February 14, 2021

Chocolate and Vanilla Cake: “Napolitain” | GF, DF

Name: Chocolate and vanilla cake : "Napolitain" | GF, DF
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 100 min
Ingredients: 2 eggs; ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp rice flour ((75 g)); ⅓ cup light brown sugar ((50 g)); ⅓ cup + ½ tbsp almond flour ((40 g)); 2 ½ tbsp cornstarch ((25 g)); 1 tsp baking powder ((5 g)); ⅓ cup plant-based milk ((85 ml)); ½ tsp vanilla extract; ¼ tsp salt; ⅔ cup semi sweet chocolate chips ((120 g)); ¼ cup granulated sugar ((60 g)); ⅓ cup +1 ½ tbsp almond flour ((50 g)); ¼ tsp salt; 5 egg whites ((150 g)); 3 ½ tbsp margarine ((50 g)); 2 tbsp cornstarch ((20 g)); 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips ((180 g)); ⅔ cup plant-based coffee creamer ((180 ml)); ¼ cup powdered sugar ((35 g)); some water; chocolate sprinkles (gluten and dairy free)

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Gluten free and dairy free chocolate and vanilla cake, inspired by a childhood memory that I used to eat, growing up in France: the Napolitain.

It is a very popular cake that you can find in all the grocery stores over there. It is made of two slices of vanilla cake and one slice of chocolate cake, filled with a chocolate ganache, and topped with an icing with chocolate sprinkles.

The traditional recipe contains gluten and dairy, but this one doesn’t.

**How to make a gluten free and dairy free Napolitain cake**

When I make cakes with several layers, I like to bake the sponges and make the ganache the day before, and store everything in the fridge overnight. The next day, I just have to assemble and garnish the cake.

To make dark chocolate ganache, bring the coffee creamer to a boil in a pot, and pour over the chocolate chips.

Wait for a couple of minutes before mixing well with a hand blender. Refrigerate the ganache overnight, with a plastic wrap directly on the surface.

For the vanilla cake, preheat the oven to 350°F – 180°C and line your loaf pan (8 x 4 inches – 20 x 10 cm) with parchment paper.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until fluffy. In the meantime, use your stand mixer to whip the egg whites to soft peaks.

In another bowl, mix the rice flour, almond flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, with a whisk – this is to ensure that you won’t end up with lumps in the batter.

First, mix the dry ingredients with the beaten egg yolks and sugar. Then, incorporate the milk and vanilla extract. Lastly, add the whipped egg whites gently, in two times, using a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter in your loaf pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Allow to cool down for 15 minutes and unmold upside down, on a cooling rack.

Gluten free and dairy free Napolitain cake on a dish with one slice cut out.

To make the chocolate cake, preheat the oven to 375°F – 190°C, and line the same loaf pan you used for the vanilla cake, with parchment paper.

In the microwave or over a double-boiler, melt the chocolate with the margarine.

Beat the egg whites in your stand mixer, until soft peaks.

Mix the sugar, almond flour, salt, and cornstarch with a whisk, and add to the melted chocolate and margarine. Lastly, incorporate the egg whites gently.

Pour in the loaf pan, and bake for 10 minutes at 375°F – 190°C, and 30 minutes at 340°F – 170°C. Allow to cool down for 15 minutes, and unmold upside down on a cooling rack.

Wrap the cakes with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge overnight.

Assembling and garnishing the cake

The next day, it is time for some cutting and garnishing! But before, take out your dark chocolate ganache from the fridge, about an hour before assembling the Napolitain.

When the ganache is soft enough to spread, cut the vanilla cake in half horizontally. Cut the top and bottom of the chocolate cake, to remove the crust. Don’t trim the sides as we’ll do it later on.

Spread half of the ganache on top of one of the vanilla sponge, and place the chocolate sponge on top of it (press it down gently). Spread the rest of the ganache on the chocolate sponge, and put the last vanilla sponge on top of it. Store in the fridge for about an hour so the ganache thickens.

Trim the sides of the cake with a bread knife, cleaning it after each cut, so that the cake layers are nice and distinct.

Prepare the icing by mixing powdered sugar and water, and spread on top of the cake. Decorate with chocolate sprinkles while the icing is still soft, and store in the fridge for another hour before eating.

Gluten free and dairy free Napolitain cake on a dish.

About the ingredients

You can replace cornstarch with potato starch in both recipes.

For the plant-based milk, I use almond milk, since I started to make my own a few weeks ago. Before that, my go-to was a coconut and almond blend. If using sweetened milk, you might want to remove a bit of sugar from the recipe.

I like to use semi-sweet chocolate chips for the chocolate ganache and cake. If you like a stronger chocolate taste, you can definitely go for dark chocolate chips.

Margarine can be replaced with vegan butter. I personally like the plant-based Becel margarine. As for the butter, Earth Balance is a good one, yet more expensive. Coconut oil also works in this recipe with the same quantities, but there will be a slight coconut taste.

The plant-based coffee creamer I use in the ganache is usually from Silk or Califia, the hazelnut one.

How to store your chocolate and vanilla cake

Store your Napolitain in the fridge, in an airtight container. You can keep it for a few days, but the icing is going to melt with the fridge humidity. It’s not going to alter the taste though, just the visual.