There is something so good, so satisfying, about a made from scratch cake. Nothing against box cakes, but there is something to be said for being able to exactly tailor the sweetness and flavor of a cake. So at the beginning of my gluten free baking journey, I realized that I would need a go-to white cake recipe, and a reliable chocolate cake recipe. Any flavor of cake I might want to make could probably be derived from those two.

I tried a lot of chocolate cake recipes before finally settling on this one. It has a richy chocolatey flavor, a reliable texture, and is indistinguishable from the cakes I would bake before going gluten free. Its also pretty easy to make!

In praise of small cake pans

You might notice that this recipe calls for baking the cake in two six inch cake pans, when the standard is a nine inch cake pan. You can use a nine inch cake pan if you want - the recipe will make one cake instead of two. But you should absolutely get yourself some six inch cake pans.

Nine inch cakes are huge. That might be wonderful if you are trying to write a message on the top, but what if you want layers? What if you want a tall elegant cake? What if you...gasp... don't actually want a mountain of cake?

One single layer six inch cake is a great sall dessert for 2-4 people. No leftovers. No guilt. Two layers gives you a nicely proportioned "tall" cake, with 8-10 servings. Add a third layer if you really want to make a "grand" statement.

The choice of flour

I make this cake with Namaste Gluten Free "Perfect Flour" Blend. It is a sorghum and rice based gluten free flour blend, with xanthum or guar gum added. I use it as my go-to white flour blend. Why? Because you can buy a big bag of it at Costco. Ever notice how the bags of gluten free flour are often very stingy? You get a few cups, and immediately have to buy another bag. Not so with Namaste flour! You can buy a big 5lb bag and be set for a while.

It is also a very solid gluten free flour blend, that makes great pancakes and banana bread.

And finally, some inspiration...

This cake recipe is a great base for any sort of icing and filling combo. I like to pair it with an italian meringe icing, but you can frost and decorate it with buttercream, whipped cream, fruit, flowers, cookies... the list goes on.