By Emma Hatcher
Not only is it World Chocolate Day on 7th July, it’s also cherry season, and this rich, fudgy, decadent cake is the perfect way to celebrate the two.
This recipe is vegan and gluten free (not that you can tell!) and is also low FODMAP, if you stick to two cherries per serve.
Ingredients
375ml almond milk
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
125g caster sugar
125g light brown sugar
125ml sunflower or rapeseed oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
200g gluten-free plain flour
75g cocoa powder
25g ground almonds
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 ¼ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
¾ teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
150g dark chocolate (check it is vegan)
1 punnet of cherries
Method
Preheat your oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas mark 5. Grease and line one 8 inch round springform cake tin.
In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and apple cider vinegar and leave to one side for a few mins until it curdles slightly. Whisk in the sugars, oil and vanilla extract and set aside.
Add the gluten-free flour, cocoa, ground almonds, xanthan gum, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and a pinch of salt into another bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
Pour the cake batter into your lined cake tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is risen and springy to the touch. It’s a fudgy cake but a skewer inserted should come out with just a few crumbs attached.
Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before releasing and moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and sit over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bowl isn’t touching the water). Allow the chocolate to melt, stirring every now and then.
Leave the chocolate to cool and thicken slightly, then drizzle over the cooled cake, letting it gently run down the sides. Top the chocolate with a layer of cherries.
