If you’ve read my post on cakes under Gluten-free macadamia, coconut and lemon tea cake,  you would realize that like most people I’ve always had a sweet tooth and dessert was always a bit of an event. So when I developed chronic eczema a few years ago and had to eliminate not just gluten but wheat altogether and all other grains from my diet, as well as sugar and dairy, I felt soo terribly depressed, deprived and hard done by. Walking past patisseries I’d inwardly whimper ‘Why me?’ (indeed why not me?) and when out for dinner with friends and they’d be tucking into their dairy/sugar/wheat-laden desserts that in another lifetime definitely would’ve been my first choice, I would pretend and try to convince myself that the fraises natures was the obvious stand-out dessert choice on the menu.

I’ve always loved a challenge so the only sensible thing to do was to retreat into my kitchen and create something that would satisfy yet nourish at the same time. Or at the very least, if you believe that food is medicine, ‘primum non nocere’ or more simply, ‘first do no harm’. The itching and discomfort were just not worth it. I’ve made this cake many times before and only yesterday in a glorious cup-cake version. Simply gooey, gorgeous and as my boys say, ‘You can’t even tell they’re gluten/wheat and sugar-free’, the ultimate compliment. On par amazingness with anything the gluten and sugar world could offer and here it is.

Ingredients for 1 cake or 16 cup-cakes

• 200g good quality dark chocolate ( I use Green and Black’s Organic with 70% cocoa)
• 200g chopped butter or ghee (you can use coconut oil but in this recipe I do prefer the taste of butter or ghee)
• 2 generous tablespoons cacao powder
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 cup raw honey
• 2 cups almond meal
• 1 teaspoon good quality vanilla powder

Ingredients for chocolate icing (optional)

• 1 1/2 generous tablespoons cacao powder
• 1/3 cup boiling water ( may need to add more according to how thick or runny you like your icing)
• 100 g ( or a little extra) coconut butter ( I use about 2- 50g sachets)
• 1 generous tablespoon raw honey

Raspberries or other berries for decoration (optional)

 

 

Method for cake(s)

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius (mine is very hot but you may need to heat to 180 degrees if yours isn’t).
2. Place chopped butter, chocolate, cacao powder and boiling water into a saucepan and   heat gently until melted. Keep an eye on this and mix occasionally, otherwise use a bain marie to prevent chocolate from burning.
3. Beat egg whites with pinch of salt until soft peaks form.
4. Beat egg yolks and honey (with vanilla if using) until pale and creamy.
5. Gradually add almond meal to egg yolk mixture, mixing gently.
6. Gradually add the chocolate mixture to it, mixing gently until combined.
7. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
8. If making a cake, pour into a 22cm lined round cake tin ( if making cup-cakes you should have enough for about 16 by spooning approx. 3 tablespoons into each case)
9. If you are baking a cake, bake for 40-45 minutes ( very gooey at 40, still gooey but a little less so at 45 minutes)
10. The cup-cakes, although perfectly cooked and very moist, were slightly cracked on the surface. You may want to slightly reduce the oven temperature. They cooked perfectly in 17 minutes. However, the slight cracking could have been due to me taking them out to check at 12 minutes.
11. Cool in pans until/if you decide to ice or not.

Method for icing

1. Place cacao powder and boiling water in bowl (over double boiler/bain marie) mixing until combined and most lumps removed.
2. Add honey, continuing to stir.
3. Add coconut butter and continue mixing until completely combined, adding water if you like a runnier icing.
4. Set aside for decoration.

Ice, decorate and enjoy! (it is still excellent without any icing)

If you love this recipe, press ‘follow’ on my home page to receive my recipes directly. Thanks!