Chocolate Gluten-Free Ring Cake

I made a three-tiered chocolate gluten-free cake for a wedding and was delighted with the results.

It kept well for 3-5 days, staying moist. This cake is delicious simply dusted with xylitol icing sugar, or you can try it with my Cashew cream for something a bit more 'wow'! (for chocolate icing, try adding ¼-½ cup cacao powder.)

Ingredients

Macadamia oil, for oiling tin

2 tablespoons flax meal*

5 tablespoons filtered water

¼ cup desiccated coconut

¼ cup almond meal

¾ cup gluten-free flour 1¼ cups coconut sugar

¾ cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

5 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder*

½ cup sweet potato mash (see Tip)

60ml macadamia (or almond) oil

200ml milk of your choice (I use soy milk)

Xylitol icing sugar*, for dusting

* You’ll find these ingredients at your local health-food store or online.

*You'll need a 22cm ring cake tin

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C fan forced. Oil the ring tin.
Combine the flax meal and filtered water in a glass, stirring to mix thoroughly. Set aside to thicken into a flax ‘egg’.
Place the coconut, almond meal, flour, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Add the flax ‘egg’, sweet potato mash, macadamia oil and milk and beat with electric beaters on a medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Pour batter into ring tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Remove cake to a wire rack for 5 minutes to cool. Place a second wire rack on top of the cake tin and upturn. Carefully remove the cake tin from the cake and allow to cool for a further 20 minutes or until completely cool. When a gluten-free cake is hot, it is more delicate than those made with wheat flour. So take a little extra care when moving or removing cake from the tin.
Dust cake with the icing sugar to serve.

Tip: To cook sweet potato, add a small, chopped sweet potato to boiling water and cook until soft. Drain, then cool under cold running water. Drain, then mash and measure ½ cup. The mash is used to bind like an egg and also adds a little sweetness and some nutrients!

This is an edited recipe extract from Anthea Amore’s new book Hungry. http://organicpassioncatering.com