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 favourite 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/ quantity was altered.  Keep 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 dialled down on the sugar used in the cake from 1 1/2 cups ( yes, I’m shuddering too!) to 3/4 of a cup.

The cake is soft,  moist and so luxurious.  Look at that crumb….! The deep, rich, dark chocolate flavour comes through beautifully. The frosting is creamy velvety smooth.  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 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  buckwheat recipes, here are some for you:

Chocolate Banana Pancakes

Waffle cookies

Gingerbread pancakes

Mini Apple pies

Chocolate beetroot cake

Plum & Apricot Cobbler cake

Lemon scones etc

Buckwheat Chocolate Layer Cake w/ Salted Dark Chocolate Frosting

Yum

Print Recipe

• CourseDessert

Servings	Prep Time
8-10 persons	15-20 minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
22-25 minutes	30 minutes

Servings Prep Time 8-10 persons 15-20 minutes

Cook Time Passive Time 22-25 minutes 30 minutes

Buckwheat Chocolate Layer Cake w/ Salted Dark Chocolate Frosting Yum Print Recipe CourseDessert Servings Prep Time 8-10 persons 15-20 minutes Cook Time Passive Time 22-25 minutes 30 minutes Servings Prep Time 8-10 persons 15-20 minutes Cook Time Passive Time 22-25 minutes 30 minutes

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

1. Pre heat the oven to 180C. Grease two 8" round cake pans.
2. Sift all the dry ingredients together - buckwheat, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt; in a large bowl.
3. In another large bowl, beat the eggs and brown sugar very well, using an electric mixer, until doubled in volume.
4. Add the oil and vanilla extract, mix well.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Let cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes. Turn the cakes out on a cooling rack. Let cool completely.

Simple syrup

1. 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Let cool completely. It should get thick enough to spread easily.

Assembling the cake

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Using a butter knife, make some swirl patterns on top and serve!