Free From Cake

Usually when I’m asked to make a ‘free from’ cake it means no gluten, maybe no dairy or perhaps no eggs all of which are do-able and there are lots of recipes online to use. However for this cake I was asked to make it, processed sugars free, dairy free, low in saturated fats and ideally with no white flour. Not an easy task lots of recipes offered one or two of these options but I couldn’t find one that did all of the above. Luckily I could use eggs and was allowed either almonds or pistachios so I decided to try to combine a few ideas and come up with my own recipe. My first try was lovely on first eat but didn’t last and needed to be a bit sweeter. However a few tweaks later and I managed to find a recipe that would hold as a big cake and work in mini form too.

So here it is, my Olive oil and Almond chocolate cake!

Olive oil and Almond chocolate cake 

Ingredients

150g spelt flour

50g ground almonds

25g cacao powder

1 1/2tsp baking powder

pinch salt

175ml olive oil

3 eggs

200g date syrup

Filling/topping

1-2 ripe avocados

50ml maple syrup

50g cacao powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

 

Method

Grease and line two 6 inch tins with olive oil and greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 150C.

Measure all the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk together to combine and get rid of any lumps.

Put the eggs and date syrup together into a stand mixer and whisk until pale and thickened. this can take a good 10 minutes!

Gradually add the oil in a continuos stream whilst whisking until combined.

Fold on the dry ingredients until all combined.

 

Share the mixture between the two tins, bake for 25 mins or until a cocktail stick comes out clean.

Turn out onto a cooling try and allow to become room temperature.

To make the filling, mash the avocado add the syrup, vanilla and cacao powder mix in well, blend with a stick blender to make completely smooth, add more syrup and cacao powder if needed.

Fill and top the cake with the ‘frosting’, I decorated my cake with dried flowers.

I managed to scale this recipe up for a celebration cake and some mini cupcakes too.