These gluten free Layered Cappuccino Brownies are a decadent treat you're going to love! Brownies use a small amount of flour so they're easy to remake gluten free. This is a fudgy brownie with a creamy cheesecake layer that everyone will want to eat.
Whether you're taking brownies to a potluck, serving them after a casual dinner or just satisfying your chocolate craving, this recipe is perfect.
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Ingredients
- bittersweet chocolate baking squares
- butter
- instant coffee granules
- sugar
- vanilla extract
- eggs
- tapioca starch*
- white rice flour*
- sorghum flour*
- cream cheese
- icing sugar
- cinnamon
- whipping cream
See recipe card for exact amounts.
From Everyday to Gourmet
Everyone appreciates a homemade gift, especially when it is something they can eat. So once you have had enough brownies at your house and want to give some away use your imagination and dress them up for gift giving. Because of the chocolate topping they can’t really be stacked in a cellophane bag but you can serve them on a beautiful platter with edible flowers or in a plain white pizza box.
For a big crowd, like the staff at my sons’ school, I like the pizza box idea; small, medium or large. I get the boxes from a local pizza joint. They transport well and everyone is surprised when they open it. When my son was younger he would decorate the box…another homemade touch to an already homemade gift. I also like to add a thank you message. I have had a 'thank you message' file on my computer for years. I open it and revise the wording time and time again with a custom message to suit the occasion.
Instructions To Cut Perfect Brownies
Do we really need instructions to cut brownies? Of course not. We don't even need perfectly cut brownies, I just like to do that. As a child I don’t recall seeing brownies any other way but in the pan they were baked in. But as I became interested in food and read food magazines I loved the pictures and wanted to serve my brownies cut perfectly.
The trick is a hot knife. That’s it! Dip your knife in hot water, wipe it clean between cuts and you will see how easy it is. Sure, it's a bit of work and with the soft cream cheese layer and a hard chocolate glaze making these cuts takes patience. But if you care just go slow and let the warm knife melt through the top chocolate layer.
Get The Tools
Every kitchen needs a few tools and two square baking pans is the most basic tool. You can bake so many things with just these two pans, from granola bars to sushi pizza to Australian Lamingtons. You don't need the most expensive pans but don't buy the cheapest ones either.
- 8-inch square carbon steel baking pan
- 8-inch square silicone baking pan
- 9-inch square stoneware baking dish
My friends and colleagues tease me about my perfectly cut brownies but they eat them and request them with gusto! If you have tried this technique I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.
Gluten Free Layered Cappuccino Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie Layer
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- ¾ cup butter
- 2 tablespoon instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- ⅓ cup tapioca starch*
- ⅓ cup white rice flour*
- ⅓ cup sorghum flour*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
CREAM CHEESE LAYER
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 6 tablespoon butter, room temperature
- 1½ cups icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Chocolate Glaze
- 6 oz bittersweet chocolate
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 1½ tablespoon instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water
Instructions
- Prepare baking pans. This recipe fills a 9" x 13" baking pan.
- Line the bottom of the pan with parchment to help remove the brownie in one piece. Use enough paper so it hangs over two sides of the pan. You do not need to grease the pan.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
BROWNIE LAYER
- Melt chocolate and butter together in a small pan over low heat. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
- In a small cup combine instant coffee granules and boiling water. Stir until smooth.
- Add coffee, sugar and vanilla to chocolate mixture and stir.
- Using a stand mixer add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition.
- Add flour and salt. Stir until combined then pour into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 32-35 minutes.
- Cool completely on a cooling rack. Refrigerate or freeze if not continuing the recipe at this point.
Cream Cheese Layer
- Using an electric mixer cream together cream cheese and butter.
- On low speed add the icing sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.
- Spread evenly over the baked brownie base. Chill until cream cheese layer is firm, about an hour.
Chocolate Glaze
- Melt chocolate and butter together in a small pan over low heat. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
- In a small cup combine instant coffee granules and boiling water. Stir until smooth.
- Add the coffee and whipping cream to the chocolate and stir until smooth.
- Pour the glaze over the cream cheese layer in big wide ribbons covering as much of the top as possible. Tilt the pan in all directions so the chocolate glaze covers right to the edges. Refrigerate until set. Preferably overnight.
- Remove from the pan using the parchment overhang. Peel away paper and cut brownies using a hot knife. Be sure to wipe the knife after each cut.
Notes
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Alene
I cannot eat rice at all. Do you have a suggestion for skipping it? Possibly a little more tapioca and sorghum to equal the rice flour amount? I'm guessing. These sound delicious. Thank you.
Cinde Little
Hi Alene! No rice is a challenge for sure. I wouldn't want 66% tapioca starch but you could change the rice flour to potato starch. Brownies are pretty forgiving, the chocolate and richness of brownies can make up for less than perfect structure. Some other ideas to consider would be almond flour or quinoa flour which are higher in protein. You could also replace the flour altogether with a paleo flour blend like this: 2 cups almond flour / 1⅓ cups tapioca starch / ⅔ cup coconut flour. It will take a little experimenting but since you can never have rice it's worth it. I always advise you find 2 or 3 recipes you make often and make them with different flour combinations until you find something you really like. I hope that helps! I'd love to hear how they turn out and what you learned in the process. You're not the only one completely rice free. Happy Baking!