Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache (no refined sugar)
This gluten free chocolate almond cake with dark chocolate ganache can be adapted to use regular or spelt flour, and has no refined sugar.
This recipe for gluten free chocolate almond cake with dark chocolate ganache was first published on my former blog, The Culinary Jumble. The recipe remains the same (but can be amended to use either regular or spelt flour instead of gluten free).
One problem I have with healthier baking is, if I am honest, the taste (and sometimes texture). Had I never tried sugar or pigged myself silly on white bread and sugar-laden goodies, I am sure I wouldn’t even be writing this now. I am a living and breathing, self confessed, cake-aholic. This means that a reduced amount of sugar can sometimes leave me feeling dissatisfied. Sucky, eh? And let’s not get started about gluten free alternatives.
That said, my health and more importantly, the well-being of my children, is paramount. My eldest son, who has autism, does so much better on an almost gluten free diet with no processed food. So do I. Fact. So I search very hard for recipes I can adapt. Cake that still taste like cake, just with less fat and sugar and where possible, no gluten. Like this gluten free almond cake. Adapted from vegan gluten free chocolate orange cake, this cake ticks all your health concern boxes and looks amazing. I didn’t use orange in this cake, but I did add it to my Jaffa orange cake (also gluten free) and lighter orange drizzle cake.
Can this cake be made without gluten free flour?
Yes, absolutely. I made it for my original blog, The Culinary Jumble, where I focused more on gluten free bakes. Long before I discovered the delights of spelt flour. As I used a gluten free flour blend, you can easily just swap it out for regular or spelt flour (without changing the measurements at all). There may be some slight differences in taste and texture, but nothing that would affect the deliciousness of the cake.
The cake also contains ground almonds and polenta. The latter is a rather surprising addition to cakes, but rather than leaving them with a grainy texture, it produces a very soft sponge. If you are not worried about the sugar content, you might like this gorgeous clementine polenta cake.
Gotta say, this cake tasted as pretty as it looked. I mean, that looks like a real cake, don’t you think? The measurements below made a small cake that was cut into 8 slices good-sized slices.
Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache (no refined sugar)
Ingredients
Cake:
- 50ml (3 tbs + 1 tsp) coconut oil
- 105g (¾ cup) dates
- 1 egg (medium)
- 70ml (¼ cup + 2 tsp) milk (any)
- 25g (¼ cup) cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 40g (⅓ cup) flour (see note 1)
- 25g (¼ cup) ground almonds
- 40 (¼ cup) polenta
Frosting:
- 30g (1 oz) good quality dark chocolate
- 1 tbs honey
- sliced almonds (optional)
Instructions
Cake:
- Pre-heat an oven to 180°C (350ºF) and grease a 7" / 18cm cake tin (I used a springform pan).
- Melt the coconut oil and set to one side.
- In a food processor, blitz the dates and just one tablespoon of milk together until a paste forms. Pour into a large bowl or stand mixer.
- Add the egg and beat in, followed by the remaining milk and cooled coconut oil.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and then slowly add to the wet ingredients until a batter forms.
- Pour into the prepared tin, smooth the top over, and bake for around 20 minutes (an inserted skewer will come out almost clean when ready). Allow to cool.
Frosting:
- Heat the chocolate and honey together in a Bain Marie (double boiler) just until the chocolate has melted.
- Pour over the cake and allow to set a little before sprinkling with sliced almonds (if using). Enjoy!
Notes
- I made the original recipe with gluten free flour. However, you can do a straight swap with regular or spelt flour.