Posted in Recipes on 02.11.2018
Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
prep: 20 mins / cook: 20 mins / inactive: 30 mins / total: 1 hour 10 mins / quantity: 8 - 10 servings Print recipe?
This darkly delicious, layered, gluten free chocolate cake is vegan, naturally sweetened and super simple to make!
I’m not ashamed to admit I have a bit of a thing for Sweet Freedom. Their natural fruit and chocolate squeezes and spreads give everything I’ve made with them a decadently rich flavour. And I’ve made a LOT of things! For this gluten free chocolate cake I’ve used their Fruit Syrup, Choc Shot AND Choc Pot. So much yummyness!
I’ve had varying success with gluten free baking. This Raspberry and Almond Cake was supposed to be gluten free but after 3 sunk cakes I gave up. Neither Phil nor I are gluten free but I know there’s a lot of people with this intolerance out there so why shouldn’t they be able to have their cake and eat it?! ?
Gluten free pastry for these Lemon Meringue Pies and these Vegan Quiches was a doddle using fava bean flour from Hodmedods and I want to experiment further with their flours. In fact – keep your eyes peeled for a gluten free gingerbread cake coming closer to Christmas!
So to combat the sunk cakes instead of making one single cake, could it work (and not sink!) making 2 cakes and sandwiching them together? It actually had 2 benefits – cakes didn’t sink (woopwoop!) AND the addition of a lovely rich chocolaty ‘buttercream’ to sandwich the gluten free chocolate cake together. As well as the darkly delicious generous spread of Chocolate Pot across the top. Two frostings for one cake that didn’t sink? I call that triple win!
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Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
prep: 20 mins / cook: 20 mins / inactive: 30 mins / total: 1 hour 10 mins / quantity: 8 - 10 servings
Ingredients
Cakes:
- 2 tblsp ground flax seeds
- 2 cups (220g) ground almonds
- 1/4 cup (20g) raw cacao powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/3 cup (110g) Sweet Freedom Fruit Syrup
Middle Frosting:
- 1/4 cup (50g) dairy free spread (I use Vitalite)
- 1/4 cup (30g) icing sugar
- 2 tblsp Sweet Freedom Choc Shot
Top Frosting:
- 2-3 tblsp Sweet Freedom Choc Pot
- Optional fresh fruit and/or sprinkles for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 170 Fan / 190 C / 375 F / Gas 5 and with a little oil or dairy free spread grease and then dust with flour two 6 inch (15cm) sandwich cake tins. I also cut a disc of parchment for the bases - but my tins are old and losing their non-stick!
- In a small bowl or mug put the ground flax seeds along with 1/3 cup (80 ml) cold water and set aside for 5-10 minutes to thicken slightly
- Into a largeish bowl put the ground almonds, cacao, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and stir together until well mixed
- Add the flax and water mixture (often referred to as a flax 'egg') along with the fruit syrup and stir together until just mixed
- Evenly divide the cake mixture (see note) between the two prepared tins and bake for 20 minutes until just firm
- Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then carefully lift or drop out of the tin onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely
- While that's cooling, mix together the dairy free spread with the icing sugar and choc shot in a bowl and mix well together. Keep in the fridge until your cakes are cooled
- When the cakes are completely cold spread the middle frosting over one of the cakes then place the other cake on top
- Spread the choc pot over the top of the cake and decorate however you fancy! I used fresh figs and redcurrants for a fruity, tart contrast to all that sweet scrummy chocolate!
Notes
- There's no getting away from the fact that this cake doesn't have a typical cake texture while raw - it feels thick and too dry. Trust me, when it's baked and decorated it's cake perfection!
Some products I used in today's post...
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Hello there! I’m Sam, former Michelin star pastry chef and now your go-to vegan foodie on a mission to make plant-based eating a deliciously easy adventure! From cozy comfort foods to vibrant salads and decadent desserts, there’s something for everyone in my kitchen.
Whether you’re cooking for one or for a houseful I believe food doesn’t have to be complicated to be full of FLAVOUR and I want to show you how. I’ve been a rigorous meal planner for over a decade whilst embracing seasonal ingredients (because that’s where the real flavour is!)
I’m also a dedicated dog mum to Nooch and Baxter and enjoy cooking them homemade treats (many of which are posted here) when I’m not screaming at the tennis or devouring fantasy fiction.
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