gluten free layer cake

there i san easy trick to make a birthday cake gluten free, at least here in poland. we customary make a layer sponge cake with some kind of buttercream or mousse inside, and sometimes with addition of fruit, jams or some alcohol for soaking. it’s enough to prepare – instead of a regular sponge cake – gluten free one made with potato flour, a product widely available here. the sponge cake is more crumbly and denser than the regular one, but it raises nicer and cuts easier (substituting about 10% to 20% flour for potato flour in any sponge cake helps with the cutting a lot, especially in non-fat sponge cakes.) chocolate mousse and raspberries can’t go wrong, and overall the cake is moist, filling, comforting and perfect ,especially in late summer or autumn.

gluten free potato flour sponge layer cake with chocolate mousse and raspberries

sponge cake 

makes one 18cm / 7” cake

3 eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 ¼ cup potato flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
150 g melted butter / margarine

beat the eggs with sugar until white and fluffy, about 5 minutes
sift flour with baking powder and add to the eggs, mix in delicately with spatula – do not use mixer
add cooled butter / margarine and mix thoroughly – the batter might be a bit more runny than regular sponge cake at this point
line the pan with parchment paper and pour the batter
bake for 50-60 min in oven preheated to 180C (check if it’s done with toothpick)
let cool down for 15 min in open oven, otherwise the cake might collapse (it will collapse a bit but not too much)

chocolate mousse
100 g milk chocolate 

100 g dark chocolate
1 egg
30 g sugar
200 ml whipping cream

melt the chocolate in water bath
beat the egg with sugar in water bath until pale, stiff and warm to touch
mix the egg into the chocolate with mixer, it will be thick, let cool until body temperature
whip the cream until very stiff
gradually add the whipped cream (in 5-6 portions), mixing the mousse thoroughly after each addition
cool in fridge for 3-4 hours until settled 

assemble
1 cake
1 portion mousse
a few handfuls of raspberries
soaking syrup (1/2 cup water, 2 tsbp sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract)

cut the cake in 3 layers, sprinkle each with syrup – not too much, you just want to add some moisture and not soak thoroughly
pipe the thickened mousse with big nozzle, toss some raspberries, repeat two more times
decorate with nice piping and pretties raspberries
store in fridge until serving