Deep-Dark Chocolate Cake

Who needs wheat? Not me! Just chocolate, thank you. My family, who can all eat wheat, don’t even miss the wheat in this velvety cake.

The dark chocolate cocoa, enhanced with vanilla and espresso makes for a very rich cake. Top it with chocolate glaze or chocolate ganash for a perfect finish. Just be sure to use allergen-free chocolate chips, baking chocolate, or baking cocoa. (Enjoy Life brand is the only one I know of that make soy-free, nut-free chocolate chips.)

Allergy Notes

  • Baking cocoa is generally just ground cocoa, but be sure to read the label, just in case. This is in contrast to cocoa powder used for hot chocolate, which nearly always has soy lecithin. Recently, some manufacturers have been avoiding soy, since it is such a common allergen. Unfortunately, the replacement of choice seems to be sunflower lecithin, and sunflower does cross-react with latex. Many people who are allergic to soy can still tolerate soy-lecithin and soy oil, but not all, so be sure to check with your allergist before trying it.
  • The recipe calls for preparing the pans with a mixture of butter and baking cocoa. If you prefer to spray your pans (and who can blame you for preferring convenience?), be sure to buy a spray that does not contain any oils that might cross-react with latex. I use Pam, high heat, which is a completely different recipe from the original Pam spray. Another great product is Simply Balanced organic canola oil spray, which contains only organic canola oil.
  • Although this recipe has egg, you can leave out the egg and still get a decent cake out of this recipe. The eggless version crumbles a little more easily, and is a little harder to frost. A light whipped cream frosting or melted chocolate shell would be best to keep from crushing the cake.
Print Recipe
Deep-Dark Chocolate Cake
This chocolate cake is so velvety and rich, you will never miss the wheat. There are some secrets to making a good wheat-free cake, though, so be careful when making substitutions and be sure not to cut corners on mixing or wait times.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 40-50 minutes
Passive Time 10-30 minutes
Servings
slices
Ingredients
Chocolate Mixture
Dry Ingredients
Butter Mixture
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 40-50 minutes
Passive Time 10-30 minutes
Servings
slices
Ingredients
Chocolate Mixture
Dry Ingredients
Butter Mixture
Instructions
Chocolate Mixture
  1. Place bake-even strips into a bowl of water to begin soaking.
  2. Whisk the cocoa in a small bowl to break up any large chunks. Whisk in the hot milk to dissolve the cocoa; then whisk in the espresso. Allow the mixture to cool completely before using in the cake batter. While you wait, prepare the pans and the other parts of the cake batter.
    Chocolate Mixture
Prep
  1. Mix together 3 Tbsp of baking cocoa and 3 Tbsp of butter. Use wax paper to spread a thin layer of the mixture on the inside of two 8 x 2 inch round cake pans. Squeeze extra water out of the bake-even strips and wrap each pan with the strips.
  2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer on low to whip the butter until it is creamy. Add the sugar and canola oil alternatey, mixing thoroughly between additions. Keep mixing until mixture is firm enough to hold soft peaks.
    Butter, canola oil, and sugar mixture with soft peaks
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until well-combined.
Make the Batter
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ᵒF.
  2. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled to room temperature, assemble the batter. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined; then do the same with 1/3 of the chocolate mixture. Keep alternating additions and mixing between each addition until just combined.
  3. Immediately pour 1/2 of the batter into each cake pan. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before placing in the oven.
    Chocolate cake batter in prepared pan
  4. Bake for 40-50 mins until the cake is firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Recipe Notes

My recipes avoid all ingredients listed on the American Latex Allergy Association website as known for cross-reacting with latex as well as a few other ingredients that I have discovered elsewhere. However, latex-fruit syndrome is still an emerging issue and poorly understood. There may be other foods that cross-react, and people with latex-fruit syndrome often have other food allergies independent of their latex allergy. Each individual is different, so be sure to discuss with your allergist the safest way for you to try out ingredients that are new to you before you cook with them.

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