Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Buttercream and Dark Chocolate Ganache
 
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There are no words for this decadent Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Buttercream and Dark Chocolate Ganache...except for bold, delicious, chocolatey strawberry goodness! This is a "lick your plate clean" kind of cake, so throw those manners out the window!
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 12-16 servings
Ingredients
  • For the Cake:
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 5 oz. roughly chopped semi-sweet chocolate (I used Ghirardeli Dark 60% Cacao Squares)
  • 1½ sticks butter (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2¼ cups all purpose gluten free flour or my preferred blend of: ⅔ cup sweet sorghum flour, ⅓ cup coconut flour, ⅓ cup buckwheat flour, ⅓ cup potato starch, and ⅓ cup tapioca starch
  • For the Strawberry Frosting:
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 6-7 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt*
  • ½ cup pureed strawberries
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon strawberry extract (optional)
  • For Chocolate Ganache:
  • 5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9" round baking pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper, cut to fit. Lightly flour sides of pans with cocoa powder and set aside.
  2. In a microwave safe glass bowl or measuring cup, heat water in microwave for 2 minutes until boiling. Pour in cocoa powder and stir until dissolved. Add chopped semi-sweet chocolate and set aside to melt.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each egg addition. Add vanilla and apple cider vinegar and mix until incorporated.
  4. In a smaller mixing bowl, sift together baking soda, baking powder, salt, gluten free flour (or my preferred flour blend). Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined.
  5. Stir chocolate mixture until all lumps are gone and chocolate is smooth. Pour chocolate mixture into batter and mix on low until fully incorporated. Mix on medium for an additional 2 minutes. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow flours to absorb moisture.
  6. Divide batter evenly between baking pans and bake at 350 degrees for 24-28 minutes or until cakes are set and toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean with few dry crumbs.
  7. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool completely on cooling racks. Once cakes are cooled, run a knife along the edges to loosen and gently flip out of baking pan.
  8. To make strawberry frosting, beat butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until fully incorporated and smooth. Add pureed strawberries, lemon juice, salt, almond extract, vanilla, and strawberry extract. Mix until smooth. Add additional 3 cups powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional 1-2 cups powdered sugar, one cup at a time (beating on high for 1 minute in between additions), until desired frosting consistency is reached.
  9. To make Ganache:**
  10. In a microwave safe glass bowl or measuring cup, heat cream in microwave on high powder for 45 seconds. Stir heated cream and pour in chocolate chips. Stir until all chocolate chips are melted and mixture is smooth.
  11. To assemble cake:
  12. Once cake is cooled and released from pans, put 1 tablespoon of frosting in the middle of cake stand or plate. Place first layer of cake on top (the frosting will hold cake in place) and frost top of layer all the way to the edges. Place second layer of cake on top and frost top of cake. Working in small sections, frost sides of the cake.
  13. Place cake in fridge for at least 10 minutes for frosting to harden. Remove and add additional frosting to areas that need more coverage. Return cake to fridge for at least 30 minutes so frosting may become completely chilled through.
  14. Once frosting is hard, make ganache and pour over the top immediately. Spread out to the edges so chocolate can drizzle over the sides. Return cake to fridge for 10-15 minutes so chocolate can set.
  15. Decorate cake with desired toppings. Cut and serve at room temperature.
  16. Store leftover cake in airtight container in fridge for up to 5 days or in freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
*Only add salt if using unsalted butter. If using salted butter, you may only need a dash or two of salt.
**Do not make ganache until after cake has been frosted and chilled in the fridge. Strawberry frosting must be cold before pouring ganache on top or it will melt underneath.
Recipe by Breezy Bakes at https://www.breezybakes.com/gluten-free-chocolate-cake-with-strawberry-buttercream-and-dark-chocolate-ganache/