On Saturday we were invited to Christopher’s school friend Ben for dinner to casually celebrate his birthday. Ben has coeliac disease and since I can sympathise with that (tried the diet for for three months because my doctor suspected I would become coeliac too, which I didn’t) I always try to bake something for him to take home if he is coming around for dinner. And this is the second year in a row I’ve made him a birthday cake.

Although glutenfree the cake is moist and lovely, and so delicious with the dulche de leche and chocolate frosting. The recipe for the frosting is courtesy of the Hummingbird Bakery, and fabulous. The cake was large, and we were eight people sharing it, although most people helped themselves to a second serving, but I think with a more modest crowd the cake would serve 10-12 people. There was one small piece left and I suspect Ben ate it for breakfast the next day.

Glutenfree chocolate cake with dulche de leche and chocolate frosting, serves 10-12

For two cakes :

600 ml caster sugar

500 ml glutenfree flour (I used one from Doves Farm, which is a mixture of rice, potato, tapioca, maize and buckwheat) 

6 tbsp cocoa

4 tsp vanilla sugar

4 tsp baking powder

200 g melted butter

4 eggs

300 ml boiling water

Dulche de leche:

1 jar sweetened concensed milk

Chocolate frosting:

300 g icing sugar

100 g softened butter

40 g cocoa

40 ml whole milk

Remove any labels from the condensed milk tin. Place in a pan and cover with boiling water. Let it boil for 2 1/2 hours, covered with water the whole time, just top up with some from the kettle.  Remove the tin and leave to cool. 

Mix the dry ingredients for the cake. Add eggs, butter and water. Incorporate. Pour into two buttered and floured tins (Ø ca 23 cm). Bake in a low oven, 175 C for 45 mins. Leave to cool.

Mix butter, cocao and icing suger in a Kitchen Aid or with an electric whisk. Add the milk spoonful by spoonful. When it is all incorporated, beat on high speed for 5 mins.

Spread the cooled dulche de leche onto one of the sponges. Spread out half (or a little less than half) of the frosting on top of the dulche de leche. Place the second sponge on top and spread the rest of the frosting on top. (Cover the sides as well if you’d like). Decorate with chocolate strands.