Some cakes are just meant to be....like a classic chocolate cake. There are days when nothing else will do, only a no-frill chocolate cake with gooey frosting. Decadent, yes, but simple and comforting.
Just the kind of cake I wanted to share with my amazing IG friends Natasha, Uma and Rekha when we met for a fun-filled, Sunday afternoon! Here's the twist in the story ( there always is, right?) I wanted to make it gluten-free, and so this Buckwheat Chocolate Layer Cake w/ Salted Dark Chocolate Frosting happened!
Buckwheat flour is my favorite alternate flour to bake with. Then adapting my most dependable old chocolate layer cake recipe into a gluten-free one, using buckwheat, was a no-brainer. Not a single ingredient was altered. Nor was any measurement touched. And it worked! So beautifully that this has really become my go-to glutenfree chocolate cake recipe.
I strongly suggest keeping a close eye on the baking time though. Mine were done in about 22 minutes. This is not the cake you can risk over baking. Not a fan of dry sandpaper texture in cakes!!!
Despite all that frosting and the jam filling, the cake is not achingly sweet. I did choose a jam that's got a sour note to it and there is cocoa in the frosting and in the batter. Over the years, I have dialed down on the sugar used in the cake from 1 1/2 cups ( yes, I'm shuddering too!) to 3/4 of a cup. Trust me, it only makes the chocolate flavor stand out more.
The cake is soft, moist and so luxurious. Look at that crumb....! The deep, rich, dark chocolate flavor comes through beautifully. The frosting is creamy velvety smooth. And yet it doesn't feel too heavy at all. So go ahead have two slices, enjoy.... It's a chocoholic's dream come true!
So if there is one no-fail chocolate cake recipe you need, this is it, folks! Whether you choose to make it with all-purpose or buckwheat flour...this really is it. I hope you will try this and enjoy it as much as we do.
If you're looking for more buckwheat flour recipes, here are some for you to browse through:
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Buckwheat Chocolate Layer Cake w/ Salted Dark Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 1.5 cups Buckwheat
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup Yogurt
Simple Syrup
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1-2 Tbsp Rum optional
Frosting
- 200 gms dark chocolate I used half 55% half 70%
- 2 Tbsp Salted Butter I used Amul
- 1/2 cup Cream
- 1/4 cup icing sugar
- 2 Tbsp Cocoa optional
- 1-2 Tbsp Rum optional
Filling
- 4 Tbsp Cape gooseberry Jam You can use any other jam of your choice, bitter orange marmalde or raspberry jam will be wonderful here
Instructions
Cake
- Pre heat the oven to 180C. Grease two 8" round cake pans.
- Sift all the dry ingredients together - buckwheat, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt; in a large bowl.
- In another large bowl, beat the eggs and brown sugar very well, using an electric mixer, until doubled in volume.
- Add the oil and vanilla extract, mix well.
- Reduce the speed to low, and add the flour mixture in three batches alternating with the yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Your batter will be thick.
- Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes. Turn the cakes out on a cooling rack. Let cool completely.
Simple syrup
- Bring the sugar and water to a boil. Let it cook for a couple minutes. Take it off the heat. Let it cool, then add rum (if using)
Frosting
- Combine butter and cream in a heavy bottomed pan. Heat them gently, until the butter melts. Take off the heat. Add the chocolate. Stir it in gently, until the mixture is smooth and shiny.
- Whisk in the icing sugar. At this point, you can add in a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder, if you like a deeper chocolate taste - We do, so I did add the cocoa. Stir in rum, if using.
- Let cool completely. It should get thick enough to spread easily.
Assembling the cake
- Place one cake layer, right side down, on a platter. Brush over the simple syrup liberally. Spread a third of the frosting over the top. Carefully spread the jam on top of the frosting.
- Brush some of the simple syrup on the second cake layer's bottom. Carefully place this layer on top of the first, right side up. Spread the remaining frosting all over the cake, covering the sides and the top.
- Using a butter knife, make some swirl patterns on top and serve!
Indrani says
Looks so yumm... felt like taking it off the screen. 🙂
natashaminocha says
He he !!I'm glad you liked it Indrani. Thank you so much!!:)
Cheers
Chandani says
made this cake using an eggless chocolate cake base. The ganache and the orange marmalade option worked amazingly well :). Will be trying out this buckwheat version soon.. Thank you for the lovely recipe :).
Kinjal Thakker says
How can I make this recipe eggless ?
Natasha Minocha says
Hi Kinjal, I haven't tried making this cake without egg, but you could try using 4-5 tbsp Greek yogurt. Or flax egg, 1 tbsp flax meal mixed in 2.5 tbsp water. This is replacement for 1 egg. Good luck, please do let me know how this turned out for you. 🙂
Diana says
Can I substitute yogurt With something?
Natasha Minocha says
Hi Diane, I'm not entirely sure, but I think milk may work.:)
Jemima says
Hi Natasha, I'm baking the cake right now! What do you mean by 'right side down' when assembling the cake please? Does that mean the top or the bottom?
Thank you!
Jemima
Natasha Minocha says
Hi Jemima, with the right side down, I mean, the top should be facing down. This will be your bottom layer. I hope this clarifies your query. Sorry for the confusion! 🙂
Do let me know how the cake turned out for you.
Vandita says
Hi Natasha,
Your blog has become a new found love. Have tried both sweet and savoury treats. And they are worth noting down in one’s cooking diaries. Can you suggest few good options for chocolate ( baking ) thank you
Vandita
Natasha Minocha says
Hi Vandita, thank you very much for your kind words. Really appreciate it. So for baking, I like Callebaut, Cocao Barry, Regal, Cocoacraft and Mason & co. Hope this helps.:)
Dawne Barnes says
Natasha, This recipe looks so amazing. I’ll be making it for a friend’s birthday tomorrow but wanted to ask you to include Fahrenheit degrees for those of us in the USA who are following you. Would you bake this at 350 like most other cakes?
Thank you. Dawne
Natasha Minocha says
Hi Dawne, thank you so much! I hope your friend has a lovely birthday with this special treat from you. Yes, you'd bake this at 350 F! I'll definitely be looking into adding unit conversions for my recipe cards 🙂