Rich Dark Delicious Gluten-free Chocolate Cake

You can enjoy a sinfully delicious chocolate cake this Valentines Day, even if you are on a gluten-free diet. 

Who needs to follow a gluten-free diet?

If you have celiac disease you are probably following a gluten-free diet.  Celiac disease is a condition where your immune system reacts against gluten in the small intestine, causing damage to the villi in the intestine.  The villi are tiny hair-like projections that absorb vitamins and other nutrients from food.  So people with celiac disease  have changes in their small intestine that prevent them from absorbing the nutrients they need.  Celiac disease can cause digestive disorders like diarrhea and bloating, and some more obscure problems like joint pain, depression, muscle cramps, rashes and sores or tingling.  You may also have symptoms from vitamin deficiencies caused by this condition.  The only  treatment for celiac disease is to remove gluten from the diet.

But enough about that…here is the cake recipe!

This recipe calls for a spring form pan, which has removable sides that make it easier to take the cake from the pan.  If you don't use one, make sure you butter your pan good and put wax paper in the bottom to ease the cake out after baking. Cake ingredients 12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate 3/4 cup butter 6 large eggs, separated 12 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla Glaze ingredients 1/2 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup light corn syrup (don't use dark corn syrup, as it can contain gluten) 9 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate about 1 cup fresh raspberries or other fruit for garnish Make the cake 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with wax paper and then butter the paper. Wrap the outside of the pan with aluminum foil. 2. Melt chocolate and butter together in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until smooth, and cool slightly. 3. Beat egg yolks and 6 tablespoons of the sugar with an electric mixture for 3 minutes on high, until very thick and pale. 4. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Fold in vanilla. 5. Clean the beaters, then beat egg whites until they have soft peaks. Add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until firm peaks form. Fold whites into the rest of batter. Pour batter into pan. 6. Bake 50 minutes or until top is cracked and knife inserted in center comes out with just moist crumbs clinging. Place cake on a cooling rack in pan. The cake will fall as it cools. When it is cool remove pan sides and remove wax paper from bottom of cake. Make the glaze 1. Heat cream and corn syrup to a simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. 2. Stir in chocolate pieces one at a time and stir them around until melted. Place cake on your serving platter, and put strips of wax paper under the edges of the cake to catch any dripping glaze. Spread glaze over cake. If it is too runny, place cake in freezer for 5-10 minutes to harden the glaze.   Don't forget to remove the wax paper strips!  Arrange raspberries decoratively, or just throw them over the top of the cake.

Happy Valentines Day!