So it was my Mother in Laws birthday yesterday and obviously couldn't turn up without a birthday cake of some kind. My initials thoughts were to grab a quick recipe off the web and go with something tried and trusted. I had a Chocolate Orange Cake in mind (or Jaffa cake for my southern hemisphere peeps). It needed to be gluten free, vegan and free of refined sugar. After have a quick glance over the recipes available online, I couldn't find anything that looked appetizing, or wasn't laden with butter, white sugar and eggs. The only Vegan, GF options out there were those Raw Cheesecakes that are pretty much just cashews and dates, which if you knew me by now, I tend to stay away from using dates in my cooking as my stomach can't handle their high fructose content.
Times like this are a great excuse for me to get in the kitchen and create a new recipe, because it seems the food world needs a good healthified chocolate orange fudge cake! Full disclosure, I can't take all the credit for this, I took inspiration from Minimalist Bakers 1 bowl chocolate cake recipe, (which you should also check out if you're fine with gluten), I adapted a few things from the cake mixture and created my own Chocolate Orange Frosting.
The result? A fudgy, soft, sweet (but not too sweet) chocolate cake with hints of orange throughout. The cake was made in 2 layers, there's frosting in-between and on top and the shavings of orange zest help really drive that orange flavor home. So if you're after a decadent birthday cake recipe, that will satisfy not only those with all the common food allergens (Soy, Dairy, Eggs, Gluten) but also family and friends that would otherwise eat a traditional cake, then keep reading!
What you'll need:
Base:
1 1/2 cups almond milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup melted coconut oil
2 cups + 2 tbsp gluten free flour mix (I use Bob's Red Mill GF flour mix)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (approximately 3 oranges)
1/4 cup orange zest
2 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 tsp pink salt
1 1/4 cups Monk fruit sweetener (or sub with Coconut Sugar)
1 1/4 cups unsweetened apple sauce
1 cup raw cacao
2 tsp baking soda
Frosting:
227g container of Kite Hill Almond Cream Cheese (or if you're fine with Soy, Tofutti is also a good option)
1/2 cup Soy Free Margarine ( I use Earth Balance)
75g block of Super Dark Chocolate (Alter Eco has a Super Blackout bar that is 85% - 90% cacao)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder (Navitas Organics is a great option)
1/4 cup orange zest + 2 tbsp for dusting
1 cup monk fruit sweetener (or sub with coconut sugar)
What to do:
Preheat oven to 350F
Grease down 2 9" cake tins, while also laying 2 thin strips of baking paper across each other to create an easy pull out tab - set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk your almond milk with the apple cider vinegar, and leave for a few minutes to activate
Once slightly bubbly, transfer mixture to a large blender and add in your coconut oil, orange juice, apple sauce, sweetener and vanilla.
Blend together until foamy
Pour foamy mixture back into your mixing bowl and sift in your dry ingredients (cacao, gf flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Mix vigorously, until all ingredients are incorporated.
Lastly, stir in your orange zest then evenly pour cake batter into your 2 prepared cake tins. * A tip to keep it even is to place 1 cup at a time in each until you run out of mixture.
Bake in the middle rack for 30-34 minutes **While your cake is baking it's time to prepare your frosting.
In a double boiler, gently melt down your chocolate.
Once melted, pour into a blender and add in your cream cheese, vegan margarine, cacao, orange zest and sweetener.
Blitz until al ingredients are mixed well and you have a smooth and silky looking frosting.
Set aside for when your cakes are cooked and cooled.
After 30 minutes , check on your cake, when a toothpick is inserted in the middle, it should come out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before removing from the cake tin.
Once cakes are removed, place on a wired cooling rack until completely cooled down.
Once cakes are completely cooled, place the first one on your cake stand (or use a large plate), frost the top ensuring you have an even layer
Place your second cake on top and cover the top and sides in more frosting, there should be exactly the right amount of frosting to cover both cakes.
Dust with more orange zest and dot with an optional added extra; vegan chocolate covered almonds.
Serve and Enjoy!
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