RECIPE - Gluten Free Chocolate Coconut Cake!!

Sometimes you just can't decide between chocolate and coconut. It's ok, you can have both.

This recipe is so EASY, you won't believe it at first.

First, take a package of gluten free chocolate cake mix. I use Bob's Red Mill. Second, make the cake batter, substituting the milk in the recipe for chocolate milk or chocolate soy milk. Next, bake the cake.

Now for the coconut. Just take a container of vanilla frosting (make sure it's GF!), add about 1/3 - 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, and stir. If you have coconut extract, add about 1/2 tsp and stir again. Let sit for about an hour to help soften the coconut.

Frost the cake, then sprinkle on some extra coconut shavings.

 don't worry... this was not just ONE slice.

Ta Da!! Easy as pie... I mean... cake. You'll also remember the raspberry chocolate cupcakes I made a few months back with another gluten free chocolate cake mix. The possibilities are endless. Here's a few other ideas on how to modify gluten free cake mix:

• Add white chocolate chips to the chocolate cake mix. frost with white frosting and add extra white chocolate chips
• Add white chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts to vanilla cake mix. 
• replace any water in vanilla or yellow cake mix with pineapple juice. fill the center of the cake with less frosting and fresh pineapple chopped up. sprinkle coconut shavings on top of cake.
• Mix any flavor of metled fruit preserves into frosting. if it has seeds, remember to strain them out! Make sure the frosting has cooled before icing the cake.
• Create a four layer cake. split the 2 layers each in half, then alternate laying fillings with sliced strawberries/splash of booze (fruit liquor? chocolate liquor?) and fill the other layers with traditional icing. The booze helps keep the cake super moist, and using fruit instead of frosting means that you won't need to buy and extra frosting tub to finish the cake off!

RECIPE / PRODUCT REVIEW - Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Look at these beauties!!

No, this is not my original-omg-greatest-home-gf-cupcake-recipe-ever. These were made with the help of Gluten Free Pantry's Decadent Chocolate Cake Mix

I had tried this company's french bread mix before, and I was not impress. But I saw this on sale at Whole Foods for $3, so I decided to pick up a box.

First, this cake mix is weird. It calls for 5 tbsp butter (why not just round up to 1/3 cup???) and a cup of buttermilk! I was freaked out by the buttermilk at first, but then I remembered that red velvet cake also uses buttermilk. Fine. I'll deal with it.

So, I figured I would make cupcakes so the cake would last longer (someone in my house cuts big slices of cake...), and then add a little kick with some raspberry flavor throughout. I almost went with cherry instead of raspberry, but I feel like raspberry is more classic with chocolate.

Anyways... these cupcakes turned out great! They were super moist, had a nice soft texture, and didn't taste grainy like some gluten free baked goods can. I do wish the cake mix was more chocolate-y though, which is odd because it's a "decadent" chocolate cake mix. Next time I'll add 1/2 cup chocolate chips into the mix, that'll do it.

Ingredients:
1 box cake mix
5 tbsp unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup + 1/3 cup raspberry preserves (seedless if possible*)
1 container gf cake frosting (vanilla or chocolate)

*Note: If you don't have seedless preserves (I couldn't find seedless), just heat jam in microwave until a liquid, then press through a sieve and strain out the seeds.

Directions:
1. Prepare cake mix according to box directions
2. Fill cupcake containers about 1/3 full with cake batter. Spoon in about 1/2 tsp raspberry jam. Top with another scoop of cake batter until about 2/3 full.
3. Bake according to box directions
4. Mix frosting with the remaining 1/3 cup raspberry preserves. Let chill.
5. Frost cupcakes. Top with fresh raspberries!