VEGAN CHOCOLATE ORANGE CAKE (GLUTEN-FREE, NUT-FREE)
Developed in collaboration with Nirvana Cakery, this is a real wholefood cake with strong flavors and a minimum amount of sweeteners.
But don’t let that fool you, because this cake is a pure indulgence.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
3/4 cup teff flour (95g)
1/2 cup buckwheat flour (70g)
1/4 cup tapioca (30g)
1/4 cup raw cacao powder (30g)
1tsp baking powder
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1 orange, zest
2tbsp ground flaxseed + 6tbsp water
1/2 cup maple syrup (120ml)
1/3 cup olive oil (80ml)
2tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup orange juice (120ml)
Chocolate Teff Frosting:
1/2 cup teff flour (70g)
1¾ cup rice milk (420ml)
3.5oz Amore di Mona couverture chocolat speciale (2 cubes) (100g)
1tbsp maple syrup
½ orange, zest
Chocolate Coating:
3.5oz Amore di Mona couverture chocolat speciale (2 cubes) (100g)
pomegranate & orange for decoration
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175C)
Grease and line 2 x 6" round cake baking tin. I tend to line the base and dust the sides.
Mix 2tbsp of ground flaxseed with 6tbsp of water and set aside to thicken.
In a large bowl whisk together teff flour, buckwheat flour, tapioca, cacao, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk in orange zest and set aside.
In a small bowl whisk together maple syrup, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, orange juice and flax eggs.
Add the wet mix to the dry mix and mix until well combined. It will thicken as you stir. You should have thicker cake batter consistency.
Evenly divide the mixture between the two cake tins and level out the surface.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a cocktail stick comes out with just few crumbs on.
Remove from the oven once ready and leave to cool down for 20 minutes before carefully moving onto a wire rack.
To make the frosting finely chop chocolate and set aside. In a small pot whisk teff flour with rice milk and gently heat on low fire stirring until the mixture thickens and it comes to boil. You should have thicker oatmeal consistency. Stir in maple syrup followed by chocolate and stir until completely smooth. Leave to cool down and transfer into fridge until you're ready to frost the cake. Mix in very finely grated orange zest when completely cooled or just before frosting the cake.
Once ready to frost the cake, place one cake onto serving platter, spread with frosting and place the second one on top. I've made 4 layer cake, so please double everything if you like your cake this tall. Frost the top and sides of the cake.
Melt the chocolate for the coating in double boiler or microwave and leave to cool down. Pour the chocolate glaze on top and gently smooth out to the sides so it runs over the edge.
Decorate with some fresh pomegranate and orange slices.
Enjoy!
Notes:
This recipe makes a two layer cake. Please double the ingredients to make four layer cake as on the pictures. There's a fine line when making the teff frosting. If the frosting feels too thick after adding chocolate, you can add little warmed milk to loosen it. If it feels too thin, add more chocolate, cacao or you can make more teff mix with less milk so it's very thick which you can stir into the frosting.
Visit Nirvana Cakery for more of Hana's wholesome, seasonal, plant-based, and gluten-free recipes.
