Chocolate Truffle Dessert Cake - Gluten-free

Chocolate Truffle Dessert Cake -Gluten-Free

Like so many of us I have friends and relatives who are Gluten intolerant so I'm always on the look at for recipes that are wheat-free, sometimes experimenting with flour alternatives.  Rice flour works well with sponge cakes but my favourite alternative has to be Almond Flour (ground almonds) as I just love anything nutty..I really don't think that I'm having to compromise at all, in fact it's a real luxury making the dessert rich & delicious.

This dessert is really rich & decadent, it should serve 8-10 people easily as a little goes a long way.  A perfect end to any dinner party.
Serve up with strawberries or raspberries & a dollop of creme fraiche would be a perfect

I always weigh my ingredients but if you prefer to measure here's a handy link Conversion Chart

Grease & line a 22cm Springform tin with parchment paper.
Set to oven to 170c/325f

Ingredients

160gms Ground Almonds
125g unsalted butter
375g 70% dark chocolate
175g muscovado sugar (dark sugar)
2 tbsp double cream  (half and half)
5 eggs
cocoa powder to finish

Method

Break up the chocolate in small pieces and place into a large heatproof bowl
Chop up the butter and to the chocolate along with the cream
Place over a pan of simmering water and gently melt
remove as soon as everything is melted and leave to cool for a few minutes
Add the eggs to the chocolate mix one at a time beating well with each addition
Add the sugar and ground almonds & mix well

Put the mixture in the prepared tin
Top the cake with either some foil or parchment paper, carefully so as not to touch the batter and bake in the centre of the oven for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven, take off the foil/parchment from the top of the cake  and leave to cool completely in the baking tin.
When cool place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before attempting to turn it out.
I left mine overnight.

Carefully remove the paper, turn it upside down to make a nice flat surface onto a plate and dust over liberally with cocoa powder.

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Iced Ginger Cake (courtesy of Mary Berry)

                                                                Iced Ginger Cake 

I always bake several of these gorgeous cakes towards the end of October each year... It's funny how ginger & treacle seem to be the flavours I remember most of all around Halloween & especially Bonfire night here in the UK.  This cake has all those treacly warming flavours that go so well with cold, damp dark nights that we all enjoy before the onset of winter.  

I baked mine in my 8inch ring mould but the recipe can also be made in an 18cm /7in  deep square cake tin greased & lined

I used Wilton cake release from Lakeland in my unlined mould .

Set the oven at 160c/325f gas 3

If you prefer to measure your ingredients here's a handy Conversion Chart

THE CAKE

4oz/ 100g margarine (I used stork)

4oz /100g light muscovado sugar (Brown Sugar)

2 eggs

5 oz /150g Black Treacle Or Molasses

5oz/ 150g Golden Syrup or Corn Syrup

8oz/ 225g plain flour (All purpose)

1 heaped tsp ground ginger

1tsp mixed spice (Pumpkin Spice)

half tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tbsp milk

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TO DECORATE
6oz  175g icing sugar (Confectioners Sugar)

2 tbsp stem ginger syrup * see below

3-4 tsp water ( to mix to a smooth but thickish glaze)

either 1x1 in piece stem ginger chopped finely & mixed into the icing

or sliced as I have with a few added halved cherries

* if you aren't using jarred stem ginger then just add 2 tbsp of corn syrup mixed with a little ginger powder

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METHOD

Whisk the margarine/butter, sugar, treacle, syrup and eggs together until really well combined

Fold in the sifted flour & spices.

Add the bicarb to the milk mix then add to the batter and stir in.

Pour into your chosen tin.

Bake for 1 hour @ 160c and then turn down to 150c/300F/Gas 2 for a further 15 to 30 mins until firm to the touch.

Cool in the tin for around 10-15 minutes

Turn out & cool completely before icing

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Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add the ginger syrup and water, Mix till smooth.

Either add the chopped ginger now and pour over the cooled cake or drizzle down the sides of the ring cake and decorate as I have done.

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