A post! (About cake!)

So I've been craving cake, and I bought some frozen strawberries on a whim. I thought to myself, fruit and cake is tasty, chocolate covered strawberries are tasty.... Inspired by pineapple upside down cake, I decided to make what I have dubbed "Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake." There were a few technical things with the process that I will definitely change next time, but I think that I will be making this again. It was subtle and dense and rich.

The original cake recipe was Bette Hagman's Devil's Food Cake from "The Gluten-free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods" but I changed a few things, I will italicize or otherwise note the changes. Also, the strawberries and glaze are my own additions.

Fruit bottom (becomes top):
2 bags frozen strawberries
6-ish Tbsp granulated sugar

Defrost strawberries (if using microwave, make sure not to start cooking them, defrost them in small time increments and stir often). Toss strawberries with sugar until coated. Transfer from bowl to colander and place colander over bowl to drain for a while. You want as much excess juice off the strawberries as possible, and you WILL NEED THE JUICE for the glaze.

Oil and flour two 8 or 9 inch round or square cake pans. I put the (well drained) strawberries in the bottom of the pan to pour the batter over them, arranged in an invisible grid. This didn't work so well. I didn't count on the strawberries shrinking as much as they did, and most of them stuck to the pan. Next time I think that I will either put oiled parchment paper in the bottom of the pan and cover the bottom with strawberries, except for an inch around the edge for a border to contain the strawberries, or cook the strawberries on the stove and put them between the two layers.


Cake Recipe!

3/4 cup boiling water
1 cup dark cocoa powder

3/4 cup rice milk + 1 tsp lemon juice (originally buttermilk)

(dry ingredients)
1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/4 cup white bean flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup arrowroot starch (all of this was originally 1 3/4 cup Bette Hagman's Four Flour Mix)
1 scant tsp Xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp egg replacer

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup strawberry yogurt (soy) (originally mayonnaise)
Prepared egg replacer for two eggs (originally 1 egg plus 1 egg white)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
(original recipe also called fora three drops red food coloring which I forwent)


Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk the cocoa into the boiling water, remove from stove.

While it is cooling a little (you still want it quite warm), mix together the dry ingredients.

Whisk the rice milk + lemon juice ("buttermilk") into the cocoa mixture.

Beat the brown sugar, yogurt, "eggs" and extracts until creamy. Beat in the cocoa mixture, then incorporate the dry ingredients.

Divide between the two layer pans being careful not to move the strawberries around and making sure the batter is distributed evenly around.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, check with butter knife or toothpick by seeing if it comes out clean if inserted into the middle.

Invert onto cooling racks (place the rack upside down on top of the pan, grip the edges with mitts and flip the two together, may need a little shake, but the cake should come out when you remove the pan). Let cool before frosting.


Strawberry glaze

Take the reserved juice from the strawberries and whisk in 1 cup or so confectionary sugar, or until it is smooth and thickened, but not stiff. Beat for several minutes and add a few Tablespoons of shortening or coconut oil and beat until there are no chunks. If using coconut oil, it may be helpful to warm the strawberry juice slightly as it becomes very hard when cold.

When the cakes are cool, move one of layers to a plate, strawberry side up. spoon or pour glaze into the center and spread to cover the top of the cake. Move the second layer on top of the bottom layer. I put the strawberry side down because I wanted a smooth top. Pour glaze into the center again and spread across the top of the cake and the sides. If you wish let it stiffen and add a second layer of glaze on top (i think I did four thin layers). Leave any extra glaze out in a bowl to be served with the cake in case anyone eating it is like my father and only likes a little cake with his frosting. ;)

Enjoy!