Wednesday 16 July 2014

Baked Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Coconut Custard

My friend Rachel, who I work with, can't have gluten or dairy, but she deserves a birthday cake as much as any other 23 year old, right?

Fortunately, I've got dairy free baking under control, thanks to my vegan past. I know that you can make delicious, tender, moist cakes without animal products.

However, I am still nervous about gluten free baking. I took the easy way out with this cake and created a baked chocolate mousse, a flourless base which I put a raspberry topping on.

On purpose, this cake is not overly sweet. On top of this, the absence of flour makes it quite light in. This makes it perfect for an on-the-go afternoon tea, perfect for a couple of working gals on a shop floor.

Like always, I recommend using free range eggs for an ethical and quality product. Don't throw away those egg whites either, aged egg whites are perfect for macarons or dacquoise (can anybody say foreshadowing?)



For the cake:
200g dark chocolate (I used a slightly sweeter one than normal because I knew I wouldn't be adding sugar to the cake)
60g coconut oil
6 free range eggs
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons instant coffee

Grease a 9 inch springform pan with coconut oil. Line the base with baking paper.

Preheat the oven to 180ÂșC.

Melt together the chocolate and the coconut oil in a double boiler. When melted and combined, take off heat to cool.

Separate the eggs, placing the yolks into a small bowl. Whisk together the yolks and the melted chocolate mixtures. Dissolve the coffee in approx. two tablespoons of hot water and add.

Beat egg whites with salt until they reach firm peak stage. Gently fold the whites and the chocolate yolk mixture together.

Place into the prepared springform pan and bake for 30-35 mins or until a skewer entered into the middle comes out clean.

Leave to cool in pan.

For the custard:
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups coconut cream
1/2 cup honey, maple syrup or rice malt syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 teaspoons cornflour
1/2 cup raspberries, frozen or fresh

melted dark chocolate to decorate

In a stove safe bowl, beat together the honey or other sweetener and the yolks until well combined and creamy. Place over a medium to low heat double boiler and add coconut cream. Whisk slowly to combine. Add vanilla and cornflour, whisking throughly to make sure the corn flour does not go lumpy. Cook, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens to a thick yoghurt consistency.

When the cake has cooled completely, pour over custard. Place melted chocolate into a small piping bag and decorate as you wish.

I was inspired by Rachel's love of all things hippy and googled simple Indian mandalas. If you struggle with inspiration, have a look at these wonderful designs and I can guarantee your cake decorating creative juices will start flowing.


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