Gluten-free Triple Chocolate Cake

 This week’s bake is a Gluten-free Triple Chocolate Cake from Jurgen of the Great British Bake-Off !  

Inspired by the Austrian speciality sachertorte, this cake is a chocaholic’s dream. White, milk and dark chocolate gluten-free sponge layers are sandwiched with slightly tart apricot jam. Shades of white, milk and dark chocolate buttercream create stripes around the outside of the cake that mirror the layers inside.

Gluten is a protein found in certain grains, such as wheat, barley, rye, and a cross between wheat and rye called triticale.

A gluten-free diet helps manage symptoms of celiac disease and other medical conditions associated with gluten consumption. This type of diet also has gained popularity among people without gluten-related medical conditions. The claimed benefits of the diet are improved health, weight loss and increased energy.

These tips can help you prevent cross-contamination in your own food preparations at home and avoid gluten-containing food when you eat out:

Store gluten-free and gluten-containing foods in different places.

Keep cooking surfaces and food storage areas clean and sanitized.

Wash dishes and cooking equipment thoroughly.

Read restaurant menus online ahead of time, if possible, to be sure there are options for you.

Eat out early or late when a restaurant is less busy and better able to address your needs.

Here is the recipe for this week’s bake:

JÜRGEN’S GLUTEN-FREE TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE

EQUIPMENT

You will need:

sugar thermometer

20cm cake tins x3, greased, then base-lined with baking paper

3 medium piping bags, each fitted with a large round nozzle

20cm cake board or cake plate

cake-decorating turntable (optional)

cake scraper

squeezy bottle or small disposable piping bag

INGREDIENTS

For the apricot jam:

200g apricots, destoned and quartered

200g caster sugar

For the white chocolate sponge:

2 large eggs

100g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

100g white chocolate, broken into pieces

100ml whole milk

55g unsalted butter

120g gluten-free flour

1 tsp gluten-free baking powder

¼ tsp xanthan gum

For the milk chocolate sponge:

2 large eggs

100g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

100g milk chocolate, broken into pieces

100ml whole milk

55g unsalted butter

120g gluten-free flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp xanthan gum

For the dark chocolate sponge:

2 large eggs

100g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

100g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces

100ml whole milk

55g unsalted butter

120g gluten-free flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp xanthan gum

For the apricot syrup:

50g caster sugar

1 tbsp apricot brandy

For the chocolate buttercream:

300g caster sugar

4 eggs

2 egg whites

3 tsp vanilla extract

150g white chocolate, broken into pieces

150g milk chocolate, broken into pieces

150g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces

675g unsalted butter, softened

For the chocolate drip:

75g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces

75ml double cream

METHOD

Step 1

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas 4.

Step 2

First, make the apricot jam. Put the apricots and caster sugar in a medium saucepan and place over a low heat. Let the sugar melt, then slowly bring the liquid to the boil. Increase the heat and boil for a further 10–15 minutes, until the temperature on the sugar thermometer reaches 105°C (alternatively, test a teaspoon of jam on a saucer that has been kept in the freezer for 20 minutes –if it wrinkles when you press it, the jam is ready). Remove from the heat. Leave to cool and set.

Step 3

Make the sponges. First, make the white chocolate sponge. Whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, on medium speed, for 3–5 minutes, until pale and thick.

Step 4

Meanwhile, put the white chocolate, milk and butter in a small saucepan set over a medium heat, stirring to melt the chocolate and butter. When everything is combined, remove the pan from the heat and set chocolate mixture aside to cool to room temperature.

Step 5

Pour the egg mixture into a large mixing bowl and sift in the flour, baking powder and xanthan gum. Gently fold the dry ingredients through the wet, until fully combined.

Step 6

Fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the batter, until fully incorporated. Pour the batter into one of the prepared cake tins and set aside.

Step 7

Repeat steps 3–6 for the milk and dark chocolate sponges, re-using the bowls and saucepan as necessary.

Step 8

Once you have prepared the batters for all three layers, bake the sponges for 30–35 minutes, until they are risen and firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre of each sponge comes out clean. Remove the sponges from the oven and leave them to cool in the tins.

Step 9

Make the apricot syrup. Heat the sugar and 3 tablespoons of water in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat, gently swirling the pan from time to time (but don’t stir), until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the apricot brandy. Set aside.

Step 10

Make the buttercream. Heat the sugar with 6 tablespoons of water in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat, gently swirling the pan from time to time (but don’t stir), until the sugar dissolves.

Step 11

Increase the heat, bring the syrup to the boil and continue to cook until the temperature on the sugar thermometer reads 115°C. At this point, whisk the eggs, egg whites and vanilla extract in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed for 3–5 minutes, until pale and thick.

Step 12

Once the sugar thermometer reads between 118°C and 121°C, with the mixer running, slowly pour the syrup into the eggs.  Continue whisking until the bowl of the stand mixer is cool to the touch.

Step 13

Meanwhile, melt each chocolate in its own heatproof bowl in 30 second bursts in the microwave. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Step 14

Switch the stand mixer to the beater attachment. Gradually, add the softened butter to the cooled meringue mixture, beating continuously until smooth.

Step 15

Put one third of the buttercream into each bowl of melted chocolate and beat with a spatula to fully incorporate. Spoon each chocolate buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle.

Step 16

Pipe dots of the dark chocolate buttercream onto the cake board. Place the dark chocolate sponge on the board and brush it with some of the apricot syrup. Pipe a thin layer of the dark chocolate buttercream over the sponge and spread half of the apricotjam over the buttercream, leaving a border of about 1cm around the edge. Place the milk chocolate sponge on top and repeat with the milk chocolate buttercream and remaining apricot jam. Top with the white chocolate sponge. Spread the top and sides of the cake with a thin, even layer of the white chocolate buttercream to create a crumb coat, then chill the stacked sponges for 30 minutes to firm up.

Step 17

Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate drip. Tip the chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and bring it just to the boil over a medium heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate in the bowl and leave it for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth.  Transfer the drip either into either the squeezy bottle or the small piping bag. Set aside.

Step 18

Remove the cake from the fridge and place it on a cake-decorating turntable if you have one (this makes decorating easier, but it’s not essential). Pipe a ring of dark chocolate buttercream around the base of the cake, top with further rings as necessary until you are one third of the way up the side of the cake. Next, pipe rings of milk chocolate buttercream, working your way up another third of the cake, then finally use the white chocolate buttercream to pipe rings up the final third and across the top of the cake. The side and top of the cake should now be completely covered in buttercream.

Step 19

Use a palette knife gently smooth out the buttercream into neat stripes around the side and smooth out the top. Using a smooth cake scraper, smooth the buttercream stripes to give a neat finish.

Step 20

Pipe blobs of chocolate ganache (snip the end of the piping bag if that’s what you’re using) around the top edge of the cake, allowing it to drip down the side. Pipe alternate blobs of the remaining buttercreams all over the top of the cake to finish

Here are some pictures from the bake:

Have a Great Day !