Unbelievable Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

My dear friend, Ms. Janna, invited my family over after church one Sunday. She took the time to ask what to fix so that it would be all good for my boy. Bless her heart! She also happens to live down the street from a woman who cooks gluten free. Talk about friends in the right places! Her friend supplied her with the dry ingredients for a gluten-free chocolate cake. This recipe calls for any gluten free flour blend and she happened to use some amaranth - not really my personal favorite as it gives me a strange aftertaste. Besides that though, the cake was really good and it was beautiful also.

I made sure to get the recipe, thank her and her friend for their kindness, and I have since made this chocolate wonder many times. In fact, it was the cake mix for my son's last birthday party. This is a recipe from Carol Feinster PhD. I've never made it with the strong black coffee as the primary liquid, only hot water. I can only imagine that coffee would give it an even more fabulous flavor. My friends who are familiar with gluten free cooking (their kids have other food issues) were in disbelief at how good it tasted.

The wonderful thing about this cake is that it has always come out of the pan with absolutely no problem, no cracking, etc. I've put it in the freezer for super easy frosting and no crumbs. While I do love refrigerated cake, I have discovered that this one does best when freshly baked or allowed to come to room temperature (take out of the freezer or fridge in plenty of time). I've fixed this with a variety of frostings, but the one I've included is absolutely wonderful with it. I'm not sure the original source for the frosting, but only wrote it down from Ms. Janna's recipe card.
Please make some soon!!

Unbelievable Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
****I double this recipe for 2 - 9" cake pans and 6 cupcakes. The chocolate frosting recipe is enough to frost all of this without doubling.****
1 1/4 cup flour blend (I use 1/2 cup rice flour, 1/2 cup tapioca starch and 1/4 cup millet)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 large egg
3/4 cup hot water or coffee
Combine all ingredients except water in large mixing bowl using an electric mixer. Add hot water and carefully mix until blended. Pour into cake pans and muffin cups that have been sprayed with cooking spray. (Make sure it is GF).
Cook at 350 degrees.
35 minutes for cake pans
20-25 minutes for cupcakes
****I double this recipe for 2 - 9" cake pans and 6 cupcakes. The chocolate frosting recipe is enough to frost all of this without doubling.****
Yummy Chocolate Frosting 1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup baking cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla