Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake with cherries

I am still pretty new to the gluten-free baking world, but I am having  a lot of fun figuring it out. I am starting slow, using tried and true recipes and pre-made flour blends, but I am getting ready to dive in and make my own blends...just as soon as I clear some space in the ol "pantry". This go-round was a classic recipe from Amanda Hesser, the Chocolate Dump-It Cake. I made a few swaps in the recipe, mainly buttermilk for the milk/vinegar combo she suggests (I assume for ease, because not everyone keeps buttermilk on hand) and I also added a bit more salt and some espresso powder to pump up the chocolate flavor. The result is a super tasty gluten-free chocolate cake that is pretty indistinguishable from a traditional chocolate bundt.

Amanda's version also has a simple frosting made from chocolate chips and sour cream, but I wanted to do something a little brighter with this cake. Enter this light and delicious whipped yogurt cream with cherries, which honestly would make an amazing breakfast, with a bit less sugar added in, of course. If you aren't a yogurt fan, a bit of  whipped cream or ice cream would be fab too. Choose your own chocolate cake adventure!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake with cherries

Adapted just slightly from Amanda Hesser's Chocolate Dump-It Cake

Makes one, 9-inch bundt

This is a super-simple chocolate cake fit for just about any occasion. It comes together quickly, with minimal dishes and no electric mixer necessary which is just the kind of cake I like to make in the summer. The cherry topping is totally optional. Check out the link above for the original frosting recipe.

2 cups (400g) sugar

4 ounces (225g) unsweetened chocolate

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (or instant coffee powder)

1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan

2 cups (260g) gluten free flour blend (I used Cup4Cup) or all purpose flour plus more for dusting the pan

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cherries

1 cup full fat or 2% Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup heavy cream

2-4 tablespoons sugar, to taste

1/2 cup chopped cherries

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extractPreheat the oven to 375ºF and arrange a rack in the center of the oven. Butter and flour a 9-inch tube pan. 

In a 2- to 3-quart pot, mix the sugar, unsweetened chocolate, butter, espresso, and 1 cup of water together. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally until all of the ingredients have melted and are mostly emulsified. Let cool slightly off of the heat.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. 

When the chocolate mixture has cooled a bit, whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs. Gently whisk in the dry ingredients, being careful to not overmix.

Pour the batter into the tube pan and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack.

Just before serving, whisk the yogurt, cream, sugar, and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Fold in the cherries. Taste the mixture and add a bit more sugar if desired.

Let the cake cool completely then slice and serve with cherries if desired.

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These cherries were sent to me by Hood River Cherry Company, but they didn't pay me for the post. The cherries were unbelievably good.

Red Fruit Galettes

I know it's coming to a close, but here's a hot tip for summer: keep a batch of pie crust in your fridge or freezer at all times. Then, when you spot some pretty fruit at the farmer's market, you'll always have something to tuck it into at the ready.

Just about the easiest thing you can make with fruit and pie crust is a galette. Galettes are casual open faced tarts and their charm is in their imperfections. It's okay if the fruit leaks all over the baking sheet and there is no futzy crust crimping for the folks who find that part of pie making frustrating. I even know someone who likes to make them at 3AM after a night of drinking, so you know they are easy.

These particular galettes were born when I had lots of little bits of different fruits left over from another project and I used roughly equal amounts of sour cherries, red currants and raspberries. This particular combination of red fruits turned out visually stunning and totally delicious, but don't feel limited by these fruits! You can make a galette with just about any fruit you have hanging around.

This is more of a formula and a process than a recipe that needs to be followed to the letter so feel free to swap the crust or the fruit or the jam for anything you like. And it's the best kind of recipe to have in your back pocket for all those times when you just need dessert last minute. Get invited to dinner? Galette. Going to a picnic or barbecue or rooftop party? Galette. Celebrating a birthday? Galette. Tuesday? Galette.

Happy Summer!

Red Fruits Galettes
yield 2, 9-inch galettes

Feel free to swap out my pie crust for your favorite recipe, but please make sure to bake the galettes until they are deeply golden brown and caramelized. Say no to soggy crust!

Crust

12 ounces all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
9 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4 ounces ice cold water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to cut in half of the butter until it is the size of peas, then cut in the other half until it is the size lima beans. Some of the butter will be completely worked into the flour, but you should have lots of visible pieces of butter in the dough too. Add the apple cider vinegar to the water and make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Use a gentle hand or wooden spoon to mix the water into the flour until just combined. If the dough seems very dry, add more water a couple of teaspoons at a time. You have added enough water when you can pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it together without it falling apart. Press the dough together, then split it in half, form into discs and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least one hour before using, or overnight.

Filling

about 2 pounds of assorted red fruits (raspberries, cherries, sour cherries, sweet cherries, currants, etc)
1 3/4-2 3/4 ounces granulated sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit (for example: currants will need more, sweet cherries less)
4 ounces apricot, raspberry or strawberry jam
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
pinch salt
1 tablespoon flour (only if the fruit seems very juicy)

1 egg beaten with a pinch of salt for egg wash
1 3/4 ounce crunchy sugar like demerara or turbinado for sprinkling

Work with one piece of dough at a time and on a floured surface, roll the dough into a roughly 13'' circle, 1/4-1/8'' thick. Transfer the rounds to two large, parchmentlined sheet pans. Store in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

Pit the cherries and remove the currants from their stems. In a large bowl, rub the lemon zest and salt into the sugar. If you're using flour, now's the time to add it. Add the fruit to the sugar mixture and toss gently to combine. 

Remove the pastry from the fridge and spread each round with about 4 tablespoons of jam, then divide the fruit evenly between the disks, leaving a 1 1/2'' border around the edges. Fold the edges of the pastry over the filling and gently brush the egg wash between the folds to seal. Chill the formed tarts until the dough is very firm.

While the tarts are chilling, preheat your oven to 400º. When the tarts are nice and cold, remove them from the fridge, gently brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle the pastry and the fruit with coarse sugar. Bake until the fruit juices bubble and ooze and the pastry is a deep golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool before serving.