room temperature can make or break a recipe when you are baking.  I used to never do this because I didn’t want to wait but when a recipe calls for it, it actually effects the chemistry of how something is cooked.

Recipe from Ina Garten | Make it Ahead

Ingredients:

• 1 pound plus 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate broken into chunks
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon gluten free flour
• 1.5 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 extra large eggs, at room temperature, separated
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease an 8 inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.  Place the one pound of chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted.  Off the heat, immediately stir in the butter, flour, sugar, coffee granules, and salt with a rubber spatula.  Whisk in the egg yolks until smooth.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until they form soft peaks.  Scrape the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and fold them in very carefully wit ha rubber spatula, just until combined.  Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 15 minutes exactly.

Turn off the oven and leave the cake in the oven, leaving the door slightly ajar.  Allow the cake to cool in the oven for 1 hour.  The cake will sink in the middle.

Carefully release the sides of the pan and slide the cake onto a flat serving plate.  Place the 3 ounces of chocolate and the heavy cream in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and heat just until the chocolate melts, stirring occasionally.  Add a drop of cream if the mixture is too thick to pour.  Pour the chocolate onto the sunken part of the cake, leaving the edge unfrosted. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

This recipe is so decadent that you will need only a little bit.  Enjoy and check back next week for more Bride in the Kitchen.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake | Bride in the Kitchen