Grace’s Gluten-Free Birthday Cake Recipe

 

A beautiful birthday cake that’s completely gluten and dairy free

It can be difficult finding a birthday cake for a friend or relative with a gluten or dairy intolerance.  But you can stop looking now! Not only does Grace Cheetham’s gluten-free chocolate birthday cake fit the bill, it looks and tastes divine too – no one will be able to tell the difference.

“This heavenly birthday cake was inspired by one my sister made for her husband’s birthday. It’s light and moist, with dark truffley chocolate flavours and a rich, creamy icing, all covered with sweetly sharp raspberries” explains Grace Cheetham, author of Simply Gluten-free and Dairy-free.
 

Gluten Free Chocolate Birthday Cake

 
Makes: 1 cake

Cooking time: 45 Minutes

Preparation time: 25 minutes, plus making the nut cream

Sponge

150g/5½oz/2⁄3 dairy-free margarine, softened, plus extra for greasing

150g/5½oz/2⁄3 dairy-free margarine, softened, plus extra for greasing

200g/7oz dairy-free dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, chopped or broken into pieces

175g/6oz/scant 1 cup fruit sugar or caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 large eggs

60g/2¼oz/1⁄3 cup brown rice flour

60g/2¼oz/1⁄3 cup chestnut flour

2 tsp gluten-free baking powder

1⁄2 tsp xanthan gum

150g/5½oz/1¼ cups raspberries or strawberries, hulled, to decorate

Icing

200g/7oz dairy-free dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, chopped or broken into pieces

300g/10½oz/scant 2 cups cashew nuts

1 tsp vanilla extract

8 dates

1. To make the cashew nut cream put the nuts in a bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak at room temperature overnight or for at least 12 hours.

2. Drain and rinse the nuts thoroughly, then put them in a blender. Add 250ml/9fl oz/1 cup water, the vanilla extract and dates and blend for 10 minutes or until smooth.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and lightly grease two 23cm/9in springform cake tins with dairy-free margarine. Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and rest it over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted.

4. Using an electric mixer, beat the dairy-free margarine and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Using a large spoon, carefully fold in the melted chocolate mixture. Sift the flours, gluten-free baking powder and xanthan gum into the mixture and fold in. Make sure the mixture is well mixed but take care not to overmix it. Evenly divide the mixture into the cake tins and level the surfaces with the back of a spoon.

5. Bake for 35–40 minutes until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks and leave to cool completely.

6. Meanwhile, put the chocolate for the icing in a large heatproof bowl and follow the same procedure as in step 1, above, to melt it. Put the blended nut cream and date mixture in a food processor or blender, add the melted chocolate and blend until well mixed.

7. Put 1 cake on a plate and spread half of the icing over the top. Put the other cake on top, flat-side down, and spread the remaining icing over it. Decorate with the raspberries and serve.

Whether you’re suffering from allergy-related IBS, eczema, asthma, migraines or chronic fatigue, or you’re coeliac, Simply Gluten-free and Dairy-free will show you how to use substitute ingredients and simple cooking techniques to make mouth-watering meals. Find more inspiration on  Grace’s award-winning blog glutendairyfree.co.uk.

“Grace Cheetham’s book gives us a fresh approach… many people newly diagnosed with coeliac disease are also lactose intolerant until their guts start to heal. The broad world flavours in these recipes are robust and flavoursome.” Coeliac UK

Simply Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free by Grace Cheetham.

176 pages • Illustrated • £12.99

AUS $24.99 NZ $28.00