Indulgent Gluten-free Chocolate Ganache Cake

It’s chocolate. And A LOT of it. Not to mention the second most indulgent ingredient in most pastries — peanut butter.

Where I’m from, there’s not much of a winter. We get maybe a couple weeks throughout the season that can actually be labeled as “winter.” Other than that, the winter season is mainly what the fall season would feel like in the northern areas of the U.S.

With that being the case, some friends and I decided to have a cookout and enjoy not-so-hot, not-so-cold evening — the perfect weather for a cookout.

Each of us brought a little something to contribute to the meal, and of course, I volunteered to bring a dessert. My friend is a fan of my gluten-free chocolate cake, but at the time, I didn’t have all the ingredients to make one — the perfect excuse to let my baking creativity flow.

For this cake, I used the Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour, which I usually use for more dense pastries such as banana bread. I had decided this would be an extremely indulgent cake so I incorporated this flour into my recipe. And to top it all off, I would make a chocolate peanut butter ganache with sprinkled chocolate curls on top.

I was getting a sugar high just thinking about it — not to mention I was now craving a large glass of milk.

Now, to be fair, this is a very rich dessert — but in a good way. My friends admitted they probably served themselves too much. The good news? You can serve yourself a small portion and still be satisfied, leaving enough to share with the family and still have enough for yourself to eat later.

Ingredients (for cake):

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
• 3/4 cup Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cashew milk
• 1/2 canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Ingredients (for ganache):

• 4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup cashew milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round pans.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until combined (about 2 minutes). Gradually stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until set in the center. Allow cakes to cool completely on a wire rack while you prepare the ganache.
4. Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a saucepan. Stir and remove from heat when melted.
5. Slowly add maple syrup. Allow to cool. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl, and beat in peanut butter.
6. Allow mixture to cool in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Beat in mixer until a thick, whip frosting is formed. Add in cashew milk as needed for consistency.

Assembly:

Place one cake layer on a plate and spread a dollop of chocolate ganache on top of the cake and spread over the cake. Layer the second cake over the layer, and repeat with a layer of ganache. Optional: Using a potato peeler, peel chocolate curls using an indulgent chocolate of your choice and sprinkle on top the cake.

Store the cake in the refrigerator until serving time.