Orange Chocolate Cake..

So this is basically a Terry's Chocolate Orange bar in cake form! I'm not going to name names....but there was plate licking from one of my official taste testers so it must be good!!

The photos speak for themselves...give it a go & let me know how you get on :)

For the cake:

• 150g butter, melted
• 3 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• zest of 1 large orange
• juice of 1/2 orange
• 3 large eggs, separated 
• 160g ground almonds
• 2 tsp baking powder 
• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder & 1 tbsp of reserved orange juice

Line a 7 inch springform cake tin with baking parchment. Preheat oven to 160d (fan).

Start by mixing the melted butter, honey, vanilla, zest & juice together.

Add the yolks & beat well. (Make sure the butter mixture is cooled or the yolks will begin to cook when you add them).

Stir in the ground almonds & baking powder. Mix until just combined.

Next whisk the egg whites in a clean, grease free bowl (sounds obvious that the bowl should be clean right?? well it needs to be sparkling or the egg whites won't form smooth peaks)..

Fold the egg whites into the cake mixture gently. Do this in 3 stages to make it easier to fully incorporate into the mixture.

Finally, divide the mixture between two bowls. Add 3 tbsp of cocoa & 1 tbsp orange juice to one half of the mixture and stir until just combined.

Place heaped spoonfuls of the cake mixture into the prepared tin, alternating between each flavour. When you have used up all the mixture, using a skewer or sharp knife swirl the mixture gently to create a marble effect. Don't overdo it, or you'll over-mix the flavours and there'll be a less defined effect.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until well risen and firm. I keep saying this, but it's really important to keep an eye on your cake. Oven temperatures really do vary so cooking times will also vary.

Once baked, remove from the tin & allow to cool on a wire rack.

This cake really doesn't need icing or decoration. The addition of the orange zest & juice make it wonderfully moist so it's perfect as it is. You could of course drizzle some melted dark chocolate over the top though!

Chocolate Hazelnut Mud Cake

Easter commands chocolate, so true to form, GLBTK is here to help you keep on track by sharing delicious recipes for healthier treats... 

This mud cake really delivers... It tastes like Ferrero Rocher chocolates, and for all you Nutella fans, this will really hit the spot! It's incredible... chocolatey, rich & fudgy with a sweet chocolate icing... You'll never believe this cake isn't full of sugar or grains...

I chose to use mainly ground hazelnuts in this cake instead of my usual 'flour' of choice almond flour. I'm pretty sure you can't buy ground hazelnuts in Ireland (feel free to correct me), so you'll need to grind them yourself. Don't let this put you off though, it's really simple and quick. It just requires you tossing the hazelnuts into a food processor/blender and pulsing them until you have a fine ground powder. Don't worry if there are slightly larger lumps of hazelnuts.... it will simply give the cake an amazing texture.

For the cake: 

• 3 eggs
• 275ml buttermilk
• 60g coconut oil, melted
• 60ml walnut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp Irish honey
• 150g ground hazelnuts
• 80g ground almonds 
• 100g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp GF baking powder
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Preheat the oven to 160d (fan). Grease and line 2 8" round sandwich tins. 

Start by whisking eggs, buttermilk, oils, vanilla and honey together until well combined. 

Add all the dry ingredients.

Mix well to ensure there are no lumps in the mixture. 

Divide between the lined tins. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and firm. (Nut flours have tendency to burn faster than wheat flour, so keep an eye on the cakes. If the cake is browning too quickly, place a sheet of parchment paper over the cake to protect it. 

Once the cake is baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tins. Turn out onto a sheet of parchment paper on a wire rack and allow to cool fully. 

While the cake is cooling, you can make a start on the icing. This icing is INCREDIBLE! Trust me... I've made a lot of chocolate icing, and this tastes as chocolatey and fudgy as any of the traditional icings I've had. Sorry for the lack of photos of the icing, it was very experimental and didn't expect it to be as amazing! No doubt I'll be making it again, so will update this post then :) 

For the icing: 

• 200g cooked sweet potato 
• 60g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 15g coconut oil 
• coconut milk/full fat cows milk

Peel, chop & boil the sweet potato until softened. 

Add the warm sweet potato, cocoa, vanilla and coconut oil to a food processor and pulse until smooth. 

You may need to add some coconut milk/cows milk to thin out the icing if you find it's too thick. 

Spread an even layer of icing over the base of the cake.

Sandwich the layers together and top the cake with the remaining icing. 

At this point, you can decorate the cake with hazelnuts and it will look incredible.... or like me, you just have to go one step further!! 

This chocolate ganache is really quick and easy to make, and makes the cake a little bit extra special. 

• 50g dark chocolate (85% cocoa solids)
• 30g coconut oil 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt the ingredients over a low heat, stirring constantly. 

Set aside to cool and thicken slightly. 

Pour over the cake and allow to drizzle down the sides of the cake. 

Decorate with whole hazelnuts. 

Spongy chocolate cake (Grain & refined sugar free)

We all LOVE brownies.. they're gorgeous, rich and made of chocolate.. I need to find a man like that!

BUT...

Sometimes, it's nice to have a light cake... a nice sponge, or just something a little less decadent than a fudgy brownie. Since we're all in agreement that chocolate is amazing.. I threw together this simple grain & refined sugar free chocolate sponge... after all, you can never have enough chocolate cake recipes :)

• 2oz coconut oil
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1 small banana, mashed well
• 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs 
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• pinch of salt
• 1oz almond flour
• 1oz unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 160d (fan) and line an 8" square tin with greaseproof paper. 

Start by beating coconut oil and honey together until combined. 

Separate eggs, adding one egg yolk at a time to the oil & honey mixture. (Place whites in bowl of your stand mixer) Beat well between each addition. 

Next mix in mashed banana, yoghurt and vanilla. 

Add sieved almond flour, cocoa & baking soda to this mixture, and mix well. 

Using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer/food processor (you can do this using a hand whisk too, it'll just take a little longer) whisk the egg whites with 1 tsp of lemon juice until you have stiff peaks. 

Next using a spatula/large plastic spoon (don't use a wooden or metal spoon as they'll knock out all the air you've just added) add the egg white a little at a time, folding the mixture gently to incorporate the egg white. Be patient... you want a light, spongy texture to this cake. 

Pour mixture into lined tin, and bake for 20 minutes until springy to touch & a skewer comes out of the centre of the cake clean. 

Cool on a wire rack. You could serve this cake as it is, or add some fresh raspberries as a garnish. It's amazing with coconut and raspberry ice cream (dairy & sugar free)... That reminds me, I must make some so I can post the recipe :) 

I make a quick chocolate almond ganache to drizzle on the top...

Ganache:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1tsp almond butter 
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Pop all the ingredients into a heat proof bowl and microwave for 15 seconds at a time until melted and smooth. Make sure to stir after each 15 seconds, or the mixture will burn, seize and turn into oily burnt chocolate (believe me... I know! And for the love of God don't taste it to see if you can work with it... you'll most likely need to wash your mouth out with industrial strength mouthwash and you'll still taste burnt chocolate for the next hour!) 

Anyway, I digress... leave the ganache aside for 5 minutes to cool and thicken slightly. 

Drizzle over cake and cut into slices.