Gluten Free Double Chocolate Whisky Cake

Dave and I needed a bit of naughty in our life, so we decided to adapt a kickin’ recipe published by Melissa Clark to make our own gluten free Double Chocolate Whisky Cake. Turns out that each and every person we’ve shared this cake with needed a bit of naughty too, because we have had so many requests for it! The beauty of this recipe is in it’s ease of baking. No need to worry about falling cakes or fancy icing. The cake is delicious naked, or topped with a dab of whipped cream. If you are feeling it, serve with tipsy cherries. WOW!

gf-whisky-cake-with-cherries — ***Tipsy Cherries are the best!***

Whisky Basics

First of all, pure distilled whisky is gluten free according to the Beyond Celiac Foundation. What is the difference between whisky, (whiskey if you’re Irish,) bourbon, and Scotch? Whisky is a general term for spirits, (alcohol,) made from fermented grains and aged in barrels. There are quite a few rules or laws that outline the requirements to make various types of whisky. Bourbon is whisky made from at least 51% corn, and must be aged in charred oak barrels for at least two years to be labeled, “Straight Bourbon Whisky”. Scotch is made in Scotland from mostly malted barley. The debate rages on as to who makes the best whisky. Dave and I each have our favorites, what’s yours?

Tips for Success

First tip: use a 10″ springform pan dusted with unsweetened cacao powder. Best tip: use a combination of both reduced and straight whisky. Our GF Double Chocolate Whisky Cake calls for 4 fluid ounces of whisky. We simmer 5 fluid ounces of whisky to reduce by half, and then add 1.5 fluid ounces of straight whisky. Reducing the whisky deepens the flavor in the cake, while the adding a bit of straight whisky keeps it bright. We’ve tried many combinations and this one tastes the best. Topping ideas include serving with tipsy cherries and whisky laced whipped cream. Alcohol infused cherries are available in stores and online. To make your own, click here.) We’ve also served our cake simply dusted with powdered sugar. Delicious!

gluten-free-chocolate-whisky-cake — ***Slice of Dream Cake***

Please let us know how your gluten free Double Chocolate Whisky Cake turned out. Leave a rating and comment in the section provided below. We love to hear from you!

An important note: this recipe successfully uses Flour Farm Organic Gluten Free Flour Blend. If you choose to make this with another flour blend, please note that your results may differ.

Peace & LOVE – Teri

Photos by DuPree Productions; Inspired by NYT Cooking author Melissa Clark – we adapted her recipe “Chocolate Whisky Cake”

Chocolate Whisky Cake

GF Double Chocolate Whisky Cake

Author: Teri Delany
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: 12 slices 1x
Diet: Gluten Free

Print Recipe

Description

Feeling naughty? This rich and delicious gluten free Double Chocolate Whisky Cake is your answer. Dust the cake with powdered sugar or go all out and frost with a dash of whisky added to whipped cream. Don’t forget to top with tipsy cherries!

Ingredients

Scale

Choose Gluten Free, Non-GMO & Organic Ingredients.

Substitutions: Do you need to swap out an ingredient? Click here for suggestions.

Note: If clicking the 2X or 3X scale boxes to the right, please know that weights listed in parentheses below may or may not change. Please take care to check amounts if increasing the recipe.

Chocolate Mix

118 ml (4 fl oz) Whisky, we use 4.5 fl oz of reduced whisky (see notes) + 1.5 oz whisky (1/2 C)
170g (6 oz) Butter, slice into tablespoons for ease of melting (1 1/2 sticks)
74g (2.6 oz) Unsweetened Cocoa, or Cocao our preference, (3/4 C spoon & level)
1 1/2 tsp Espresso powder (alternatively you can skip this and the water and use 1 1/2 C strong coffee)
355 ml (12 fl oz) Water (1 1/2 C) – use coffee instead of water if skipping the espresso powder
200g (7 oz) Cane Sugar (1 C)
150g (5.3 oz) Light Brown Cane Sugar (3/4 C)

Egg Mix

3 Large Pasture Raised Eggs (150g)
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract (10 ml)

Dry

240g (8.5 oz) Flour Farm Organic Gluten Free Flour Blend (2 1/4 C spoon & level)
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda (8g)
1 tsp Xanthan Gum (4g)
1/2 tsp Extra Fine Pink Himalayan Salt (3g) note: if using unsalted butter, increase to 3/4 tsp
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper (.5g)
1/8 tsp Ground Cloves (pinch)
113g (4 oz) Mini Chocolate Chips (1 C)

Optional Toppings

Whisky Whipped Cream (8 fl oz heavy whipping cream or coconut cream, 1-2 T favorite sugar, whisky to taste- start with 2 tablespoons. Add together in a chilled bowl and whip to perfection)
Powdered Sugar, use a sifter to dust on top of cake
Tipsy Cherries, see notes below

Instructions

Equipment: Digital Scale (preferred), 10″ Springform Pan, Small and Medium Saucepans, Large Bowl, Whisk, Measuring Cups and Spoons, Silicone Spatula, Cooling Rack

Before You Dive In – Prep: Please read!

Reduce whisky, preferred (see notes)
Grease springform pan and dust bottom and sides with unsweetened chocolate powder
Move oven rack to center
Preheat oven to 325 F (165 C)

Make cake!

Step 1: If you reduced the whisky, add straight whisky to equal 118 ml (4 fl oz or 1/2 C). Pour into a medium saucepan.

Step 2: In the medium saucepan with the whisky, add the butter, powdered chocolate, water and espresso powder (or coffee). Heat on low to melt the butter, whisking occasionally. Add the sugars and whisk to dissolve. Remove the pan from the heat and set on a cooling rack to cool completely, (refrigerate mix for about 15 minutes to speed up the process).

Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, pepper, cloves and chocolate chips.

Step 4: In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and vanilla.

Step 5: When the chocolate mix has reached room temp, slowly whisk in egg mix.

Step 6: Whisk the combined wet mix into the dry mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and whisk a turn or two.

Step 7: Pour batter into the prepared springform pan and place in the center of a preheated 325 F/165 C oven. Bake for about one hour. Check for doneness after 55 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Step 8: Remove cake from the oven and set on a cooling rack. Allow to completely cool before removing sides of pan. Dust, frost, or eat naked!

Store cake in a container for up to three days (we keep ours in the refrigerator.) Freeze unfrosted for up to a month.

Enjoy!

Notes

Whisky Reduction: Add 148 ml (5 fl oz or 1/2 C + 2 T) whisky to a small sauce pan. Simmer on medium until reduced by half. The best way to do this is to add 2.5 oz of whisky to the pan, place a toothpick upright in the pan to mark the surface of whisky, pencil a dot there, and then fill the pan the rest of the way with whisky. Simmer until the surface of the whisky matches the dot on the toothpick. This method makes it easy to check when you have the right amount.

Tipsy Cherries: There are many brands that you can buy online, or you can make your own if you have fresh cherries. We like this recipe from GimmeSomeOven.

The nutrition information provided below is for the recipe as written using salted organic butter. Toppings are not included. Each serving weighs approx 125g/4.5 oz.

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour
Category: cake
Method: baking
Cuisine: American