The Best Chocolate Cake I'Ve Ever Had

[chellalee]

My sister made me Chocolate Cake for my birthday. She used a gluten-free all purpose blend for the flour. It was the best chocolate cake I've ever had. Not the best gluten-free one, the best one period. Very rich, and very moist. I asked her for the recipe. The cake and frosting recipe were just the recipes from the back of a box of Hershey's Baking Cocoa (powder). I've made this cake four or five times since then and it turns out perfect everytime. I made it for my daughter's bday party (she's not gluten-free but has a friend who is gluten-free and Dairy Free) it turned out great, using a gluten-free flour blend (I use Tom Sawyer) and Rice milk. YUMMO.

[Takala]

those old classic recipes can be the best, agreed.

There was a book called I Hate To Cook Book by Peg Bracken that had nothing but short, easy recipes. It had a recipe for a fast small chocolate cake in it, based in turn on a Depression era recipe without eggs or butter. (and currently used by the Amish and Mennonites and called "Whacky Cake." ) All I do is adapt it for gluten free by changing the flours, add a bit of xanthan gum, and mix it in a bowl instead of in the pan. Works every time.

this recipe, cut in half, makes a 8 x 8" cake

Open Original Shared Link

[BethJ]

those old classic recipes can be the best, agreed.

There was a book called I Hate To Cook Book by Peg Bracken that had nothing but short, easy recipes. It had a recipe for a fast small chocolate cake in it, based in turn on a Depression era recipe without eggs or butter. (and currently used by the Amish and Mennonites and called "Whacky Cake." ) All I do is adapt it for gluten free by changing the flours, add a bit of xanthan gum, and mix it in a bowl instead of in the pan. Works every time.

this recipe, cut in half, makes a 8 x 8" cake

Open Original Shared Link

What flour mix did you use? The ONLY chocolate cake I ever made before going gluten-free was the Wacky Cake. My mother always made it as did my grandmothers. It really is the best cake ever. I've been afraid to try it with gluten-free flour and am so glad you posted this.

[Takala]

I've done it with a bunch of different gluten free flour mixes- a three way mix of rice/tapioca/sorghum or rice/tapioca/potato starch. I've also done it with no rice flour, such as almond meal, potato starch, sorghum, amaranth, millet. (the last one is a much more whole grainier type of mix I use for gluten-free breads, but if it's in the refrigerator and available, it works, but it would then be a cake that tastes more like a whole wheat version, which some people wouldn't care for.

If not fond of rice flour, a sorghum/tapioca/potato starch or a cornstarch/tapioca/potato starch would work, too. The trick seems to be to use at least 3 kinds of gluten-free flours in a blend.

I take a big glass measuring cup and just pour in glops of gluten-free flours to get the proportions until I have what I need, if I don't have a big ziplock bag mixed up with a gluten-free flour blend.

If you take the smaller bags of Bob's RM various different kinds, and pour a bag of each into a bigger ziplock and stir to blend, that's the easiest way to make customized flour blends. A ziplock bag of rice/tapioca and a bag of sorghum/millet or sorghum/amaranth or sorghum/almond, and you can make various combinations to please yourself.

Just add the proper amount of xantham gum, suggestions are on the bag, or you can start with 1 teaspoon per cup of gluten-free flour mix.

[Takala]

I've done it with a bunch of different gluten free flour mixes- a three way mix of rice/tapioca/sorghum or rice/tapioca/potato starch. I've also done it with no rice flour, such as almond meal, potato starch, sorghum, amaranth, millet. (the last one is a much more whole grainier type of mix I use for gluten-free breads, but if it's in the refrigerator and available, it works, but it would then be a cake that tastes more like a whole wheat version, which some people wouldn't care for.

If not fond of rice flour, a sorghum/tapioca/potato starch or a cornstarch/tapioca/potato starch would work, too. The trick seems to be to use at least 3 kinds of gluten-free flours in a blend.

I take a big glass measuring cup and just pour in glops of gluten-free flours to get the proportions until I have what I need, if I don't have a big ziplock bag mixed up with a gluten-free flour blend.

If you take the smaller bags of Bob's RM various different kinds, and pour a bag of each into a bigger ziplock and stir to blend, that's the easiest way to make customized flour blends. A ziplock bag of rice/tapioca and a bag of sorghum/millet or sorghum/amaranth or sorghum/almond, and you can make various combinations to please yourself.

Just add the proper amount of xantham gum, suggestions are on the bag, or you can start with 1 teaspoon per cup of gluten-free flour mix.

[BethJ]

Thank you! I love your suggestion of mixing them in big ziplock bags. It would also cut down on the seemingly hundreds of half-used bags in the fridge and pantry.

[twe0708]

My sister made me Chocolate Cake for my birthday. She used a gluten-free all purpose blend for the flour. It was the best chocolate cake I've ever had. Not the best gluten-free one, the best one period. Very rich, and very moist. I asked her for the recipe. The cake and frosting recipe were just the recipes from the back of a box of Hershey's Baking Cocoa (powder). I've made this cake four or five times since then and it turns out perfect everytime. I made it for my daughter's bday party (she's not gluten-free but has a friend who is gluten-free and Dairy Free) it turned out great, using a gluten-free flour blend (I use Tom Sawyer) and Rice milk. YUMMO.

Can you please post the recipe?

[twe0708]

My sister made me Chocolate Cake for my birthday. She used a gluten-free all purpose blend for the flour. It was the best chocolate cake I've ever had. Not the best gluten-free one, the best one period. Very rich, and very moist. I asked her for the recipe. The cake and frosting recipe were just the recipes from the back of a box of Hershey's Baking Cocoa (powder). I've made this cake four or five times since then and it turns out perfect everytime. I made it for my daughter's bday party (she's not gluten-free but has a friend who is gluten-free and Dairy Free) it turned out great, using a gluten-free flour blend (I use Tom Sawyer) and Rice milk. YUMMO.

Can you please post the recipe?

[bluebonnet]

My sister made me Chocolate Cake for my birthday. She used a gluten-free all purpose blend for the flour. It was the best chocolate cake I've ever had. Not the best gluten-free one, the best one period. Very rich, and very moist. I asked her for the recipe. The cake and frosting recipe were just the recipes from the back of a box of Hershey's Baking Cocoa (powder). I've made this cake four or five times since then and it turns out perfect everytime. I made it for my daughter's bday party (she's not gluten-free but has a friend who is gluten-free and Dairy Free) it turned out great, using a gluten-free flour blend (I use Tom Sawyer) and Rice milk. YUMMO.

ooooohhh ... my sisters will be here in a couple of weeks so i think i'll try this recipe! thanks!