Gluten-free chocolate cake is a real treat. I remember for a long time after I was diagnosed, I would hardly eat anything for fear of getting sick again. When you’re first diagnosed with celiac disease, trying to learn entirely new cooking techniques can be daunting. Whoever heard of cooking with rice flour, amaranth flour, almond flour, and all the other flours out there? It’s only been in the last few years that these alternative flours are becoming somewhat mainstream. Because of the internet, it’s much easier to buy flours online. The following video is great for gluten-free beginners. It shows how to create a gluten-free-chocolate cake using an easy to find cake mix. It also talks about how important it is to learn to make cake mixes your own. In other words, be adventurous and add your own ingredients!

Remember, anytime you are baking cakes, you need to be sure that not only the flour is gluten-free, but also the spices, baking powder, vanilla, and cocoa or chocolate. Nestle, Saco, Hershey’s, and Ghirardelli cocoas are the readily available cocoas that are gluten-free. A list of gluten-free chocolates is available here.

There’s a science to gluten-free cooking, and I know if you’re like me, you just don’t have the time to learn it. At least not now. Since we’re talking cakes, this flour mix works well:

White rice flour – 1 3/4 cups
Potato Starch – 2 cups
Tapioca Starch – 1 1/2 cups

Luckily, most of the ingredients are readily available. Combine all the ingredients and store. Be sure to label this mix as cake mix flour. There are commercially available cake mix flours. Pamela’s™ Baking and Pancake mix is also a good shortcut. Betty Crocker has just released a gluten-free cake mix.

Another mix that works well is:

* 3 cups brown rice flour (fine ground)
* 1 cup potato starch
* 1/2 cup tapioca flour
* 1 1/4 teaspoons guar gum or xanthan gum

If you’ve never used xanthan gum, it’s now available at some grocery stores and in most health food stores. It helps bind the batters and get rid of the gritty feel of rice flours. When you’re using xanthan gum, be sure to mix it with the dry ingredients and not the wet. It’s makes a sticky mess if you mix it with the wet ingredients.

Here’s an easy one-bowl gluten-free chocolate cake recipe:

* 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour
* 1/2 cup cocoa
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 3/4 teaspoon guar gum or xanthan gum
* 5 tablespoons cooking oil
* 1 tablespoon vinegar
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 egg
* 1 cup water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9″ square pan.

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add all liquid ingredients, and mix well.
3. Pour into prepared baking pan.
4. Bake 30 – 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
5. Frost with your favorite gluten-free frosting and serve.

This recipe reminds me of the chocolate cake we used to make in a pan when I was a kid. No bowl! It’s a simple recipe for busy people.  In the coming weeks, we will cover more variations and advanced baking techniques.