You could have eggs on toast again this morning … or you could live deliciously and dive headfirst into a slice of rich, fudgy dark chocolate cake instead. Okay, so we’re not really recommending you make a habit of eating dessert for breakfast. But, this one’s so packed with wholesome, plant-based ingredients that it just might qualify as the most indulgent health food ever invented. It’s gluten-free, sweetened with coconut sugar and spiked with organic cacao and almond milk. So, should you find yourself seeking something sweet to start the day, you could certainly do worse than starting with this a slice of this …
INGREDIENTS
CAKE
3 cups wholemeal spelt flour
2⁄3 cup Pana Organic 100% Cacao powder
2 tsp baking soda
3⁄4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cups almond milk
2⁄3 cup olive oil
1 3⁄4 cups coconut sugar
GANACHE
170g Pana Organic Dark Choc Buttons, roughly chopped
1⁄2 cup full fat coconut milk
Tasman Sea Salt Flakes, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease a 7-inch cake tin with olive oil.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, cacao powder, baking soda and sea salt. In another bowl combine the vinegar and almond milk and whisk. Whisk in the olive oil, and sugar.
- Combine your wet and dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into your cake tin.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre of your cake comes out clean.
- To prepare the ganache roughly chop the chocolate into thin shards, this makes the chocolate easier to melt achieving a smoother ganache more easily.
- Using the double boiler method bring a small saucepan (we used a milk pan) with water to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Sit a glass or metal bowl over the top of the pot, the bottom of the bowl should not reach the water. The intention is to heat the bowl with steam and not the water. Add your chocolate constantly stirring until your chocolate has melted.
- Remove from heat.
- Tip the water out of the saucepan and add your coconut milk, bringing to a gentle boil. Pour this heated coconut milk over the chocolate and whisk until thoroughly combined and smooth.
- Allow your ganache to cool to room temperature, stirring every 10 minutes or so until the chocolate has thickened and becomes spreadable. To achieve a beautiful texture, you will want to work quickly with the ganache as at this point it will set within 10 minutes. Leave cake at room temperature until you are ready to slice.
- Using a butter knife or small spatula, spread ganache over the top of your cake and around the sides.
- Any remaining cake will keep for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature. That’s if there is anything remaining
