Gluten Free Chocolate Blackberry Cake
Make the Most of the Season
Hello friends,
This newsletter and recipe reaches you a week earlier than usual- but next week is a BUSY week! I’m spending the week cooking in the kitchens of the GREAT GLUTEN ESCAPE summer camp, I’m so excited! I’ve seen the menu, and trust me, these kids are LUCKY- it’s chock full of hard to find gluten free delights.
I’ve got lots of gluten free adventures coming up- Make sure to follow me on instagram or facebook so you don’t miss any of the fun!!
But on to the recipe of the day. Today, in honor of my birthday in a few days I have a gluten free blackberry chocolate layer cake recipe for you. Another trip around the sun and I have more to look forward to every year - including lots of cake!
I must admit, when my niece first suggested blackberry chocolate cake to me, I wasn’t sure it would work - chocolate/raspberry sure, chocolate/strawberry a classic, but blackberry? I needn’t have worried, the sour tang of blackberries is fabulous at cutting through the sweetness of frosting and lifting this cake to new heights. I’ve given you a recipe that makes a 3 layer cake here - truly a celebration cake polished off in one sitting by my large extended family. You could certainly halve the recipe for 2 thinner layers, but be sure to check and see if the cakes are done baking after 18 minutes or so - the thermometer can be a wonderful guide when changing cake sizes.
The frosting here is a Swiss meringue buttercream, a truly light and feathery frosting that is so beautiful on this cake. I must mention though it doesn’t hold up well in heat, so please store this in the fridge or make a simpler American buttercream style frosting with the blackberry jam mixed in.
You can see here I’ve used jam that has seeds - I’m a weird one that loves a berry seed- many jellies are made without the seeds or if you’re not a fan and bought a seedy one you can push the jam through a sieve and remove the seeds yourself before stirring into the frosting.
I’m lucky enough to have blackberries growing in the yard for the top and I do love the fat fresh berries along with the tall slice of jam riddled cake to freshen things up and let people know what’s inside. I also suggest a tall glass of milk or a coffee to go with this one! Happy gluten free baking,
Rachel
Blackberry Chocolate Layer Cake
Makes 1 9-inch 3 layer cake
3 cups (420g) Gluten Free Pastry Flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour blend
1 ¼ cup (112g) cocoa powder
1 ½ cup (300g) packed brown sugar
1 ½ cup (300g) granulated sugar
1 Tb (12g) baking powder
1 1/2 tsp (6g) baking soda
1 ½ tsp (9g) salt
1 ½ cup (360g) hot water (or coffee)
¾ cup (180g) cold water
1 Tb (13g) vanilla extract
3/4 cup (150g) olive oil plus more to grease the pan
3 large eggs
Blackberries to decorate
In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients. In another bowl mix together all of the wet ingredients. Add a the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until smooth . Pour into 3 9-inch cake pans (greased with parchment paper in the bottom)
Bake for about 25-30 min until a meat thermometer inserted into the middle reads 205F. Let the cakes cool in their pans set on cooling racks.
Once the cakes are fully cooled down place one cake layer on top of the plate/cake stand you’re using. Pipe a border of Swiss meringue buttercream around the perimeter of the cake. Make another ring a couple of inches in, and if you’d like a third ring of frosting. Fill in the empty spots with blackberry jam. Place the next layer on top and do the same exact thing finishing of with the third layer of the cake.
One the cake is filled and stacked, put a thin layer of buttercream over the whole cake. Place the cake in the fridge. Once the cake is chilled and the buttercream is set, spread the rest of the buttercream all over the cake, decorate as desired and stash in the fridge until ready to serve.
Blackberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
6 large egg whites
2 cups (400) grams granulated sugar
1 ½ cups (340g) unsalted butter
3 Tb blackberry jam
Add the egg whites and the sugar into a heatproof bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water (the bowl should not touch the water) Whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved (temp should be 160F).
Transfer the mixture into a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the bowl is at room temp and the meringue forms stiff and glossy peaks (about 20 min) Once it’s done, slowly start adding the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, adding more after each tablespoon is absorbed into the mixture.
Mix until all of the butter is combined and beat the mixture until it reaches a thick glossy consistency. Divide into 1/3 and 2/3 portions. Add the jam to the 2/3 portion. Use the white 1/3 portion of frosting to pipe a circle around the edges of the bottom 2 layers, to hold in the jam. Frost and decorate the outside of the cake with the blackberry flavored portion.
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