Written Voices Book Excerpt: Cooking for Isaiah: A Mother's Recipe for Delicious Gluten- and Dairy-Free Meals

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Excerpt from Cooking for Isaiah: A Mother's Recipe for Delicious Gluten- and Dairy-Free Meals

by Silvana Nardone

Chocolate Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting
by Silvana Nardone,
Author of Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy, Delicious Meals

If you overwhip the chocolate frosting, just add water, a drizzle at a time, to make it glossy and smooth again.

SERVES 12 PREP TIME 30 minutes (plus cooling) COOK TIME 30 minutes

Cake

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 cup boiling water
½ cup cold water
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups Silvana's All-Purpose Flour (page 15)
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Frosting

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1½ cups water

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch (22.5-cm) round cake pans with cooking spray; line the bottoms with parchment paper and grease the paper. To make the cake, in a small bowl, whisk together the espresso powder and boiling water; let cool slightly. Whisk in the cold water, vanilla, oil and eggs.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the ﬂour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk the egg mixture into the ﬂour mixture until just combined; divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack.

3. To make the frosting, in a large microwavable bowl, melt together the chocolate chips and water on high power, about 2 minutes; stir until smooth, and let cool to room temperature. With a handheld electric mixer, beat the chocolate mixture on medium-high speed until light and whipped, about 12 minutes.

4. Run a knife around the edges of the pans to release the layers. Invert one cake layer onto a cake plate, ﬂat side facing up. Using an offset spatula or butter knife, spread about 2 cups of the whipped chocolate frosting evenly on top. Invert the remaining cake layer, rounded side up, onto the frosting. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before slicing.

The above is an excerpt from the book Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy, Delicious Meals by Silvana Nardone. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.