A disaster, and then gluten free Chocolate Stout Cake

We are snowed in again, which has resulted in more hanging out with our neighbors downstairs. It's wonderful when you have friends as your neighbors (and in this case, tenants). We've had so many snowbound days this winter that it's become a tradition for us to get together on them. Early in the day, T&B (downstairs neighbors) knocked on the door and invited us to dinner, along with R, our neighbor on the other side of the building.



I was puttering around the kitchen trying to figure out what to make for dessert. I settled on some yummy looking black bottom cupcakes I found on Smitten Kitchen. I love cream cheese anything. But something went terribly wrong.... Once they were baked and cooled I tasted them (I had to check more than one to make sure they really were that bad) - and it was all gummy and not very chocolately in the cupcake part. The cream cheese part was yummy, but the other - yuck! I couldn't figure out what I'd done wrong.

• was it because I halved the recipe? (sometimes proportions don't work out)
• did my gluten free flour not work?
• did I overstir?
• maybe it's because it's made with oil and butter seems to work better with gluten free
• Or maybe... I just don't like those cupcakes.

Hard to say. But it was a disaster. Even Hubs didn't like them that much. I threw them in the garbage, and was rather upset. 

So, with only one hour left to go before we had to be downstairs for dinner, and me in a panic, I chose something else: a Chocolate Stout Cake from (you guessed it) Smitten Kitchen. Yes, I DO make recipes from other websites, but lately I have found so much good stuff on there that I have to keep trying them!

And see! It came out beautifully! But more important, it tastes even better than it looks: moist, rich, soooo chocolately. I'm making it again today to take over to my inlaws.

Here's my adaptation of the Smitten Kitchen recipe:

Chocolate Stout Cake
Ingredients: same, except substitute gf flour mix of choice (and 2 tsp xanthan gum if not included) for the white flour.
Directions for making: same
Baking: bake for 30-35 minutes, and turn the oven off, leaving the cake in for another 30 minutes as the oven cools. Cool for another 30 minutes, or until completely cool, on a rack. Then turn out onto a plate.

I drizzled the ganache and then garnished with powdered sugar.

Verdict: this is an unbelievable cake!! I'm not a big cake person, or a big chocolate cake person, but this cake is... MOST superior. Hubs is even gladder that he married me (if such a thing is possible). I wish I had a bakery so I could make it and sell it to people!