flourless black forest cake

I have made this cake several times for my son’s birthday parties, and even though he and his friends are young, they absolutely adore it. I have had nothing but complements and always make additional cupcakes for those who want just that little bit more.

This cake is grain free and can be made dairy free if you use whipped coconut cream instead of dairy cream. I usually buy frozen raspberries and pop them on about 20 minutes before serving.

If you’re not a baker, don’t stress as this is the easiest cake you will ever make and quite possibly the most delicious!

Ingredients
1 ½ cup (150g) raw cacao powder
1 cup (250ml) just-boiled water
1 ¼ cups (310ml) olive oil, plus extra for greasing
6 x eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (375ml) maple syrup or rice malt syrup
3 cups (360g) almond meal
raspberry jam
2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
pinch sea salt

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan-forced). Line 2 x 20 cm spring form cake tins with non-stick baking paper.

Place the cacao in a medium bowl. Pour over the boiled water and whisk together until smooth, then stand until cool.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, vanilla and sweetener for 3 minutes or until thick and creamy.

Add the cooled cacao mixture and stir through the almond meal, baking powder and salt.

Divide the mixture evenly between the lined cake tins, then bake for 40-45 minutes or until the skewer inserted into the centre of each comes out almost clean. Leave to cool slightly before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.

To assemble, place 1 cake on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread with raspberry jam, then half the whipped cream, Top with the second cake and spread with the remaining coconut cream. Decorate with fresh strawberries or raspberries.

Tip: You can also use this mixture to make cupcakes, they will need only 25-30 minutes cooking time.