A chocolate genoese sponge cake filled with mint infused strawberries and cream. It’s a summer special gluten free chocolate cake made with buckwheat and it’s as light as a feather. The recipe is easy to make, but it takes time for the mint syrup and strawberries to infuse.
What’s a Genoese?
A genoese is a type of sponge cake. It’s exactly the same as a genoise cake. You make it by whipping eggs and sugar together until they’ve massively increased in volume. You then add flour and sometimes melted butter, but no baking powder. It makes for a very light and airy sponge, but also quite a stable one. This makes it perfect for layer cakes.
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
As soon as I heard that Victoria had chosen mint as this month’s We Should Cocoa ingredient, I knew immediately I wanted to use fresh mint. We have an abundance of both spearmint and peppermint growing down at the plot and it seemed criminal not to use some of it for this challenge.
That’s as far as I got for a while, but then along came the Cornish strawberries. Warmed by the sun (we did get a few days of it), I couldn’t resist the scent of an enticing tray of them as I passed by our local greengrocers. The decision to incorporate strawberries marinaded in mint syrup was made.
The next leap was simple, Kate had set layer cakes as this month’s Tea Time Treats challenge, so that is what I planned to do. The last piece of the jigsaw came from Janine who chose cocktails for her Baking with Spirit challenge. Woohoo, last year I came up with the cocktail Chocadoodledoo, using vodka, chocolate, mint and cream, so all I had to do was use some of my mint schnapps and add cream.
So really this cake is a chocadoodledoo cake.
So, maybe the strawberries don’t quite fit in. It is June though, for goodness sake and it’s meant to be summer. I based my Genoese on Pam Corbin’s recipe in Cakes, but I used duck eggs and buckwheat flour to make it gluten free.
The cake is as light as a feather and it disappeared rather too quickly. The mint gives a subtle cooling quality which is refreshing and the slight alcoholic kick adds a frisson of sophistication. The strawberries and cream do exactly what’s required of them.
The rain may have poured down, but it felt like summer in our house as we gorged on this delicious minted strawberry and cream chocolate cake.
Other Summer Cakes You Might Like
- Blackcurrant brownies
- Gooseberry upside down cake with honey
- Raspberry cream sponge cake with lemon verbena
- Raspberry rose friands
- Red gooseberry cakes
- Strawberry cream picnic cakes
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this gluten-free chocolate genoese sponge cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake. PIN IT.
Chocolate Genoese with Minted Strawberry Cream
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Mint, Strawberries and Cream
Ingredients
Mint Syrup
- 100 g golden caster sugar
- 100 ml water
- handful of fresh mint leaves (I used spearmint)
- 1 tbsp mint liqueur (optional) (I used homemade mint schnapps
Chocolate Genoese Sponge
- 75 g unsalted butter
- 125 g golden caster sugar
- 1 pinch salt (I used Himalayan pink rock salt)
- 4 large eggs (I used duck eggs)
- 100 g buckwheat flour
- 25 g cocoa powder
- icing sugar for dusting
Cream Filling
- 250 g strawberries
- 150 ml whipping cream
Instructions
Mint Syrup
- Heat the sugar with the water in a pan and simmer for a couple of minutes or until the sugar has dissolved. Add the mint, cover the pan and simmer for a further five minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for an hour.
- Stir in the mint liqueur, if using.
Chocolate Genoese Sponge
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan over low heat.
- Using electric beaters, beat the sugar, salt and eggs for about 10 minutes on high speed. The mixture should be thick, pale and have quadrupled in volume.
- Sift in the flour and cocoa powder in two batches. Fold each batch into the eggs as gently as possible, trying not to lose any air.
- Pour the cooled butter down the side of the bowl and fold in – again as gently as possible.
- Divide between two 20 cm (8 inch) round silicone cake moulds or lined tins. Then bake in a preheated oven at 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4) for 20 to 25 minutes or when the tops are firm and a cake tester comes out clean.
Cream Filling
- Meanwhile hull and roughly chop the strawberries. Pour over two tablespoons of the mint syrup. Stir and leave to infuse.
- Whisked the cream until soft peaks form.
- As soon as the cakes came out of the oven pour the remaining syrup over the tops, then leave for 15 minutes.
- Turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
- Spoon the strawberries and juice over one cake, then cover with the cream.
- Place the remaining cake on top and dust with icing sugar.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
Victoria of A Kick at the Pantry Door is hosting this month’s We Should Cocoa and she has chosen mint as the ingredient to accompany chocolate.
Kate of What Kate Baked has chosen layer cakes for this month’s Tea Time Treats: a tea time table which is always groaning with goodies.
Janine of Cake of the Week has given us cocktails for this month’s Baking with Spirit, so I am contributing my Chocadoodledoo cake based on my Chocadoodledoo cocktail.
I’m also entering this gluten free chocolate cake to Karen’s Cooking with Herbs as both the cake and strawberries are infused with fresh mint.
Whilst I’m at it, I may as well enter it into Ren’s Simple and in Season as it features both mint and strawberries.
Weekend Herb Blogging is a weekly challenge with a long vintage; Cook almost Anything started it back in 2008. Marta of mangiare e un po’ come viaggiare is hosting this week.
And of course I mustn’t forget Made with Love Mondays on Javelin Warrior’s Cookin w/Luv.
And finally, I think, I’m linking my chocolate genoese up to Recipe of the Week with Emily of A Mummy Too. It does what it says on the tin.
Lima Ekram says
Have never had buckwheat and mint in cake! Two unusual ingredients – cant wait to try this!
Choclette says
Yes well, I’m known for my unusual ingredients, but please don’t let that put you off. I also have a reputation as an excellent cake baker 😉
Sharon says
This cake is so pretty and full of yummy summertime flavors. I love the homemade mint syrup in it.
Choclette says
Thank you Sharon. I can’t get enough mint at this time of year. It’s so cooling and delicious and it goes really well with both strawberries and chocolate.
AISilva says
This chocolate genoese looks SO soft and fluffy, my family will love this. That mint strawberry cream oozing out looks delicious too. Thanks for this great recipe!
Choclette says
Thank you Anneke. It’s hard to go wrong with both chocolate cake and strawberries and cream.
Stephanie says
This was perfect for my grandmother who loved Strawberry Shortcake until she had Celiac’s and couldn’t eat it. She was so happy for another strawberry cake that was safe for her! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Choclette says
This is a great recipe for anyone with a gluten intolerance and buckwheat is so easy to bake with.
Jamie says
I love any combination of chocolate and strawberries, especially when it’s in a cake! This looks so delicious, I’m planning to make some it soon!
Choclette says
Chocolate and strawberries are a fabulous combination. I probably have too many recipes on Tin and Thyme with them both, but it’s so hard to resist.
Maya Russell says
Ooh, lovely and gooey cake.
Maya Russell says
A lovely combination of flavours.
Maya Russell says
Looks good. How do you make mint schnapps?
Emily @amummytoo says
Oh. My. Word! This is just too amazing. My mouth is watering. Love your photography too – really appealing. Thanks for linking up with #recipeoftheweek 🙂 There’s a new one live now (look for the quiche on the home page!), if you want to join in x
Karen S Booth says
You get the prize for the most baking challenges entered for one recipe! And what a LOVELY recipe too! Karen
london bakes says
What a lovely combination of flavours and a gorgeous looking cake!
Johanna GGG says
strawberries in mint syrup sounds gloriously summer – perhaps you should offer to bake cakes at wimbledon as I can imagine that would go down just perfectly there
Victoria Lee says
love love love this cake, and I think strawberries and mint work perfectly! I’m intrigued by the homemade mint schnapps too! simply beautiful 🙂
AML says
Wow, looks definitely delicious. I always love chocolate.
Hannah says
I love how summer and fresh this looks, perfect!
Susie @ Fold in the Flour says
Wow, looks amazing! Love how deep the layers and filling are. 🙂
Kit @ i-lostinausten says
What a lovely decadent cake! How I wish to have a slice now! YUMMY!
Kate@whatkatebaked says
I love the tale of how you made this cake! Thank you so much for your entry and heres hoping for more sunshine for more delicious local strawberries!
thelittleloaf says
This cake looks absolutely amazing! So thick and full of lovely flavours including the buckwheat flour, yum 🙂
Katie says
Looks fabulous! I love how you made it GF too. You are always so thoughtful…whens my slice arriving by post? Better yet, can I come and stay!? Lol.
Javelin Warrior says
Whew! This cake is over-the-top decadence, Choclette! I love the way the whipped cream just oozes out from the layers and the addition of spearmint and mint sounds so tasty. What a tribute to chocolate and mint!
Janine says
This cake looks delicious, and I bet the flavours all work really well together. Thank you so much for entering Baking With Spirit! I really do appreciate your entry.
Katharine says
Lovely – I bet the subtle taste of the mint goes really well with all the other delicious things in your cake! Perfect for summer
Steph says
Holy COW! This cake looks incredible!
manu says
What a stunning cake!!!
Love
belleau kitchen says
that sounds like such an intriguing cake… I can imagine that strawberries and mint work really well together, like a glass of pimm’s!… such beautifully thick and crumbly sponge too, I really want a slice of this cake… must make that cream!
Foodycat says
Such a lovely looking cake! Strawberries and mint go well together, I think.