Gluten Free: Chocolate Bundt Cake

A decent chocolate cake should be part of everyone's baking arsenal. A foolproof recipe will get you through any birthday, baby shower or bad day with grace and dignity. Served with a dollop of boozy whipped cream, you've got a stylish dessert, and eaten by the slice, without a plate, you've got the solution to even the strongest chocolate craving.

This is the cake that I made for our fabulous blogging and writing event at Made.com two weeks ago. Judging by the reactions on the night, it really is a good as I always thought; rich, fudgy and deeply chocolatey. As all good chocolate cake should be. It's a played with version of a recipe from Food 52 that I've made time after time to great success. Just don't expect any leftovers!

Chocolate Bundt Cake

You'll need:

• 400g caster sugar
• 200g brown rice flour
• 40g white rice flour
• 25g tapioca flour
• 75g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 250ml buttermilk
• 250ml cooled strong coffee
• 60ml rapeseed oil
• 60g butter, melted
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Make it!

1. Preheat your oven to 165°C/325°F/gas mark 3. 
2. Butter the inside of a bundt tin really well, making sure you get into all the nooks and crannies. I melt a little extra butter than the recipe needs and brush it inside the cake tin with a pastry brush.
3. Mix the sugar, flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt together in a bowl with a whisk. (Sieve the cocoa powder if it's lumpy.)
4. In a large bowl, whisk the buttermilk, coffee, oil, melted butter, eggs and vanilla. 
5. Add the dry ingredients to the liquids. Whisk until you have a smooth, runny batter.
6. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 45 minutes. If you poke it with a skewer, it shouldn't come out clean, but it won't be sticky either. The cake will spring back when you press it.
7. Leave to cool in the tin for a good 10 minutes before turning it out.

I use a mixture of rice and tapioca flours for their mild flavour and lightness but, if you can't find any, a gluten free plain flour mix work just as well.

Vanilla Glaze

You'll need:

• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 150g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
• Milk, as needed

Make it!

1. Beat the melted butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract together until smooth. 
2. Add milk a little at a time, mixing well, until the glaze is thick, but pourable.
3. Drizzle on top of the cooled chocolate cake.