Egg-Free Gluten-Free Chocolate Espresso Buttermilk Cake

I made an egg-free gluten-free chocolate espresso buttermilk cake for Mac’s birthday this week. Both he and his dad thought it was good.

It turned out moist, dense and chocolatey…

Egg-Free Gluten-Free Chocolate Espresso Buttermilk Birthday Cake

I’m definitely a newbie to egg-free gluten-free baking and am having fun experimenting with it. (While Mac’s not celiac, he’s allergic to nuts and sensitive to lots of things, including gluten and eggs.) But to be honest, not everything I’ve made is something I would want to waste my points/calories on! (Being a bit of a food snob is an important part of my slim & healthy approach to eating.)

And since I don’t have lots of experience with gluten free baking, it’s much easier for me to start with a mix, like Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mix, than try to work from scratch. I’m also a big fan of Anne Byrn, The Cake Mix Doctor. So, I looked for an option in her The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free cookbook that I thought might work without eggs. This is risky, since one of Anne’s “don’ts” is “don’t omit the eggs” because they provide structure in gluten-free cakes and help the cakes rise higher in the pan.

I also checked out a few gluten-free egg-free cake recipes on-line, including this one that uses applesauce on Ginger Lemon Girl and this one that calls for baking soda and vinegar from Recipe Interrupted.

This cake has 8 Weight Watcher’s Points+ which is not too bad for birthday cake. (I was afraid to decrease the oil, since I had already replaced the 3 eggs that were called for with 3/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce. Next time I’ll use 1/4 cup of oil and 1 cup applesauce and let you know what happens.)

Gluten Free Chocolate Birthday Cake

Since the cake is sweet and rich, I was satisfied with just 1/2 a piece at 4 points!

Egg-Free Gluten-Free Chocolate Espresso Buttermilk Cake

 

Save Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

A simple delicious chocolate snack cake that bakes up moist and rich.

Author: Martha

Recipe type: Dessert, Cake

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1 package (15 ounces) chocolate gluten-free cake mix
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon instant coffe granules
• ¾ cup low-fat buttermilk
• ½ cup canola oil
• ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• frosting (I opted for a thin layer of rich chocolate frosting with no artificial colors, flavors of preservatives I found at Fresh & Easy.)

Instructions

1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350.
2. Grease a 9-inch square pan and set it aside.
3. Place the cake mix, cocoa powder, instant coffee granules, buttermilk, oil, applesauce and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are blended, about 30 seconds.
4. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the batter until its really smooth, about 2 more minutes. (If you think you need to, stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl again.)
5. Pour the batter into the greased pan.
6. Bake on the center rack until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
8. Spread a thin layer of your favorite frosting onto the cooled cake.
9. Store the cake in the pan, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can freeze the unfrosted cake, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil, for up to one month. Let the cake thaw on the counter completely before frosting it.

Notes

Nutritional estimates per serving (1/12th of cake with a very thin layer of frosting): 284 calories, 14 g fat, 36 g carbs, 2.7 g fiber, 3 g protein, 8 WW Points+ I baked my cake in a 9-inch stoneware pan and it was done in just 35 minutes. The type of pan you use may affect baking time. To make this cake dairy free, use coconut milk instead of the buttermilk.

WordPress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

2.1.7