Chocolate 'Birthday' Cake

Let them eat cake.  I've said it before.  Cake is not my favorite, though I do confess here and now to a sweet tooth.  But, cake is part of our culture-Birthdays, Weddings, Anniversaries, Graduations- yikes graduations.  My babies both graduate in June and it seems like the time is flying past fast!

I must confess though, I did not have a birthday cake this year....'GASP'.  It didn't bother me at the time.  My birthday follows right on the heels of Thanksgiving and leads right into Christmas-it's even on Black Friday at times-so baking a cake is the last thing anyone wants to do, or even needs with so much leftover pie about.  Then there is all the Christmas baking and cookies abound.  Still not a great time to have a cake laying about.  So I decided no cake.  And with no cake, might I also hope for not adding that dreaded 1 to my age for this year?  Unfortunately it seems that did not work- every single doctor visit seemed to blare my new age with a neon sign.  So I decided if I am 'older', then I will have cake!  Thus, I randomly celebrated my new age in the lovely month of January this year.  After the cookies were well gone and my sugar overload finally abated we had chocolate cake.  And it was good.

So this cake originally came out of the 'need' for a good celebration cake.  A birthday cake that can be modified to go anywhere- I daresay it could even stand up at a wedding.  It is chocolate-a must, with good crumb and no gooey or grainy feel in your mouth.  It is also allergen free.  No eggs, no dairy, no gluten.  This is the right kind of cake, and the right cake...yeah, I'll have some of that.

I have served this cake to unsuspecting guests who have gone back for seconds.  It has been snitched at breakfast and does not hang around for more than a day.  Something about it seems to make it evaporate.  It is also adaptable.  I use coconut oil in it because I like that subtle coconut flavor with my chocolate, but you could easily use a refined coconut oil, a light olive oil or grapeseed oil.  I also add cinnamon to give it a bit more depth, but if you can't use cinnamon you can easily leave it out.  It could handle allspice to make more of a spiced cake, or you could substitute coffee for the water and have a mocha dream.  All of which I must confess make my mast cells hum.  Chocolate, cinnamon, coffee- all on the no-no list.  But a tiny bit when things are stable can be ok- I just need to keep everything else on track and really focus on tasting a little bit, rather than inhaling a huge piece.

This cake can stand alone.  No frosting required.  It is also good with just a sprinkle of confectionery sugar or just topped with chocolate chips before baking,  I have frozen this cake and sliced it to fill with ice cream as an ice cream cake, and it can easily do cupcakes.  There really is no limit.  But if it is still a frosting you want, it really is quite easy to frost, it doesn't fall apart or tear - even though my frosting skills are poor-as you can see in these pictures. We are partial to my dairy free, corn free Chocolate Glaze or Frosting, but it has also been awesome- if you can do peanut butter- with a peanut butter frosting.

The best part of this cake- it goes together in minutes.  You will not be hauling out the mixer or preparing odd ingredients.  This recipe is for one 8 x 8 square or a single 8 or 9 inch round.  It can easily be doubled to make two rounds or a 9 x 13.  Simple.

Chocolate 'Birthday' Cake

Gluten Free

Corn Free

Allergen Free for: Dairy, Egg, Soy, Nut, Peanut, Wheat, Shellfish, Fish

contains vinegar

If using your own flour blend:    Flour = 233 grams; approximately 1 2/3 cups of a gluten free blend

Makes about 1-  8 x 8 or 1- 8 or 9 inch round or 12 cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Generously grease 8 x 8 or 8 or 9 inch round or 12 cupcakes

(if doing cupcakes- use the parchment paper papers!)

Liberally 'flour' pan with baking cocoa 

(this will keep the chocolate cake chocolate without looking like it was doused in white flour)

mix dry ingredients

93 grams superfine brown rice flour

100 grams superfine white rice flour

40 grams potato starch

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1 TBSP ground flaxseed (not a flax egg)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1/2 tsp. salt

mix wet ingredients

1 cup warm water

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine wet and dry ingredients until just mixed

Pour into pan

Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

Move to cooling rack for 5 minutes

Remove from pan (if desired) after 5 minutes

Frost with my dairy free, corn free Chocolate Glaze or Frosting when completely cool.  

(For foolproof frosting, freeze cake for 2 hours before frosting)