Ask Chef Phyllis:
Valentine’s Day is special to me, but my husband is gluten intolerant. Cakes are so festive—and he loves chocolate. Any suggestions?
—Loretta Spano from Port Richey, Florida
How romantic to do something special for your husband! This gluten-free Chocolate Flourless Cake will make his day.
Ingredients
Cake
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter at room temperature
1¼ cup rapadura sugar
6 eggs at room temperature
1 cup organic cocoa powder
¼ cup crushed raspberries, made from 1 basket (6 ounces) of organic fresh raspberries. Reserve 12 to 14 perfect raspberries for garnish.
Glaze (optional)
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon vanilla (gluten free)
Method for Cake
1. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan, line with a circle of parchment, then grease parchment.
2. Melt chocolate chips in a medium heavy bottomed sauce pan, then remove from heat. Add softened butter and mix well.
3. Pour mixture into a large bowl and stir in eggs one at a time. Add cocoa powder and crushed raspberries. Mix well by hand, scraping sides often.
4. Spread batter into the greased pan. Bake at 375 F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top puffs slightly.
5. Turn off the heat, but let the cake cool in the oven for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours before removing cake from pan.
Method for Glaze
1. In a small pan melt the chocolate chips, then add remaining ingredients.
2. Pour the glaze on the middle of the cooled cake and spread out to the edge, letting it drip down the sides.
If desired, decorate with fresh raspberries. Let the glaze set up for at least one hour before cutting and serving. Happy Valentine’s Day!
AUTHOR’S NOTE
To choose your organically grown and fresh ingredients wisely, use the following criteria:
·chemical- and hormone-free meat
·wild-caught fish
·pastured-raised, organic eggs
·whole, unrefined grains
·virgin, unrefined, first-press organic oils
·whole-food, unrefined sweeteners
·pure, clean, spring water
·sea salt
·raw and/or cultured milk and cream products
Phyllis Quinn is a chef, food writer, and founder of Udderly Cultured, a class that teaches how to make homemade fresh mozzarella, butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, and other cultured products. Private lessons are available. For a reservation, call Phyllis at 970-221-5556 or email her at phyllisquinn2@gmail.com. Rediscover nearly lost cooking methods and get one-of-a-kind recipes in her books The Slow Cook Gourmet and Udderly Cultured: The Art of Milk Fermentation.
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Oh my, just what I was looking for to surprise my honey as he also loves Chocolate Cake. This seems easy enough to make for my family. Thanks again Phyllis. Happy Valentines Day.
Dear Antoinette,
Thank you for your comment. This recipe ‘is’ easy, no double-boilers and you mix everything in one bowl after you melt the chocolate. The hardest part is waiting for the cake to cool. For chocolate lovers, it is civine!
I meant to say Divine…
OMG this looks amazing! My husband is gluten intolerant and I try to stay away from it as much as possible so this looks amazing to me. I can’t wait to try it. I only have one question…what is and where can I find rapadura sugar? I have never heard of this. Is it hard to find, is there a suitable substitution?
Thanks Chef Phyllis-I log onto this page often just looking for your posts!!!!
Malina Knable
Hi Malina,
Thank you for your comment. This cake is amazing, I hope you try it soon.
To answer your question: Rapadura is pure whole cane sugar that is unrefined and unbleached. I have replaced white sugar with Rapadura in most of my recipes with great results. It can be purchased in your favorite Health Food store or on-line.
I have numerous requests recently for changing some traditional recipes to gluten free. Look for that post soon.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you.
Phyllis
I would love to see some Spanish and Mediterranean recipes that are easy and not too spicy. I love to cook something different from the ordinary everyday menu. It can be a meal or a baked dessert. Looking forward to your reply. Have a great day.
Dear Antoinette,
I am so pleased that people like you are interested in new and old recipes to try. I recently received a request for Veal Piccata. The recipe had an interesting history for the person who asked the question. Mediterranean in original, it is easy and not too spicy. Check out my posts on this site and Facebook too for exciting cuisine.
Thanks, Phyllis