♥ Gluten-Free Chocolate Layer Cake ♥

Ingredients:

For the Cake Layers
Vegetable oil cooking spray
11/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup brown-rice flour**
1/2 cup almond flour**
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 cup quinoa flour**
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 large eggs
 3/4 cup warm water
 3/4 cup low-fat (1 percent) buttermilk
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Seven-Minute Frosting
1 1/4 cups sugar
 1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon corn syrup
5 large egg whites
 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Make the cake layers: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat two 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray. Line bottoms with parchment; spray parchment.

2. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Divide batter between pans.

3. Bake cakes until they pull away from sides of pans, about 1 hour. Let cool in pans on wire racks. Cakes will keep, covered, for up to 1 day.

4. Make the frosting: Place sugar, water, corn syrup, and whites in a heatproof mixer bowl over a pot of simmering water. Cook, whisking occasionally, until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer.

5. Attach bowl to mixer. Whisk hot sugar mixture on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 7 minutes. Whisk in vanilla and salt.

6. Assemble the cake: Place a cake layer on a plate. Spread 2 cups frosting on top. Place remaining cake layer on top of frosting. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting. Cake is best eaten within 1 hour of frosting.

Serves 8.

**The gluten-free flours used in this recipe, available at Bob's Red Mill and natural-foods stores, yield delicate results.

~~Martha Stewart Living, April 2009~~