Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

I went to the first of this year’s Christmas gatherings today, my coffee group arranged a catch up for the families from our ante-natal class to get together before it all gets too hectic with kids 1st birthday parties, husband’s work functions and family Christmas’. In true Kiwi fashion we all took along a plate. My contribution was a gluten free chocolate cake (as one of the Mum’s in my coffee group has a severe gluten allergy). I was a bit nervous about it having never done any gluten free cooking before but it turned out well and was the most moist chocolate packed creation I have ever made!

Ingredients:
Cake:
170 grams dark chocolate (broken into squares or chopped)
115 grams butter
¾ cup white sugar
3 large eggs
½ cup cocoa
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Glaze:
80 grams chocolate (broken into squares or chopped)
25 grams butter
1½  tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon honey
¼ teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180°C.  Spray a 7” round spring-form cake tin with cooking spray, line the bottom with wax paper and spray the top of the wax paper as well.
Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until chocolate and butter are melted and smooth.
Add sugar and salt, reduce heat to low.  Cook while stirring for about one minute, until sugar starts to dissolve.
Remove pan from heat.  Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and whisk. The mixture should look smooth and glossy.
Sift cocoa into mixture.  Whisk until the cake batter is smooth.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes.  The centre of the cake should be just firm to the touch, but be careful to not over bake the cake or it will be dry.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
Invert the cake on a plate.

To prepare the glaze, melt chopped chocolate and butter in a saucepan.  When melted and smooth, remove the pan from heat.
Add milk, honey and vanilla and stir until smooth and glossy.
Let the glaze cool for about 5 minutes before pouring it on the cake.
Pour all of the glaze in the middle of the cake.  Use a silicone or rubber spatula to spread the glaze evenly over the cake, allowing the glaze to evenly run down the sides of the cake.