Double Chocolate Fudge Cakes - Gluten Free

Now I've mentioned this recipe before, but it was linked to a Livejournal post of mine and I really don't trust LJ anymore, so I'm reposting it here. This recipe uses corn flour (corn starch) and ground almonds instead of flour so it is gluten free.

Double Chocolate Fudge Cakes - Gluten Free

I'm going to put two lots of ingredients up here - to make 12 small cakes or to make one large 3 decker cake. I've done my best to put in US cup/stick measures as well as the UK ones.

How the individual cakes come out.

Ingredients

12 individual cakes

For the cake

• 200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids or above) (1 1/4 cups of dark choc chips)
• 100g unsalted butter, cubed (just under 1 stick butter)
• 4 medium eggs
• 50g arrowroot or corn flour (corn starch), sifted (2/5 cup)
• 175g icing sugar, sifted (1 2/5 cup)
• 25ml rum or milk (1.5 tbsp)
• 100g ground almonds (4/5 cup)
• 1/4 tspn cream of tartar

For the icing

• 100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) (2/3 cup dark choc chips)
• 50g creme fraiche (1/5 cup)
• 75g icing sugar (just under 2/3 cup)
• something to decorate like sugared violets or silver balls or anything like that

~OR~

3 tier large cake

• 300g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids or above) (1 4/5 cups of dark choc chips)
• 150g unsalted butter, cubed (1 1/3 sticks)
• 6 medium eggs
• 75g arrowroot or corn flour (corn starch), sifted (2/3 cup)
• 260g icing sugar, sifted (2 cup)
• 37ml rum or milk (2 tbsp)
• 150g ground almonds (1.25 cups)
• 3/8 tspn cream of tartar

For the icing

• 200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) (1 1/3 cup dark choc chips)
• 100g creme fraiche (2/5 cup)
• 150g icing sugar (1 1/5 cup)
• something to decorate like sugared violets or silver balls or anything like that

Equipment

• a large mixing bowl
• a med heat proof bowl
• small saucepan
• metal spoon
• electric whisk (or you can use a hand whisk if you are feeling up to it :))
• rubber spatula
• 4cm deep, 20x30cm baking tray (or 3 8inch/20cm sponge tins)
• non-stick lining paper (greaseproof)
• 5cm diameter round cutter

Instuctions

For the cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F (160C/320F fan/convection )
2. Line the baking tray with the non-stick baking paper
3. Melt the chocolate and butter in the heat proof bowl over the saucepan of simmering water or pop in the microwave on high for 30 secs, then check and keep going in 10sec intervals until chocolate is melting.
4. Turn melted chocolate into big mixing bowl and allow to cool
5. Beat in 2 whole egg (3 for large cake) and 2 of the yolks (3 for large cake), reserving the whites for later
6. Beat in the arrowroot/cornflour, icing sugar, almonds and rum until smooth.
7. Whisk the two egg whites with the cream of tartar until they reach the soft peaks stage.
8. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture using a metal spoon or spatula.
9. Spoon mixture into the lined baking tray (a spatula is very useful for getting it all) or equal amounts into the 3 lines sponge tins for the large cake.
10. Bake for 15 mins until barely set
11. Leave to cool in the tray(s).
12. If doing the individual cakes turn the cold cake out onto a board and cut into 24 rounds with the 5cm cutter, for the large version just turn out the cakes from the sponge tins and remove the lining paper.

For the icing

1. Melt the chocolate in the heat proof bowl over the saucepan of simmering water or in the microwave at first for 30secs then in 10sec intervals until chocolate is melted.
2. Beat in the creme fraiche and the icing sugar until smooth (it may split slightly).
3. Beat in a few teaspoons of boiling water until the consistency turns satiny.
4. Working qucikly spoon a little of the icing onto each cake round, then stack two together to form 12 little cakes or Sandwich the three cakes together with icing and then use the rest to cover the outside of the cake (if I'm feeling lazy I just do the top, but there is usually enough icing to do the sides as well).
5. Put on your decoration.

This cake is squidgy and delicious along the lines of a brownie. I only know one person who can eat more than a small bit at a time :).