cooking ala mel

healthy recipes and the occasional craft

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Pastel Chocolate Brownie, Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Cake (Gluten Free)

This weekend has been fantastic.  The weather has been beautiful, so I’ve been able to go on a few long bike rides – some bad sunburn and extremely sore muscles are keeping me from my bike today, but there’s plenty to do around the apartment, so I’m not missing out.  I’ve had ample time to clean, organize, and have some fun in the kitchen.  Today’s laundry day.. for the first time since Easter!

Speaking of Easter.. this is a cake I made over Easter weekend.  My cousin recently graduated from nursing school with her BS/RN, so we celebrated that while also celebrating Easter.  She has Celiac disease, so I was really excited to have the chance to make a gluten free cake for her!  I had been eying up the cheesecake cakes over at Recipe Girl for a while, so I knew I wanted to make something similar but gluten free.
Because I loved the chocolate brownie layers from my birthday cake last year, I decided to do the cake layers like that, with a raspberry swirled cheesecake in between.  I opted for a cream cheese frosting for the outside, it being Easter and all.  I dyed the frosting a pastel yellow and blue and tried my hand at doing a slight ombre effect.  My cousin graduated from WVU, and their colors are blue and yellow, so making it a bit Easter-y with the pastel allowed it to be a celebration of both events.  Also, don’t mind the horrible lighting and messiness of the shot of the inside of the cake – it was darker inside when we actually cut into the cake, but I can’t exactly leave you guys without seeing the inside!
This cake is pretty rich and decadent, but it’s perfect to celebrate a special occasion.  It would be a great cake to make for Mother’s Day, which is coming up so fast!  I like that while this cake does have a decent bit of sugar in it, the flours used are a lot better for you than any white flours – almond and coconut flours are definitely my favorites to use for gluten free baking!  I used the frosting only to frost the outside of the cake, not in between the layers, to make sure that it wasn’t overkill, as it often can be with frosting.
Of course, now that I’m talking about this cake, I really want some.  Perhaps I’ll need to make a small one to celebrate the end of the semester..
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Pastel Chocolate Brownie, Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Cake (Gluten Free)

yields one 9-inch, 3-layer cake

Pastel Chocolate Brownie, Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Cake (Gluten Free)

    For the brownie cake layers:
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup butter (or oil)
  • 8 eggs
    • For the raspberry swirl cheesecake layer:
  • 2-8oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup raspberries (I used frozen)
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
    • For the cream cheese frosting:
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil (or another half stick of butter)
  • 1-8oz. package of cream cheese, softened
  • 2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • food coloring, optional
For the brownie cake layers:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF, line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper rounds, and grease the paper and sides of the pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, cocoa, salt, and sugar. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the chocolate and butter together with the syrup.

Remove from heat, and stir in the eggs. Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture, and stir until well combined.

Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans evenly, smoothing with a rubber spatula. Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap, and place in the freezer overnight.

For the raspberry swirl cheesecake layer:

Preheat the oven to 325ºF, and grease a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted, and mix on medium speed until fluffy. Add in the sugar, and mix. Add in the lemon juice and vanilla extract, and mix until well combined. Add in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Pour the batter into the greased springform pan.

Place the raspberries and sugar in the bowl of a food processor (you can also do this by hand with a whisk), and process until smooth. Press through a fine mesh strainer to strain out the seeds.

Dot the top of the batter in the pan with the raspberry sauce. Swirl with a toothpick, and repeat with the remaining sauce.

Bake at 325ºF for 40-45 minutes, until just set (but not jiggly). Allow to cool in the pan for about 1 hour, and then place the pan in the freezer overnight.

For the cream cheese frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and coconut oil until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix until smooth. Add in the vanilla, and mix until smooth.

To assemble the cake:

Remove the cake and cheesecake layers from the freezer. Slide a knife around the edges of the springform pan before removing the cheesecake layer from the pan. Trim the edges of the cheesecake with a serrated knife to make it the same size as your cake layers (if needed).

On a 9-inch cake board, place a small dot of frosting on the center (to cement the cake in place), and place one brownie layer on top. Place the cheesecake layer on top of the brownie layer, and place the final brownie layer on top.

Frost the cake with a thin layer of buttercream (not dyed) to seal in the crumbs using an offset spatula for the top and straight spatula for the sides. Place in the fridge for about an hour to chill. While it’s in the fridge, split the remaining frosting in half, and dye it the colors of your choice by stirring in a few drops of food coloring (I used blue and yellow).

Once the cake has chilled, frost the sides with the colors you chose. With a straight spatula and starting from the bottom with one color, frost around the cake until you get about halfway up, and then switch to the other color, frosting around the same as before. Blend the two colors together where they meet.

Place a dollop of the color of your choice (or both colors) on the top of the cake, and swirl around until completely covered. If swirling the two colors together, it’s easiest if you have a turntable.

Clean up the edges with the offset spatula, and chill the cake until about a half hour before it is ready to serve. Enjoy!!

https://cookingalamel.com/2013/05/pastel-chocolate-brownie-raspberry-swirl-cheesecake-cake-gluten-free.html