Is this Gluten free?

My co-worker has to have a gluten free diet.  Her birthday is coming up and I would like to surprise her.  (I make a cake for every birthday, and she hasn't been able to share.)

 Flourless Chocolate Cake

10 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup boiling water
12 oz. (1 1/2 stick) butter, softened
6 large eggs, at room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla

Butter the bottom and sides of a 9" spring form pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper - butter the paper. Pour chocolate and sugar in a mixing bowl -pour boiling water over. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add butter and beat until incorporated. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy. Pour batter in prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 - 60 minutes, until edges of cake are puffy and center is just set. Cool on a rack for 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen - remove side of cake pan. Invert on a rack - peel off paper. Glaze with chocolate glaze.

Chocolate Glaze

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbs. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

Pu the chocolate in a bowl. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream and corn syrup to a gentle boil. POur the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds to melt chocolate. Gently whisk until smooth - stir in vanilla. Chill glaze until it is slightly thickened. Pour glaze over the chilled cake - tap the rack to loosen the excess glaze. Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles in the glaze.

Rae... unless listed on your chocolate packages there is gluten... this is a good one!!!there is no flour and that is where the gluten comes from!

Your co-worker is lucky to have you as a caring friend!

Yay!!! 

That looks tasty! And yes, it should be fine for her.  Gluten is a protein from flour.

First off .. let me tell you what a nice co-worker you are! I have not been able to share in birthdays in forever ....

 Now .. gluten is anything that is made from OATS, WHEAT, BARLEY or RYE ... that includes derivaitves, additives and such. There are many different things that it could be in that does not specifically list wheat.

Your recipe does sound like with a conscious effort it could be gluten free. The chocolate and vanilla are both concerns I have. If she is super sensitive to gluten, vanilla is sticky. I would stick with pure vanilla extract. Some say that the distillation process makes it gluten free but some do not agree. As for chocolate, Baker's, Ghirardelli, Hershey's and Nestle baking chips are gluten free. Baker's German baking squares and Ghirardelli milk, mint, and dark are as well.

 Hope this helps ...

 Jennifer

MY niece has to be on a gluten free diet and It really is a pain.    Its great you want to make her a cake but please check into the chocolite chips.  My niece said that it all depends on what brand you buy.   she said that there are alot of different wierd name ingredients that contain gluten so she has to read every label before buying anything.      good luck

Thank you all for your help..  I've decided to run it by her DH, (he works in different dept here at the hospital.)   I'm sure that it will be fine, because she has said that she's been BACK on the gluten free diet for about 2 months........  I'm thinking it's not a life or death diet........

 Man I feel for those who HAVE to be gluten free.

  Yes it is....  My daughter has celliacs disease also.  No gluten.  The choc chips are fine as long as they are 100% choc.  Some chips are "fake" then they may have some additives that are wheat by-products.  I even make gravy for her... but have to thicken it with corn-starch.  Also things can be made with potato or rice flour...  however there is a special thing you have to add when making cookies or cakes so they "stick together"  I can't remember what it is called... but it acts as gluten to keep your cookies & cakes from crumbling apart.            Suzie

Raesmom,      SuzieQ is right,   that is the same disease my niece has.   It is a very serious disease.     My neice cannot even use the same toaster as her BF because of the crumbs from the bread.     Her lining in her stomache is really bad from having this for years and not knowing.    You can get all sorts of things wrong with you if you dont strictlly follow the diet,  including stomache cancer.        They told my niece that after a couple of years and when her stomache lining gets stronger then and only then she can treat herself to a very small slice of pizza once in a blue moon.

When I was diagnosed with Celiac ... I too had done a lot of damage to my digestive system. In doing a lot of research it is an ALL the time thing. Your body sees gluten as poison and creates antibodies in your blood that will stay and do damage for MONTHS!! I would be wary of the doctor that said a small piece of pizza every once in a while ..

It is a lifetime commitment and can be very tedious but I find it so worth it all to not be sick and in pain like I was for years before ...

As for baking the cake, I know we are all about scratch but I have found that the Bob's Old Mill makes an awesome chocolate cake mix. I have a Paula Deen recipe that is gluten free using a cake mix. I just substitute in a gluten free cake mix and I am all set. I find the mixes in the organic/natural food section of the grocery stores here in WNY. If you want the recipe, let me know and I can send it to you ...

 The chocolates I listed in my previous post are gluten free based on my research if you decide to go with the flourless cake recipe ..

Good Luck and I am sure she will be appreciative of all of your efforts ...

Not all people on gluten free diets have Celiac's disease.  Some people have a slight intolerance to gluten and a gluten free diet makes them feel better and causes fewer intestinal problems.  You might want to know whether it is full blown Celiac's or not.  (I have a family member with with gluten intolerance problems but she does not have Celiac's disease)

I have gluten allergies and from what I know ,no it is not gluten free. The reason being its that chocolate is something I can't have on the list of things I can't have. Anyone who has a gluten allergies can't have anything that has caffiene in it. However I would think that in moderation one slice isn't going to hurt her unless the problem is very severe. Your best bet would be to just ask her if she can have chocolate.

When a person is suposed t be n a gluten free diet and eats things they aren't supposed to it causes rash, headaches and problems with weight. It also makes them lathargic, tired and you lack energy to do anything.

I KNOW for a FACT she can eat chocolate and have caffeine.  :)  She doesn't have celiac disease,   I ran the recipe by her husband, and he said that would be just fine...  I planned on using "good" chocolate.  Thank you all for your advice!!

You may not be able to have chocolate for some reason other than gluten allergies. You could be allergic to chocolate itself. The recipe is okay for gluten-free following the others advice about the chocolate.  Caffiene is okay for gluten allergies as well; it is gluten-free but if you are sensitive to it you may react not because of gluten.

I have seen this recipe before and it sounds very yummy! I think you are supposed to beat the egg whites until they are stiff and then fold in the eggyolks and chocolate, this way it will turn out lighter and less like a brownie, although a brownie is equally as yummy.  The Outback steakhouse makes a GLuten free brownie like this that doesn't use any flour and I get it every time I go there!! Soo Yummy! And Yes - Chocolate is GLuten Free.  Good Luck!