Lovely, Luscious Black Forest Gateau

Enjoy creating this classic cake in a 100% plant based, vegan, gluten, soy & nut free version.

#vegandessert #glutenfreechocolatecake #nutfreedessert #milkfreedessert #soyfreecake

INGREDIENTS

• 95g brown rice flour (3/4 cup)

• 70g sorghum flour (1/2 cup)

• 70g sunflower seeds (1/2 cup), ground into flour consistency

• 30g tapioca flour (1/4 cup)

• 30g cacao or cocoa powder (1/4 cup)

• 100g rapadura sugar (3/4 cup)

• 1½tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

• pinch sea salt

• 3 tbsp. ground flaxseed + 9 tbsp. water

• 80 ml apple sauce (1/3 cup)

• 80 ml olive oil (1/3 cup)

• 60 ml maple syrup (1/4 cup)

• 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

• 60 ml hot water (1/4 cup) + more as needed

• Cherry compote:

• 300 g cherries (2 cups)

• 1 tbsp. rapadura sugar

• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

• 3 tbsp. water

• ¼tsp agar powder

• Vanilla cream:

• 480 ml plant-based cream (2 cups)

• 1 vanilla bean or 1tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tsp. agar powder

• 1½ tbsp. cornflour

• 2 tbsp. maple cream

• Chocolate ganache: make the night before

• 120 g dark vegan chocolate (4.2 oz) I've used Amore di Mona

• 120 ml oat cream (1/2 cup)

• Topping:

• cherries

• shaved chocolate

• edible flowers

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350F)

2. Grease and line 25 x 35cm Swiss roll tin with baking paper.

3. Mix 3 tbsp. of ground flaxseed with 9 tbsp. water and set aside to thicken.

4. In a large bowl whisk together brown rice flour, sorghum flour, ground sunflower seeds, tapioca flour, cacao powder, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

5. In a small bowl whisk together gelled flax eggs, apple sauce, olive oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and water.

6. Add the wet mix to the dry mix and mix until well combined. Add extra water 1 tbsp. at the time if needed to achieve pourable muffin consistency.

7. Pour the mixture onto the lined tin and smooth out the surface.

8. Bake for about 15 minutes or until a cocktail stick comes out clean.

9. Remove from the oven and leave to cool down.

10. Once cooled cut in half to have two long rectangles. Trim the edges to fit the size of your cake platter. The size of my gateau was about 25cm x 11cm.

Cherry compote:

1. Place pitted cherries into medium pot. Add sugar, lemon juice and water and bring to boil. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until soft. Take off the heat and whisk in agar powder. Leave to cool down before transferring to the refrigerator until ready to use. The agar will help to thicken the sauce little.

Vanilla cream:

1. Place cream and vanilla into medium pot. Whisk in agar powder and cornflour and bring to boil whisking continuously. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes whisking in between. Take off the heat and stir in the maple cream. Leave to cool down for 15 minutes and then using electric whisk whisk the mix until smooth. Place into a refrigerator for about an hour whisking every 15 to 20 minutes until your have thick smooth cream. Store in a refrigerator until needed.

Chocolate ganache:

1. Roughly chop the chocolate for the chocolate ganache and place into a medium bowl. Place the oat cream into a small pot and gently heat until boiling point. Pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth. Leave to cool down before placing into a refrigerator to set overnight into a pipeable consistency. It should be perfect consistency for piping but if it's too hard leave it at room temperature for a little while to soften.

2. To assemble the gateau using a cake lifter place the bottom layer on top of your serving platter. Using piping bag decorate the top with vanilla cream. Arrange the cherry compote on top, drizzle with some of the sauce and top with the second layer of the sponge cake. Using piping bag decorate the top with chocolate ganache. Top the gateau with few cherries, shaved chocolate and edible flowers.

3. Store in a refrigerator.

4. Enjoy!

NOTES

You can brush the sponge with little cherry syrup. The vanilla cream can be made with oat cream or coconut cream. Either work well. If you don't have maple cream you can use nut or seed butter in here instead and add little sugar. You can also replace the vanilla cream with your favorite whipped plant-based cream.