Decadent and delicious, you need this gluten free double chocolate fudge tray bake in your life. An insanely moist, rich chocolate sponge studded with white chocolate chips, topped with whipped chocolate ganache and white chocolate slivers, it is a dream to eat.
The sponge is based on my popular Double Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe, tweaked a bit to make it suitable for this new form. It’s mega chocolately and soft, with a perfect crumb thanks to my secret ingredient….ricotta! You’ve probably used yoghurt and sour cream in cakes before, well ricotta plays a similar role. It has a far more neutral taste and thick consistency, which is perfect for locking in moisture and creating a totally dreamy cake.
I’ve also included ground almonds in the sponge recipe, as these are another friend when you are baking gluten free cakes. They help to hold that moisture in the sponge and give a lovely texture.
As for the topping – say it with me now – mmmm whipped chocolate ganache! Probably the easiest frosting to make, it only uses two ingredients and is richer and less sickly than buttercream. It was the obvious choice for a chocolate fudge cake, and is the perfect match for the chocolate sponge cake base.
Is All Chocolate Gluten Free?
No – remember some varieties of chocolate have a “may contain gluten” warning, which I personally steer clear of. I got very poorly from a may contain warning on some crisps once. For the white chocolate chips in this chocolate fudge cake I use Callebaut Belgian Chocolate, which is coeliac friendly. Then for the slivers on top I used Milkybar Giant Buttons.
For milk and dark chocolate, Cadbury Giant Buttons, Dr Oetker or Callebaut are all good coeliac-friendly choices. There will be other gluten free brands too, just always remember to have a glance at the ingredients list, rather than get caught out.
Gluten Free Chocolate Fudge Traybake Cake Recipe
This chocolate fudge cake is perfect for parties as it will serve up to 12 people. Make it alongside my vanilla sheet cake if you’ve lots of hungry partygoers to feed :).
You’ll find a full method below, plus some photos to help guide you through the recipe. Feel free to email me any questions or comments you might have. You can contact me at [email protected] or message me on Instagram/Facebook @myglutenfreeguide. I love seeing your home bakes too so please send me photos of your creations :).
If you enjoy this cake, I would be really grateful if you could leave a star rating or review on the recipe card below. Thank you!
Laura xxx
Gluten Free Double Chocolate Fudge Traybake Cake
An incredible double chocolate fudge tray bake cake with a moist chocolate sponge, white chocolate chips, whipped chocolate ganache frosting and white chocolate slivers.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 250g ricotta
- 3 large eggs
- 225g butter/Stork
- 50g cocoa powder
- 120ml boiling water
- 200g gluten free self raising flour
- 100g ground almonds
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp xanthan gum
- 300g caster sugar
- 150g white chocolate chips
For the whipped chocolate ganache:
- 250g milk or dark chocolate
- 250ml double cream
To decorate:
- 50g white chocolate buttons, chopped finely into slivers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170C (fan) and grease a rectangular sheet cake pan (mine is 9 x 13 inches) and line with non-stick baking paper.
- Drain any excess liquid off the ricotta and add to a mixing bowl, use an electric whisk or wooden spoon to lightly beat it until smooth and free of lumps. Now add the eggs and whisk until combined. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and cocoa powder together in a bowl until soft and smooth. Pour the boiling water over the butter and cocoa and stir until melted. Whisk with a fork until you have a nice smooth ganache. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, xanthan gum and sugar. Give them a good mix with a wooden spoon.
- Add the ricotta egg mixture to the flour bowl and stir to combine. Then add the ganache. Mix well until you have a smooth cake batter, with all ingredients fully incorporated.
- Coat the chocolate chips in a light dusting of flour (this will prevent them from sinking straight to the bottom of the batter). Then add them to the cake batter and fold through.
- Pour the gluten free chocolate cake batter into the prepared tin, using a spoon or spatula to gently even out the top.
- Place into the middle of oven to bake at 170C (fan) for 25 minutes or until your cake tester comes out clean (to test whether baked through, test the middle of the cake with a skewer - it should come out clean - if there is liquid batter on the tester bake for a further 5 mins).
- Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes (don't leave any longer than this else it will start to get soggy round the edges).
- Carefully flip the cake out on a wire rack to cool. I tend to place the wire rack directly on top of the tin, then (using oven gloves, as the tin will be hot) turn it over. The cake will gently drop onto the rack and you can then place it on a flat surface. Lift the tin off the cake and carefully peel off the baking paper if it is still attached to the cake. Set the cake aside to cool fully.
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the ganache. Finely chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof mixing bowl. Heat the cream in a pan until gently steaming, but do NOT let it boil. Then pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Leave it to sit for 5 minutes, then whisk with a fork until you have a lovely, glossy ganache. Transfer to the fridge to cool for 30 minutes (stir after 15 minutes).
- After chilling, the ganache should have thickened up a lot but not solidified (if it is has gone solid, warm it until you can beat it with a fork). Beat it with an electric whisk until it has fluffed up and doubled in volume. It should have the consistency of thick buttercream (if too runny, pop it back in the fridge). Do not overbeat it, else the cream will split and the texture will become crumbly, you want to stop as soon as it has thickened and become spreadable.
- Now to assemble the cake! It's a soft sponge so before decorating it's easier to transfer the sponge to the serving platter by flipping it again (place the platter gently on top of the sponge of the wire rack, then flip and carefully lift the wire rack off). Careful not to squash the sponge while you are doing this.
- Spread the whipped ganache all over the top of the sponge, then decorate with the white chocolate slivers. Then enjoy!
I hope you love this gluten free double chocolate fudge traybake cake as much as me! While you are here why not have a browse of some of my other gluten free baking recipes and save your favourites for later. Here are a few you might like to try:
Happy baking! Laura xxx
