WW Recipe of the Day: Gluten-Free Espresso Chocolate 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.
Chocolate Espresso Buttermilk Cake Recipe Notes
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 this Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil's Food Cake Mix (affiliate link), 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 (affiliate link) cookbook that I thought might work without eggs.
This is risky, since one of Anne's "dont's" is "don't omit the eggs" because they provide structure in gluten-free cakes and help the cakes rise higher in the pan.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Birthday Cake
I also checked out a few gluten-free egg-free cake recipes online, including this one that uses applesauce on Ginger Lemon Girl and one that calls for baking soda and vinegar from Recipe Interrupted.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Gluten-Free Cake?
According to my calculations, each serving has 284 calories and:
10 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
10 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
10 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
8 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
Which is not too bad for a lightly frosted birthday cake.
I was afraid to decrease the oil, since I had already replaced the 3 eggs that were called for with ¾ cup of unsweetened applesauce. Next time I'll use ¼ cup of oil and 1 cup applesauce and let you know what happens.
Since the cake is sweet and rich, I was satisfied with just ½ a piece at *4 PointsPlus, or *5 Freestyle SmartPoints!
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Chocolate Espresso Buttermilk Cake Baking Tips & Substitutions
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.
If you've made this Gluten-Free Chocolate Espresso Cake, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Egg-Free Gluten-Free Chocolate Espresso Buttermilk Cake
Ingredients
- 1 package (15 ounces) chocolate gluten-free cake mix
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon instant coffee 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 sugar-free frosting with no artificial colors, flavors of preservatives I found at Fresh & Easy.)
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
- Grease a 9-inch square pan and set it aside.
- 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.
- 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.)
- Pour the batter into the greased pan.
- 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.
- Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- Spread a thin layer of your favorite frosting onto the cooled cake.
- 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.
Recipe Notes
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
More WW Friendly Chocolate Cake Recipes
- Chocolate Pound Cake
- Gluten-Free Microwave Mug Cake
- Low-Fat Chocolate Cake
- 2-Ingredient Slow Cooker Black Forest Cake
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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