Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 8 inch cake pans with vegetable oil, line with parchment paper and then lightly grease again with vegetable oil.
In a large bowl whisk together the gluten free flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.
Make 3 wells in the dry ingredients.
In the first well, pour the vegetable oil.
In the second well, pour the white vinegar.
In the third well, pour the vanilla.
Pour the cold water over everything and whisk together until just combined. If it starts getting thick, use a spatula instead of a whisk.
Divide the batter evenly between the two 8 inch pans and smooth the tops with a butter knife.
Bake in the center rack of the oven for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cake cool completely in pans. Once cool remove from pans and transfer to a cooling rack. Slice both cakes in half horizontally to create 4 thin layers of cake.
Make the buttercream: In a large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the softened butter or vegan baking stick and wow butter until just combined. Be careful not to over beat because wow butter has a tendency to seize up. Add in the vanilla and beat till combined.
Add in the confectioners’ sugar and water and beat till combined and smooth and creamy.
Divide frosting into 5 equal servings.
Assemble the cake: Place one layer of cake on the cake stand. Take ⅕ of the frosting and frost the top. Place another layer of cake on top and repeat. Do this process 3 times.
Frost a thin layer of frosting on the top of the cake and sides of the cake. Use a cake scraper or an icing spatula to scrape excess frosting off the sides of the cake. This should be a semi naked cake. Save the excess for decorating if desired. Pop in the fridge uncovered for 15 min to harden.
Make the ganache: Place chocolate chips in a heat safe bowl. Place heavy cream in a pan on the stove over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the edges begin to simmer. Immediately pour on top of chips and do NOT mix! Let sit 1-2 min then whisk until fully combined and smooth.
Take the cake out of the fridge. Spoon almost all of the liquid ganache on top of the cake. Take an icing spatula and push the ganache around to the edges of the cake so it drips down the sides. Work quickly since the cold cake will harden the ganache fast.
If desired, put the rest of the wow butter buttercream into a piping bag and pipe swirls or dollops all around the edge of the top of the cake. Pop cake in the fridge for 15 min so the ganache hardens before wrapping the cake.
Store cake in the fridge under a dome or wrapped in foil until ready to serve. When ready to serve, let the cake sit out for about 15-20 min prior to cutting. Wrap any extra slices in foil and store in the fridge. Enjoy!
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Notes
To keep vegan, use a vegan heavy cream or if nuts aren’t an issue, almond breeze almond milk has worked beautifully when making ganache.