My sister’s birthday is coming up in a few days, but we celebrated last weekend. The big 4-0!
Just kidding…she has a few more years!
She has been following a gluten free diet for many years. When you’re gluten free, finding decent baked goods can be difficult. And, there’s a huge difference between a yummy, gluten free dessert and one that is good with a bunch of icing piled on top. Don’t get me wrong- I LOVE icing, but I would like the icing to enhance the flavor of my baked treat and not mask it! So, last month I set out to make a chocolate cake that was gluten free, with less of the bad stuff, yet still DELICIOUS! And, it worked!
Because this cake was for her, I made a peanut butter ganache and added some peanut butter powder to the icing. She is a firm believer that dessert should contain chocolate and/or peanut butter. For a true s’mores cake, you could make more of the marshmallow icing or simply use marshmallow creme (aka fluff) for the filling.
It seems like there are a lot of steps and ingredients, but you will likely have most items already in your pantry. For a simpler cake, use marshmallow creme (fluff) for the filling. Then, top the cake with chocolate icing, graham cracker crumbs, and mini marshmallows. If you’re ready for level 2, go for the ganache drip!
Oh, and if you don’t tell them, I bet no one will be able to tell it’s gluten free!
Happy Birthday, Sis!
60 minutes (but, I like to spread the steps out over a few hours- simply place cake in the fridge between steps)
Gluten Free Chocolate S'mores Layer Cake
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 1/2 c. coffee
- 1/2 c. light cream
- 1/2 c. Greek yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 5 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 c. flour (1/2 c. cassava, 1/2 c. oat, 1/2 c. tapioca)
- 5-6 graham crackers, crushed (gluten free, of course!)
- PEANUT BUTTER GANACHE
- 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
- 1/3 c. peanut butter chips
- 3 Tbsp. light cream
- ICING
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1/2 c. organic shortening
- 2-3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp. peanut butter powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 3 c. powdered sugar
- 2-3+ Tbsp. light cream
- CHOCOLATE GANACHE DRIP
- 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 c. light cream
- MARSHMALLOW ICING
- 1/3 c. marshmallow creme
- 2 Tbsp. butter, softened
- 1 c. powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and coffee until combined. Then, whisk in the cream, Greek yogurt, eggs (make sure the batter is not still warm!), cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and flour. Next, pour batter into 2- 8in. round baking dishes, greased. I also cut parchment paper to cover the bottom of each pan. Bake for 14-18 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- PEANUT BUTTER GANACHE: Add peanut butter and peanut butter chips to a medium bowl and set aside. In a microwave-safe dish, microwave the light cream for 20-30 seconds, removing just before it begins to bubble. Pour over the peanut butter and let sit for 1-2 minutes. Then, stir until all of the chips are melted. If needed, return to the microwave for a few seconds. Allow the ganache to sit and thicken for about 8-10 minutes.
- ICING: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and shortening until smooth. Next, beat in the cocoa powder, peanut butter powder, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Mixture will appear dry. Finally, add cream slowly until desired consistency is reached.
- Once cooled, carefully place one cake on your plate or cake board. Pipe a ring of the chocolate icing around the edge of the cake. Then, fill the middle with the peanut butter ganache (or marshmallow creme.) Sprinkle with crushed graham crackers. Carefully add the second layer of cake. Pipe additional chocolate icing between the two layers to fill-in as needed. Next, use a spatula to apply a thin coat of icing (aka crumb coat) with a thicker coat to follow or simply ice the top and sides of the cake right away. You can use a Viva paper towel and a flat-bottomed measuring cup to smooth the icing.
- CHOCOLATE GANACHE DRIP: Add dark chocolate chips to a medium bowl and set aside. In a microwave-safe dish, microwave the light cream for 30-40 seconds, removing just before it begins to bubble. Pour over the chocolate chips and let sit for 1-2 minutes. Then, stir until all of the chocolate chips are melted. If needed, return to the microwave for a few seconds. Allow the ganache to sit and thicken for about 8-10 minutes. Then, use a small plastic bottle with a tip or a spoon to pipe chocolate around the top edge of the cake. Next, continue to cover the top of the cake with a layer of ganache. Then, cover the top with crushed graham crackers. Refrigerate for a few minutes to allow ganache to set.
- MARSHMALLOW ICING: In a medium mixing bowl, beat the marshmallow and softened butter. Then, beat in the powdered sugar. Use an icing bag with a piping tip to decorate the top of the cake. Finally, add mini marshmallows, as desired.