Chocolate Raspberry Cake {gluten-free}

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This Gluten-Free Chocolate Raspberry Cake features a gorgeous buttermilk chocolate cake, sandwiched with a simple fresh raspberry swiss meringue buttercream. No xanthan gum needed.

this recipe

This Chocolate Raspberry Cake epitomises my favourite way of baking and eating cake. Simple and no-fuss. The gluten-free chocolate cake itself is one of my favourites that I return to time and time again. It’s moist and tangy from the buttermilk but incredibly chocolately thanks to cocoa powder and melted 70% dark chocolate.

If you haven’t made swiss meringue buttercream before then I urge you to splash out on the extra time it takes. It sounds complicated as there are a couple of extra steps involved compared to a regular buttercream made with just icing sugar and butter but it's easy to follow, not too sweet, incredibly buttery and I have all the tips and tricks for you below.

Why you'll love this recipe

• Deep rich chocolatey flavour thanks to actual chocolate and cocoa powder being used in the sponge.
• Bright fresh raspberries used in the swiss meringue buttercream.
• Easy to make.
• No xanthan gum is needed for this cake. READ MORE >>> Why I don't bake with xanthan gum

Gluten-free flours required

Rice flour

This is a great flour as you can access it in most supermarkets and it's very economical as gluten-free flours go. The cake has a lot of moisture from different ingredients so if you are afraid of rice flour's reputation to be a little gritty then there is no worry here as it absorbs the mixture well. You can use white or brown rice flour.

READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Rice Flour

Substitution. You can swap the rice flour for a gluten-free flour blend of your choice. Doves Farm Gluten-Free Plain Flour works well here too.

Oat flour 

This wholegrain flour has a mellow toasty buttery flavour and gives a light fluffy texture to our sponge.

READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Oat Flour

Substitution: If you can’t have oats then you can substitute with sorghum flour.

Tapioca flour (starch)

Our final starchy flour which is another great binder. It’s a halfway house between the sweet rice and the potato starch so balances the other two well. It also gives our cake a lovely golden colour.

READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Tapioca Flour

Substitution: You can use arrowroot powder instead of tapioca starch

Alternative flour suggestion. You could also use my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend in place of all of the above flours. This is an excellent flour blend which works across all sponge cakes so is an excellent one to have pre-made if you want an easy baking life. It never needs xanthan gum either.

Full list of ingredients needed

Chocolate sponge cake

• Dark chocolate. This recipe uses 70% dark chocolate. However, you can use 50-60% chocolate for a softer chocolate flavour.
• White rice flour
• Oat flour
• Tapioca flour
• Cocoa powder. Choose a high quality organic brand if possible.
• Espresso powder. Brings out the chocolate flavour rather than giving a coffee flavour. It can be omitted.
• Bicarbonate of soda. Gives the cake a good rise.
• Buttermilk. It gives a lovely tangy flavour and a tender crumb. If you can't get hold of buttermilk then you can use whole milk + 1 ½ tablespoons vinegar stirred together and allowed to sit for 5 minutes. (apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar is fine)
• Caster sugar. It’s a fine white baking sugar. If you can only get hold of granulated sugar you can grind more finely in the food processor before you use it in the recipe.
• Brown sugar. Gives lovely gentle molasses flavour and moisture.
• Olive oil. Use a flavourless mild and light olive oil.
• Eggs. This recipe uses medium size, about 60g each with shell (50g each without shell).
• Vanilla extract. Use a good quality extract, I like Nilsen Massey.
• Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Using salt in your baked goods lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.

Raspberry swiss meringue buttercream

• Eggs. As above.
• Caster sugar. As above.
• Butter. Unsalted is the best choice here.
• Salt. As above.
• Vanilla extract. As above.
• Fresh raspberries. Frozen is okay to use.

How to make Gluten-Free Chocolate Raspberry Cake

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.

• Dry ingredients. Whisk the flours together with cocoa powder, espresso powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
• Wet ingredients. Mix the buttermilk with the sugars, olive oil, eggs and vanilla.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Beat together until smooth.
• Chocolate. Melt the chocolate then pour into the rest of the cake batter and mix until completely incorporated.
• Bake. Pour the batter into 2 cake tins and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Tips and troubleshooting

• Use the best quality ingredients you can and always use vanilla extract (never essence).
• Use room temperature ingredients, even the eggs.
• Make sure the melted chocolate has cooled for at least 10 minutes before adding to the buttercream.
• Break eggs into a separate bowl before adding.
• Check the cake is baked by inserting a clean cocktail stick or skewer. It should come out clean with no wet batter.
• Leave the sponges for 5 minutes to rest in their tins
• Always leave to cool completely before covering with buttercream.

How to make raspberry swiss meringue buttercream

1. Heat egg whites and caster sugar in a double boiler, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved the temperature has reached 71°C.
2. Remove from the heat and pour into a stand mixer. Whisk until the mixture forms stiff peaks and the temperature has lowered to about 32°C.
3. Then on a low speed beat the butter in one cube at a time until it's totally incorporated. 
4. Raspberry Puree. Blend the raspberries until smooth in a blender then sieve to remove the seeds.
5. Add the puree, salt and vanilla extract to the buttercream. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Tips for swiss meringue buttercream

• SMB is incredibly forgiving and if you are worried that it has broken at any stage it can always be rescued (about 95% of the time). 
• If you are new to the SMB party then use a sugar thermometer so you know exactly when to move onto the next step of the process.
• Any problems with the buttercream are usually down to certain ingredients being the wrong temperature - don't worry, we can fix it! - The problems will always seem to arise when you add the butter.
• The butter should be at room temperature - just slightly soft.
• If you are doing everything right then when you have almost added all the butter the mixture will look curdled. Do not fret – this is supposed to happen and just means you are nearly done. Just continue to add all the butter. Once the butter is totally incorporated the buttercream will miraculously become a smooth velvety consistency.
• If when you add the butter the buttercream turns to soup then your butter was too warm. Place the whole mixing bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes then try mixing it again.
• If the butter is too cold then it won't whip nicely into the egg whites. The mixture will seem greasy and the butter won't incorporate. Put the mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, when the butter melts at the edges, remove and beat it up again.

How to make the piped buttercream roses

The piped roses on the top of the cake are a cinch I promise. All you need is a Wilton 1M nozzle, a piping bag and five extra minutes.

Hold your piping bag straight up above the cake without angling it at all then squeeze the buttercream out in a circular motion starting from the centre. You want the swirls to be slightly on top of each other so they are nice and tight. However, they don’t have to be neat or perfect buttercream roses by any stretch as once they are all piped onto the cake then the effect is lovely no matter what your piping skills are like.

If one rose goes wrong, just pipe another on top to cover it or use a palette knife to carefully lift it off the top of the cake and start again. Actually this is a much quicker cake to decorate than covering the whole affair in a smooth buttercream icing as you’re not faffing for ages getting the corners perfect.

Shop the recipe

• 8 Inch Round Cake Tins
• Double Boiler
• Sugar Thermometer
• Recyclable Piping Bags
• Open Star Piping Tip 1M

How to store

• This cake is suitable for freezing either before or after you have covered in buttercream for up to 3 months.
• Keep the cake in the fridge if you are not serving it straightaway. Remove from the fridge about an hour before serving.

More gluten-free cakes you'll love

• Salted Caramel Chocolate Espresso Cake {gluten-free}
• Raspberry Lemon Cake
• The Best Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
• Raspberry Pistachio Cake {gluten-free}
• Gluten-Free Chocolate Fudge Cake

I urge you to give this Chocolate Raspberry Cake a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.

Chocolate Raspberry Cake {gluten-free}

Georgina Hartley

This Chocolate Raspberry Cake is a foolproof gluten-free buttermilk chocolate cake, sandwiched with a simple fresh raspberry swiss meringue buttercream.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Course Cake

Cuisine British

Servings 16 people

Calories 604 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 125 g dark chocolate
• ▢ 150 g white rice flour
• ▢ 60 g oat flour
• ▢ 20 g tapioca flour
• ▢ 90 g cocoa powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons espresso powder
• ▢ 1¾ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 400 g buttermilk
• ▢ 160 g caster sugar
• ▢ 160 g soft light brown sugar
• ▢ 170 g olive oil
• ▢ 3 eggs - medium, see notes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• ▢ 210 g egg whites - around 7 medium sized
• ▢ 350 g caster sugar
• ▢ 425 g unsalted butter - at room temperature, cubed
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon of salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 300 g raspberries

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted oven / gas mark 4 and line and grease 2 x 8 inch round cake tins.
• Melt the chocolate in a bain marie or a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, then set aside.
• Whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, espresso powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large mixing bowl until well mixed.
• Mix together the buttermilk, sugars, olive oil, eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl then beat into the flour mixture.
• Mix in the melted chocolate until completely incorporated.
• Divide the mixture between the 2 cake tins and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until an inserted cocktail stick comes out clean.
• Turn out the cakes and cool on wire racks before covering with buttercream.

Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• Heat the egg whites and caster sugar in a bain marie, or a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the temperature has reached 71°C.
• Remove the egg whites and sugar from the heat and pour into a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk until the meringue forms firm peaks.
• Change the attachment to a paddle attachment. On a low speed add the butter slowly cube by cube. When you have almost added all the butter the mixture will look curdled. Do not fret – this is supposed to happen and just means you are nearly done. Just continue to add all the butter. Once the butter is totally incorporated the buttercream will miraculously become a smooth velvety consistency.
• Make the raspberry puree by tipping all the raspberries into a blender and blending on high for a couple of minutes. Press the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds.
• Add the raspberry puree to the buttercream along with the vanilla extract and salt. At first the buttercream will look curdled again but just mix for a couple of minutes until it returns to its smooth state.

Assembly

• Spread the buttercream in an even layer over one of the chocolate cakes, then place the second chocolate cake on top.
• Smooth out the buttercream squidging from the centre of the cakes with a palette knife to create the naked effect.
• Pipe buttercream roses on top of the cake until completely covered.
• You can keep the cake in the fridge until needed but do serve the cake at room temperature.

Notes

The eggs used in this recipe are medium size, 60g with shell and 50g without shell. If you can't get hold of medium eggs I suggest you weigh the amount.

Ingredient substitutions

• If you can’t have oats then you can substitute with sorghum flour.
• Or you can swap out all the flours listed for the same amount of my Gluten-Free Homemade Flour Blend.
• If you can't get hold of buttermilk then you can use whole milk + 1 ½ tablespoons vinegar stirred together and allowed to sit for 5 minutes. (lemon juice is also fine instead of the vinegar)

Tips and troubleshooting

• Make sure the melted chocolate has cooled for at least 10 minutes before adding to the buttercream.
• Break eggs into a separate bowl before adding.
• Leave the sponges for 5 minutes to rest in their tins.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• Use a sugar thermometer so you know exactly when to move onto the next step of the process.
• The butter should be at room temperature - just slightly soft.
• If you are doing everything right then when you have almost added all the butter the mixture will look curdled. Do not fret – this is supposed to happen and just means you are nearly done. Just continue to add all the butter. Once the butter is totally incorporated the buttercream will miraculously become a smooth velvety consistency.
• If when you add the butter the buttercream turns to soup then your butter was too warm. Place the whole mixing bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes then try mixing it again.
• If the mixture seems greasy and the butter won’t fully mix in with the egg whites then the butter was too cold. Put the mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, when the butter melts at the edges, remove and beat it up again.

Storing

• This cake is suitable for freezing either before or after you have covered in buttercream for up to 3 months.
• Keep the cake in the fridge if you are not serving it straightaway. Remove from the fridge about an hour before serving.

Ingredient measurements

Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.

US customary measurements

These US measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups 

Nutrition information

Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.

The nutrition serving is for 1 slice of cake, assuming the cake is cut into 16 servings. 

Nutrition

Calories: 604kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 7gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 371mgPotassium: 283mgFiber: 5gSugar: 46gVitamin A: 759IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 2mg

Have you tried this recipe?Head to the comment section and let me know what you think!