best chocolate cake recipe easy chocolate cake recipe Flourless Chocolate Cake flourless chocolate torte gluten free chocolate cake gluten-free Gluten-Free Holidays homemade chocolate cake

Best chocolate cake recipe

Readers' hands-down favorite: my flourless chocolate cake.

By Meet Karina

Flourless Chocolate Heaven-

Perfection for a Gluten-Free Diet

This is my go-to dessert whenever I'm having guests. Everyone loves it. And the best part is- the recipe is inherently gluten-free. No substitutions. In fact, this is the same flourless cake I've been making for years. It never contained flour. The only thing I've tweaked post-celiac diagnosis is adding more coffee and vanilla.
Just because.

Sexy dense chocolate dessert. Gluten-free.

Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe

.

Dense, sexy chocolate deliciousness on a plate. This is such an easy recipe, especially if you use a food processor to do the work. Serve this to non-gluten-free folks with no apologies. None. Zip. Nada. And for gluten-free folks? Hand out seconds (we deserve it, don't we?).

Ingredients:

16 oz. solid dark chocolate (use your favorite GF dark chocolate bars)
1 cup organic light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup organic white cane sugar
3/4 cup very hot strong coffee (or use espresso powder in very hot water)
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons unsweetened organic cocoa powder
8 large organic free-range eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract- yes, a tablespoon!

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare a 10-cup Springform pan by lining the bottom with a circle of buttered parchment. Wrap the outside of the whole pan (underneath, to catch any leaks) with a big piece of foil.

Break up the dark chocolate into pieces and pour the chocolate into the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until the chocolate breaks up into small bits. Add the sugar. Pulse until the chocolate and sugar turns into an even, sandy grain.

Pour the hot water or coffee slowly into the feed tube as you pulse again. Pulse until the chocolate is melted. Magic!

Add the butter pieces and the cocoa powder, and pulse to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla, and process till smooth. The batter will be liquid and creamy.

*Note for cooks across the pond: One stick of butter here equals 8 tablespoons, or one half cup, 4 oz.

Pour the batter into the lined Springform pan.

Bake at 350º F in the center of the oven, till puffed and cracked and lovely - about 55 to 65 minutes. (Note - it took an hour plus 15 minutes when I baked this at high altitude.) Use a wooden toothpick to check the center of the cake; pick should emerge clean, with maybe a crumb.

Place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool. The cake will deflate. Don't worry! When cooled a bit, press down on it gently with a spatula to make it even, if you wish. Or not.

When the cake is completely cooled, cover, and chill it for at least three hours (best up to eight hours), until serving. Overnight is even better.

Serve thin slices with drizzled chocolate sauce or a sprinkle of sifted powdered sugar. Garnish with a fresh berries or mint leaves.

Yield: 12 to 15 slices

Note: Yes, Darling, this is a rich, sweet treat. We enjoy our sugary treats in moderation- don't we? Gluten-Free Goddess advises consuming no more than 2 tablespoons of sugar a day. xox

gluten free flourless chocolate cake

Dear Lovely Vegans-

I'm often asked if this recipe can be veganized- made without eggs and butter. While a butter sub might work- I'm sorry to say that the recipe really relies on the eggs for structure and rise- and no vegan egg substitute is going to replace eight eggs.

birthday cake recipes chocolate cake recipes Chocolate truffle cake recipe chocolate truffles easy cake recipes gluten-free Gluten-Free Holidays

Easy cake recipes

Truffle Cake is a flourless chocolate cake worthy of Spring.

By Meet Karina

The intricate lace of bare oak branches reaching to the piece of schoolyard sky framed by my kitchen window is softening, filling in with bursts of tender green leaves so young and sweet you miss them at first glance. Spring has arrived. The oaks say so.

To celebrate the season of reawakening, I say we bake a cake.

Yes, another cake. I know, I know. I baked a luxurious Coconut Layer Cake for you just last week. But. It was a cake with flour (albeit gluten-free flours). And what do I feel like baking this week? A flourless cake. A cake so rich it tastes like a truffle. Not the infamous pig snuffled treasure. No, Darling. The chocolate truffle. That heavenly impostor, hiding in the guise of that woodsy French piggery fungi. Spoonfuls of deep, dark ganache rolled in cocoa powder (to look like dirt, of course).

And I didn't want just a chocolate cake topped with ganache, either. I wanted to bake the ganache itself. I wanted the cake to taste like a sweet and satiny truffle- I wanted the cake to live up to its name. Truffle Cake inspires expectations. So I fiddled around with my Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe and rustled up a divine and creamy chocolate cake so special you'll want to share it with company. It's simply too good to keep to yourself. Try it. It's shockingly easy to make. Just give yourself time to make it ahead. It is at its best chilled overnight.

Silky satin chocolate cake with a dusting of dirt- I mean- organic cacao powder with a secret ingredient. Raw maca powder.

Throw in a little superfood magic. Why not?

Beyond fabulous. Truffle Cake worthy of your Spring celebration.

Karina's Wildly Rich, Decadent Chocolate Truffle Cake Recipe

.

Yes. This is a wildly decadent, butter-rich chocolate cake. Perfect for serving on a special occasion when you have gluten-free guests. Gluten eaters won't miss the flour one bit. And gluten-free folks will feel pampered beyond belief. Tip: Make it the day before you serve it.

Ingredients:

1 cup whipping cream

2 1/2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons bourbon vanilla extract* or see notes

7 organic free-range eggs

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Organic cacao powder with maca, for dusting

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line the inside bottom of a 9-inch Springform cake pan with a circle of parchment paper. Wrap a large piece of foil around the outside of the pan, covering the bottom and sides, to catch any leaking drips. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, gently heat the cream over low heat. When the cream is fairly hot, melt the chocolate chips by adding them slowly to the pan as you whisk. Add the butter, in pieces. Whisk until the chocolate and butter are melted. Add the vanilla extract. As soon as the mixture is melted, smooth, and glossy remove it from the heat.

Using a wire whisk attachment, beat the eggs, light brown sugar and sea salt until the eggs are foamy and doubled in volume, roughly 3-4 minutes. (This is where a KitchenAid stand mixer comes in handy.)

Slowly add the cooling chocolate mixture to the eggs, and beat gently until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

Bake in the center of a pre-heated oven for one hour, until the cake is set and cracked. It will still appear a bit loose in the center, underneath. This is fine.

Place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool. When the cake is close to room temperature, lightly cover and chill the cake overnight.

Before serving, gently loosen the cake from the sides of the pan using a thin flexible spatula. Release the Springform clasp and remove the ring. Place the cake on a cake plate.

Dust the cake with a sifting of cacao powder with maca.

Cook time: 1 hour

Yield: 18 thin slices- this cake is super rich!

GFG Notes:

After chilling, and before serving, allow the cake to sit out for a few minutes before you serve it- to achieve the best satiny texture.

I've made this recipe kid friendly by using a good vanilla extract for a kick of warm vanilla flavor. For serving adults, you could use your favorite orange, coffee, or even raspberry liqueur instead. Tune into your taste buds and make them happy.

Serve with fresh berries in season.

Vegans and dairy-free folks like me- don't be sad. I'm working on a dairy-free version for us.

# diet gluten-free Gluten-Free Holidays holidays quinoa Recipe salad side dish vegan

By Meet Karina 

Quinoa Salad with Pears, Baby Spinach and Chick Peas in a Maple Vinaigrette

If you're looking for a fresh idea to liven up your ho-hum salad plate, Babycakes, have I got a recipe for you. Light, vegan, and packed with protein, this is no ordinary bunny food. It's got teeth- er, I mean, quinoa. Studded with nutty, buttery chick peas and crunchy toasted pecans and succulent jewels of ripe, juicy pears. And did I mention, in a bowl licking maple vinaigrette?

In fact, this is a salad even salad haters would eat. You know, those stalwart gotta have my meat and potatoes aficionados who eschew anything leafy. Who snicker at fiber. And mock carrot sticks. The sort of individual who gets misty eyed for melted butter and bacon martinis. To said individuals, salad could never be anything but rabbit chow. But this lovely mélange of flavors just might pique their interest. The sheer luxurious deliciousness of these autumnal flavors might coax them into flirting with bunny food goodness. Just this once. Then- who knows what could happen? They might settle in, fork poised, all dubious and dreaming of rib eye. They might take a bite. And then another. And another. And before you can say blueberry pancakes on a stick- they might actually smack their lips and grin and hold out their empty plate for more.

And you.

You could smile back, sly and slow, as you reach for the serving spoon to comply with their new found desire.

And feed their craving.

Karina's Quinoa Salad Recipe with Pears, Baby Spinach and Chick Peas in a Maple Vinaigrette

Quinoa adds vegan protein and heft to simple green salads- perfect for lunch or a light supper. Use pears or apples in this recipe- either one will work.

Ingredients:

1 cup organic quinoa
Sea salt
2 good handfuls of organic baby spinach leaves, washed, drained
1 large ripe pear, washed, stemmed and cored, cut into pieces
1/2 cup chilled chick peas, rinsed, drained
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
A handful of pecans, pan toasted and salted to taste

For the Maple Vinaigrette Dressing:

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Quinoa salad with pears, chick peas and baby spinach.

Instructions:

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve. Place the quinoa in a saucepan or a rice cooker. Add 2 cups fresh water, and a pinch of sea salt. Cover and cook on a low simmer until all the water is evaporated and the quinoa is tender- roughly 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and dump it into a large salad bowl.

Add the baby spinach, pear, chick peas, and chopped parsley to the quinoa and fluff.

Whisk together the vinaigrette, pour it over the quinoa salad and toss gently to coat. Season to taste with sea salt and ground pepper.

Just before serving, add the toasted pecans and lightly combine.

Makes four main course servings, six side dish servings.

More  recipes from fabulous food bloggers:

Recipe Falafel Burgers With garbanzo
free Recipe cranberry bread for the holidays.
Free Corn Muffins - A Spicy New Recipe With a Secret Ingredient
Paleo Breakfast Ideas for Weight Loss
Creamy Penne Pasta Bake with Zucchini
Free Chicken Chili with White Beans, Sweet Potato and Lime
Good Recipe - Turkey Meatballs with Asian Style Noodles
Slow Cooker Stew Recipe with Buffalo Sausage